Garmin vo2 max chart

Traveling along the trails, sidewalks, and main streets of the towns they reside in, runners, cyclists, and endurance sports athletes everywhere all know a familiar sound.

In the never-ending quest to give runners more data and more reasons to upgrade and spend more on their watches , watch companies are squeezing every bit of information they can think of into their watches. The unfortunate part is, not only are most of these measurements useless because they rely on imprecise formulas or data measurements , but they can actually be a huge detriment to your training. Let me bask in this fitness. Put simply, the VO2 max metric on your watch is wrong and it means next to nothing. In college, I participated in a research study within our kinesiology program.

Garmin vo2 max chart

VO2 Max is a measure of endurance fitness, determined by recording the maximum rate you can use oxygen during high-effort extended exercise. Read on to find out more and how to improve. In a lab test, volume of oxygen VO2 breathed in is measured, and compared to how much is left over when you breathe out to find out how much was actually used by the body. When the rate oxygen is used stops increasing, even while exercise intensity increases, that is your VO2 Max rate. If you can burn more fuel in any block of time, you will find endurance exercise easier at any given speed. As you can imagine, the only real way to accurately measure VO2 Max is in a sports lab, with a gas exchange mask, while exercising, for example on a treadmill for runners. The mask will measure the rate oxygen is used. So, how does Garmin calculate vo2 max? What Garmin have done is to estimate VO2 Max using lookup tables. The VO2 Max data was gathered from lab tests, along with the participant age, sex, weight, maximum heart rate and heart rate at various exercise effort levels. The results were collated into an average lookup table. During activity, your Gamin will look at your heart rate and speed to make an estimate of your VO2 Max using those lookup tables. It already knows most of the other data required from your account profile. However, it can be quite inaccurate if the maximum heart rate is off.

I bought a few knock off Fitbits for some experiments in my lab, then did my own pilot testing to compare them to Fitbit.

GPS running watches like Garmin use metrics such as your heart rate and running speed to calculate your VO2 Max and productivity status. It is not a precisely accurate metric as numerous variables like the weather or your sleep, can impact these data points. Updated Feb. Related: 8 Best Budget Running Watches. On the flip side, the Garmin race predictor is notorious for overselling your race performance. There are plenty of stats that Garmin watches can now supply you with including monitors of your sleep, energy, and stress. But I am not going to get into that.

GPS running watches like Garmin use metrics such as your heart rate and running speed to calculate your VO2 Max and productivity status. It is not a precisely accurate metric as numerous variables like the weather or your sleep, can impact these data points. Updated Feb. Related: 8 Best Budget Running Watches. On the flip side, the Garmin race predictor is notorious for overselling your race performance. There are plenty of stats that Garmin watches can now supply you with including monitors of your sleep, energy, and stress.

Garmin vo2 max chart

VO2 max is one measurement of how fit you are and of your potential as an endurance athlete. Unfortunately, actually measuring your VO2 max is a complicated endeavor that includes a potentially costly trip to a sports clinic. Your watch provides an estimate of your VO2 max. First, let me explain what VO2 max actually is. Simply put, VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during an endurance activity like running. When your body is engaged in any extended endurance activity — like running, swimming, cycling, or rowing — it does so aerobically. Your muscles need oxygen to create energy and keep you moving. For a variety of reasons, there are limits to the amount of oxygen that your body can take in and use. From there, only so much oxygen can be absorbed from your lungs into your blood.

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I was wondering why the cycling v02 estimate is total shit on my watch. From Mile to Marathon, vVO2 training can help: Increase the maximum oxygen uptake in all muscle fibers Increase the capillaries to all muscle fiber types Increase the ability to slow the build-up of waste products not just lactic acid! Thanks for the garmin insight Reply. Let me show you an example from my VOmax measurement. The unfortunate part is, not only are most of these measurements useless because they rely on imprecise formulas or data measurements , but they can actually be a huge detriment to your training. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If you can burn more fuel in any block of time, you will find endurance exercise easier at any given speed. I was actually disappointed that my vo2max didnt increase from all that training, but perhaps fatigue was to blame, or my body hadnt had a chance to adapt. Hey thanks for the write up! The app already can count heart pulses, so this seems an easy thing to program, I would think.

VO2 Max charts are an incredibly helpful tool when it comes to measuring your aerobic and endurance capabilities. While the term itself might look a bit foreign at first glance, its meaning is actually fairly straightforward.

I myself still wear the Garmin as I do like having the data at hand, though have reverted to listening to my body more so than checking the watch all the time during runs. I run more than before but I feel both rested and powerful, and the race predictions are dropping after every run! I have also found that the highest accurate HR readings come from the activities that you do the most and are best at. Our Story Meet the Team Contact. Wow that is really impressive to see that Garmin has such accurate estimates of VO2max. I have several different Garmin devices, wear a small activity tracker everyday, with HR strap for running and use a cycling computer on my mountain bike. Looking at this list used to make me sad Why does VO2max not directly correlate with race times? So to improve your VO2 max estimated by Garmin: Make sure your Maximum Heart Rate and Weight are up to date in Garmin Do lots of easy runs to improve your aerobic base Do a few interval or fartlek sessions as part of your running plan Give your body time to recover and adapt If you found this useful, you might also be interested in the Garmin Performance Condition that appears during your runs. Related: 8 Best Budget Running Watches. I was interested in participating in the VO2 max testing we saw at STAR Campus, but I think wearing a Garmin watch during a less strenuous run sounds a bit more appealing. Recently I did an easy run with a lower ave HR and surprisingly my VO2 max increased by 1 point to Search for: Search Button. I think because their heart rates are higher so garmin underestimate a their fitness.