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VO2 Max/Cardio Fitness

J

Jeilders

macrumors member
Original poster
I have had my Series 11 for 2 weeks now and I’m not getting a Cardio Fitness reading. I have done 7 runs totaling 20 miles at a 15 min per mile pace. These runs were done mainly in Zone 2 but my Tuesday run had 26 minutes in Zone 4 at a 14 min per mile pace. I have checked and all my health metrics are set up and the runs were done on the native workout app.



When should I get a reading or what am I doing wrong?
 
What does it say in the Fitness app on your iPhone? Some of those metrics have a certain time frame before they starting recording your progress (for example the Running Pace trend requires at least one running workout a week for six months to unlock).

Fitness app -> Trends -> Cardio Fitness
 
iAssimilated said:
What does it say in the Fitness app on your iPhone? Some of those metrics have a certain time frame before they starting recording your progress (for example the Running Pace trend requires at least one running workout a week for six months to unlock).

Fitness app -> Trends -> Cardio Fitness
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A better place to look is Health app, Search, Activity, Cardio Fitness.

As far as I know, you are doing everything you should be to get a reading. Just to see the requirements, see this: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/healthkit/hkquantitytypeidentifier/vo2max

Apple Watch Series 3 and later estimates the user’s VO2max by measuring the user’s heart rate response to exercise. The system can generate VO2max samples after an outdoor walk, outdoor run, or hiking workout. During the outdoor activity, the user must cover relatively flat ground (a grade of less than 5% incline or decline) with adequate GPS, heart rate signal quality, and sufficient exertion. The user must maintain a heart rate approximately greater than or equal to 130% of their resting heart rate. The system can estimate VO2max ranges from 14-60 ml/kg/min

The user must wear their Apple Watch for at least one day before the system can generate the first vo2Max sample. Additionally, the system doesn’t generate a vo2Max sample on the user’s first workout.

Apple Watch estimates VO2max based on sub-maximal predictions rather than peakVO2. Users don’t need to achieve peak heart rate to receive an estimate; however, the system does need to estimate their peak heart rate. Users who take medications that may reduce their peak heart rate can toggle a medication switch in the Health app to enable more accurate VO2max estimates.
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Just as a test, I might try doing an outdoor walking workout of 20 minutes or so, at as fast as you can walk that amount of time, and see if you get a reading.
 
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you are using some kind of workout app to record your workout and it has been given permission to write to Health?

for me, unless i record my workout as a workout, using any of the common workout apps, and giving that app the necessary permission to write to Health, then no V02max reading is ever recorded for me.
actually that is not correct. a more precise way of describing it is that it rarely records that info with a VO2max reading if i don't use a workout app. eery so often it might record it, but usually doesn't. using a workout app seems to force more readings that ensures a reading is taken. i think its designed as such to save battery so that its not taking a lot of readings when you are not actively in a workout. if your pace is quick enough it should be picking it up, as it does for me sometimes outside of a workout app recorded event, but its hit and miss.

same thing for 3 ring data: to get the most exercise minutes i need to always record my event as a workout. if i am not recording it as a workout then probably only about 60% to 70% of the minutes seem to be counted as exercise.
 
doogm said:
A better place to look is Health app, Search, Activity, Cardio Fitness.

As far as I know, you are doing everything you should be to get a reading. Just to see the requirements, see this: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/healthkit/hkquantitytypeidentifier/vo2max


Just as a test, I might try doing an outdoor walking workout of 20 minutes or so, at as fast as you can walk that amount of time, and see if you get a reading.
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That sounds like a reasonable suggestion.

Possibly a dumb question for the OP. Are you carrying your phone with you on any of these workouts? I don't carry my phone when I run, but I do when I walk or do walk/run HIIT. It wouldn't seem necessary, but maybe your watch needs to be calibrated. https://support.apple.com/en-us/105048

You can calibrate your Apple Watch to improve the accuracy of your distance, pace, and calorie measurements. Calibrating your watch can also help it learn your fitness level and stride, which improves accuracy when GPS is limited or unavailable.
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The part about calibration helping it learn your fitness level makes me wonder if that's why this isn't showing for you.
 
arc of the universe said:
you are using some kind of workout app to record your workout and it has been given permission to write to Health?
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OP says it was using the stock ("native") workout app.

FWIW, I have been using two third-party workout apps to record runs (Intervals Pro and Workoutdoors) in addition to some using the stock workout app and I have always had a cardio fitness recording from those runs.
 
