How to check your vo2 max on apple watch

Your Apple Watch can estimate your cardio fitness level and send you a notification when it's low.

One of the best ways to get a grasp on your fitness is to figure out what your VO2 is. Generally speaking, the higher the VO2 figure, the better, although criteria like age, occupation, and gender also play a big role in determining VO2. In most cases, VO2 figures range from 15 to Athletes tend to have some of the highest VO2 measurements, because their bodies are conditioned to make efficient use of whatever oxygen they take in. In a professional medical setting, a VO2 max trial may go something like this: Your physician instructs you to hop onto a stationary bike or step onto a treadmill. Inevitably, your oxygen intake is going to increase as the exercise gets tougher.

How to check your vo2 max on apple watch

VO2 Max is a commonly used measure of cardiovascular fitness, and the higher your VO2 Max score, the better your overall health and longevity. For those of us using Apple Watch for cardio fitness , your iPhone and Apple Watch is able to calculate and track your VO2 Max score, giving you an idea of your cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance. Why should you care about VO2 Max? If you are interested in optimizing your health, then your VO2 Max score should be tracked and improved, because it can have substantial impacts on your overall health and mortality risk. As health influencer and MD Peter Attia puts it:. Your iPhone will calculate your VO2 Max score after you have used Apple Watch to track several brisk walks, hikes, or runs outdoors. Thus if you do not see a score, you need to engage in some cardiovascular exercise that is tracked on your Apple Watch. You will also need to setup Cardio Fitness levels on your Apple Watch and iPhone before this data will calculate. There you go, now you can see your VO2 Max score and trends. Your VO2 Max score can change from day to day, depending on your exercise, exertion levels, and other fitness data. Note: If you have not setup Cardio Fitness on iPhone and Apple Watch yet, when you open the Health app to access the VO2 Max information, you will instead be presented with a series of steps to setup your cardio tracking. After you have setup Cardio Fitness, you will need to engage in several outdoor walks, runs, or hikes, to calculate a cardio fitness and VO2 Max score. This is a really great feature for tracking your fitness levels. If you want to improve your VO2 Max score, the easiest way to do so is to engage in more cardiovascular exercise at higher zone levels, which is where viewing your target heart rate zones can be useful, since exercising in higher target heart rate zones typically will improve your VO2 Max. There are other ways to calculate VO2 Max, or roundabout ways to estimate it with things like the Cooper Test , but thanks to Apple Watch and iPhone you can get this data right now in your Health app, and you can track changes and progress along with your fitness journey.

In a professional medical setting, a VO2 max trial may go something like this: Your physician instructs you to hop onto a stationary bike or step onto a treadmill. Most Popular.

Well, that description IS somewhat accurate. Having a solid VO2 Max may make you feel like you are in fact, superhuman. But what exactly is the VO2 Max metric and is it actually important to your overall health? And if it is and your number, like mine, is garbage , what can you do about it? I went on a journey to answer these questions and more, then report back to you my findings.

The Apple Watch has lagged behind sports watches like Garmins in how it displayed your cardio fitness. With the watchOS 7. The Watch has actually been able to do this for a while, but it's been a hidden option tucked away in the Health and Fitness apps. However, with the update, it's now front and center. You can see how you stack up against other people your age, and you can get notifications if your cardiovascular fitness is low. This means that the Apple Watch SE is good. VO2 max is a measure of cardiovascular or aerobic fitnessthat's the kind of fitness that you use when you go on a long run or bike ride rather than when you sprint or lift weights. It's widely considered to be a strong indicator of your overall physical health as well as a factor in your long-term health outcomes.

How to check your vo2 max on apple watch

But what is it, exactly, and is it really as important as we think it is? We spoke with Alexandra Coates, a runner, professional triathlete and exercise physiology Ph. Coates explains that your VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during dynamic exercise. How big and strong your heart is , how much blood and red blood cells you have and how good your blood flow is to the working muscles, as well as how much oxygen your mitochondria the powerhouses of your cells consume, are all reflected in your VO2 max. To properly measure your VO2 max, Coates says you would need to go to an exercise physiology lab that has a metabolic cart. A metabolic cart measures the volume of oxygen that your body uses, and the volume of carbon dioxide that you produce during exercise through the gas concentrations and rates of your inspired and expired breaths.

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Since Apple Watch is worn on your wrist, not your face, this is out of the question. Certain conditions or medications that limit your heart rate may cause an overestimation of your VO 2 max. For example, during my retest, at one point I had an unsustained peak of Tap the "D," "W," "M," or "Y" tabs to see your daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly averages. VO2 max matters because the more oxygen your body can use, the harder you can work your muscles and the faster you can run, cycle, or swim. Yes No. This is the basis of the Cooper Test , a minute running test that you might have been put through in high school, and the Rockport walking test , a one-mile walk. Share your thoughts in the comments. You have successfully joined our subscriber list. With delayed onset muscle soreness, I can feel the effects of a workout. Page content loaded.

If you use an Apple Watch, regardless of your workout regimen, the Cardio Fitness score is there to measure your fitness level. Cardio Fitness Score is a more user-friendly name for VO2 Max, a universal and established metric of fitness based on how much oxygen your body can transfer to your blood. The more you can transfer, the fitter you are.

What is VO2 Max? When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For example, during my retest, at one point I had an unsustained peak of The VO2 max in the Health app won't change quicklybut it will change. Why should you care about VO2 Max? After you have setup Cardio Fitness, you will need to engage in several outdoor walks, runs, or hikes, to calculate a cardio fitness and VO2 Max score. This is a really great feature for tracking your fitness levels. However, your heart rate and the speed at which you walk or run correlate pretty well with your VO2 max. Tap the "D," "W," "M," or "Y" tabs to see your daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly averages. It's just a decent guideline. Smoking obviously will affect your cardiovascular health. Page content loaded. Also, you can get different VO2 max scores for different exercises. Certain conditions or medications that limit your heart rate may cause an overestimation of your VO 2 max.