I have an S0 and I can see my VO2MAX in the Health app. It works on all iterations of the Apple Watch.
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VO2 Max in Watch OS4
- Thread starter TRICKorDEVICE
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I have an S0 and I can see my VO2MAX in the Health app. It works on all iterations of the Apple Watch.
Fair.
Can't believe it. I didn't exercise for a long time.
Mine is about the same and I'm completely satisfied, it's only an estimate unless you get a real test hooked up to testing equipment and then pushed to your max. For all I know mine is about 40 which is good, and well, good is good
If you want to get the best estimate, run for about 25 minutes at the best pace you can, but keep the same exact pace for the entire 25 minutes.
And remember, it's not the holy grail, it's just one aspect of your overall ability, you can still outperform people with higher vo2max it's just one thing we can improve on if we need to. I don't buy it mostly genetic and your stuck with it.
What type of exercise were you doing?Fair.
Can't believe it. I didn't exercise for a long time.
If it was just a stroll, then it doesn't mean much.
I wonder if I can fool the watch to calculate VO2Max during my indoor cycle session by using outdoor cycle program instead.
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I have one VO2 max reading in Health app even though I’ve done numerous Outdoor runs and walks since installing iOS11/AW4 when they came out. I looked at that session and it isn’t that distinctive from my other sessions (time, distance, heart rate). The one thing I noticed is I had my phone with me for that walk (I have a series 2 and can tell phone or no phone by altitude calculation). I rarely workout with my phone.
Are the people in this thread that are getting numerous VO2 readings exercising with their phones? Maybe it needs the altitude readings for a better reading?
Are the people in this thread that are getting numerous VO2 readings exercising with their phones? Maybe it needs the altitude readings for a better reading?
Just a bit of a run, a bit of elliptical. I'll go full mode running next month. Curious to see if the number will improve.
This is not a VO2 Max test but just an estimate. And the more samples you have the more accurate an estimate is. A sample of one in an estimate is almost meaningless and can askew far in either direction. So if you only have a sample of one V02 Max reading then you can't really compare it.
I used the Outdoor cycling while I was on a stationary bike and it not only didn't give me VO2max but it also didn't credit me for the exercise minutes for the day!!! AAAAAAaRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
0 Cal for active calories eventhough my avg HR was 161 for 25 minutes.
I used the Outdoor cycling while I was on a stationary bike and it not only didn't give me VO2max but it also didn't credit me for the exercise minutes for the day!!! AAAAAAaRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
0 Cal for active calories eventhough my avg HR was 161 for 25 minutes.
I think it only captures or calculates VO2MAX when you do an outdoor run for at least 20min. Maybe try that setting while you are cycling, but if you’re inside it might detect that you’re not actually moving and end up with the same result.
Distance traveled is part of the algorithm used to calculate VO2 Max so it must be a GPS recorded activity.
Only shows on data on the “today” screen if it has captured data for that day.
I’ve been baffled by this, too. I’ve only had one outdoor run generate a VO2 max estimate. I’m going to try one more thing today. The only thing that I have been able to tell a difference on is that the one reading was on a time goal for the run, versus Open.
If that doesn’t do it, I can only conclude that the software has issues. Apple needed to explain more about this, if there are tight tolerances for what will generate a reading.
If that doesn’t do it, I can only conclude that the software has issues. Apple needed to explain more about this, if there are tight tolerances for what will generate a reading.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
It’s possible your HR wasn’t providing a consistent enough reading. Like I’ve been monitoring my HR during workouts for 2 years using HeartWatch and sometimes there can be huge gaps in HR readings due to sweat, movement of band, or.. (???). It’s notoriously bad for weight lifting, but sometimes has been pretty bad for run/bike for me too. And I usually try to follow the important tips of moving the band 1-2 inches above my wrist bone and keeping a snug fit. I got an armband for the Apple Watch (from 12 south) for this very reason. For me it’s provided much more consistent and reliable recordings.
Because it seems like the requirements for VO2Max reading are
1) Outdoor GPS workout
2) 20+ minutes
3) Vigorous, constant effort
3) Sufficient/Consistent/accurate HR readings
However, I think it’s strange how much Apple is “hiding” this feature. For such an important health metric on a device that Apple sees as extremely important for improving/motivating/quantifying health. No mention in a presentation and the only place you can find it is hidden within the Health app which until now I never used. Clearly Apple must have some sort of hesitancy with regard to reliability of this feature
Just did another outdoor run. I held almost the same pace for over two miles. Heart rate readings appeared very consistent. Still not VO2 max reading.
Edit: I also tried out my time goal run theory. No luck.
Edit: I also tried out my time goal run theory. No luck.
My heart rate average was 170bpm. Lots of hills on my street.
The health app says that it takes at least a 20 minutes outdoor run or walk. I did 30 minutes.
The odd thing is that it appears, from my research, that people got more consistent readings when on watchOS 4 Beta.
Anyone figure anything else out about this? I’m really getting frustrated that my Apple Watch isn’t producing VO2 max readings with my outdoor runs. I’ve tried everything I can think of to do. I have consistent heart rate data, consistent pace, and am doing more than 20 minutes of running.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
ummm... well it seems like you're the only one here having this issue. I was gonna start asking you some basic (i.e. borderline insulting) questions such as "Are you running watchOS 4?" and "Are you sure you're looking in the right place for it?" but then I noticed that you have had one VO2Max reading in the past so clearly those requirements have been fulfilled. Which watch series do you own? Assuming you are doing everything right if you really care about the VO2Max reading you can always try setting up as a new watch.