Tdude96 said:
That sounds like a reasonable suggestion.

Possibly a dumb question for the OP. Are you carrying your phone with you on any of these workouts? I don't carry my phone when I run, but I do when I walk or do walk/run HIIT. It wouldn't seem necessary, but maybe your watch needs to be calibrated. https://support.apple.com/en-us/105048


The part about calibration helping it learn your fitness level makes me wonder if that's why this isn't showing for you.
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1/2 with phone 1/2 without. I recalibrated Monday and so I’ve done 4 runs since then.
 
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Madonepro said:
Don't take this the wrong way, and it's why a brisk walk is a good option, but your paces may not be 'hard' enough, to facilitate a VO2 Max number.
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Oh I know my limitations. I’m a 68 year old man with 2 artificial hips, I’m just damn glad to be “running” at whatever pace. You are probably right. I ran a 5K race last night and had 39 total minutes in zones 4 and 5. Not the end of the world if the reading doesn’t show up…but it would be nice to have all the same.

Thanks everyone for your input/help!
 
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Jeilders said:
Oh I know my limitations. I’m a 68 year old man with 2 artificial hips, I’m just damn glad to be “running” at whatever pace. You are probably right. I ran a 5K race last night and had 39 total minutes in zones 4 and 5. Not the end of the world if the reading doesn’t show up…but it would be nice to have all the same.

Thanks everyone for your input/help!
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Are your zones right? Apple doesn't allow you to put an actual max hr in, it issumes 220 minus age, and then looks to see how high you get it, and tweaks it. I'd suggest manually setting your zones, perhaps using an average hr from the 5k race, and adding 10% to it, to get your Max HR and work backwards from there. Or go online, polar fitness have a good calculator, and put your max hr in there.
 
doogm said:
A better place to look is Health app, Search, Activity, Cardio Fitness.

As far as I know, you are doing everything you should be to get a reading. Just to see the requirements, see this: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/healthkit/hkquantitytypeidentifier/vo2max


Just as a test, I might try doing an outdoor walking workout of 20 minutes or so, at as fast as you can walk that amount of time, and see if you get a reading.
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Ok it showed up today after a 2 mile outdoor walk…don’t know if it will update if I go back to outdoor running but at least I have an initial reading.

Thanks all for your help!
 
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FWIW I do what's called "Galloway running" (mixed walking and running intervals at fixed time or distance; typically I walk 30 seconds and run 35 seconds) for over 20 years now, and it takes me about 40 minutes to do a 5k these days using that method, and I get a reading with every running workout. So, good luck!
 
doogm said:
FWIW I do what's called "Galloway running" (mixed walking and running intervals at fixed time or distance; typically I walk 30 seconds and run 35 seconds) for over 20 years now, and it takes me about 40 minutes to do a 5k these days using that method, and I get a reading with every running workout. So, good luck!
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That was easy to set up on my Garmin…how do you set it up on your apple watch?

Thanks
 
Jeilders said:
That was easy to set up on my Garmin…how do you set it up on your apple watch?

Thanks
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There are a few ways.

Using the stock workouts app (and if you are iOS 26/watchOS 26 it's now easier to set up on the iPhone), open the iPhone Fitness app. Tap the "Workout" tab on the bottom. Find/scroll to "Outdoor Run" and tap the small icon on the bottom-right that looks like a timer. Scroll to the bottom and hit the "+". Click "Custom"

It should show "warmup", "Add Step", and "Cool Down".

Tap at the top where it says "New Custom Workout" and give it a name that you will remember.

Tap the "Add Step". Choose "Work" or Recovery". Set the goal type to "time". Tap and change the time to the time you want for the interval.

Scroll down and tap "Add Step" again, choose "work" or "recovery", set the goal time.

Scroll down and tap "Add Repeat" Tap the two small circles to the right of the two intervals that you just created then tap the right arrow top-right. Here set the number of intervals that you want - you can set it as high as 98. Then hit the two check-marks until you get back to the list of custom workouts.

The next time that you do an outdoor workout on the watch, tap the timer icon top-right rather than the play button and choose your new custom workout. It will give you a haptic for each interval and show you on the screen which interval you should be doing.

If you set 30 second/30 second intervals, 98 gives you 1:38:00 of intervals.


The other way is to use a third-party app called "Intervals Pro", which is a subscription app, or an app called "Workoutdoors", which is a one-time pay app. I can probably tell you how to set interval workouts in each of these apps, too.
 
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