VO2 Max is a measure of endurance fitness, determined by recording the maximum rate you can use oxygen during high-effort extended exercise. Most people with a Garmin sports watch will have seen a VO2 Max value in their Garmin Connect app or watch. The more competitive of you will even be wondering how to improve VO2 Max Garmin version (which is a bit different from a Lab tested VO2 Max). 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. So increase V02 Max on Garmin and in general terms, you’ll be fitter, because your ability to use inhaled oxygen has increased, which means that you are burning more fuel in any block of time. If you can burn more fuel in any block of time, you will find endurance exercise easier at any given speed.
- What is the Garmin version of VO2 Max?
- How to improve VO2 Max on Garmin
- Impact of terrain and conditions on Garmin’s VO2 Max estimate
- Does VO2 Max Matter?
What is the Garmin version of VO2 Max?
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. Most people don’t have access to this test. 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. The only thing it doesn’t know accurately is your maximum heart rate, which it guesses and is often wildly off, so if you haven’t already given Garmin a better max HR value, you could do a maximum heart rate stress test and use the results to tweak your Garmin heart rate zones.
The Garmin VO2 Max estimate is fairly accurate (field tests suggest 95% match) if all the data inputs are good. However, it can be quite inaccurate if the maximum heart rate is off. For example, Garmin’s estimate of my max HR is about 19bpm lower than reality. This will mean the VO2 Max estimate is around 10% wrong unless I correct the max HR. So if a lab test were to give a VO2 Max of 50ml/kg/min, Garmin VO2 max might be out by 5 or more! So it’s important to get your maximum heart rate correct.
If you are using a wrist mounted heart rate monitor, it’s also important, that you have adjusted the watch strap to be tight enough that the sensor doesn’t flap about and end up measuring arms swings / cadence instead of heart rate. i.e. if the heart rate during your activity isn’t being measure properly, the estimated VO2 max will be way off too. Or use a chest strap.
You’ll notice that the measurement is in ml/kg/min – Millilitres of Oxygen per KG of bodyweight per Minute. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure your weight is up to date in your profile too.
How to improve VO2 Max on Garmin
When trying to improve VO2 Max Garmin version, it’s important to note that you should not compare yourself to others. You don’t know how accurate their data is. Instead, use the estimated VO2 Max to keep an eye on your own progress from one month to the next. The number will bounce around a bit during a month, but if the number is going up, gradually and consistently each month, you are getting fitter. Comparing it from one run to the next is pointless!
If you never run at a hard effort and only ever do easy runs, it’s hard for Garmin to know what you are capable of at the top end. So make sure that you are sometimes running as hard as you can for 15 to 30 minutes. So for example, run a 5K race flat out, or do it as solo Time Trial, once a month. The time for that 5K will also be a good indicator as to whether your fitness is actually improving, because ultimately Garmin is just making an informed guess.
The two main ways to improve VO2 Max (Garmin version and lab tests) in your ongoing running training are:
1) high intensity exercise close to VO2 Max effort levels and
2) easy effort exercise.
If you do the high intensity exercise, your VO2 Max will increase rapidly, but not by very much. Genetics plays a big role in the starting point for your consumption of oxygen during high effort exercise, given the size of the heart and lungs. This high intensity exercise is common for runners in fartlek and interval training, so if you are ready for the fast stuff, then insert these into your training plan to get some quick improvements to your VO2 Max, with noticeable changes within a couple of weeks.
The biggest improvements to VO2 Max come from large amounts of easy effort (aerobic) exercise, but those improvements take a lot longer to be realised. Aerobic base training improves your body’s ability to get the oxygen out of the blood to where it’s needed and use it for fuel burning, so it’s then worthwhile for the lungs to transfer more oxygen to the blood during breathing. This low effort exercise is common for runners in their easy runs, which should be the majority. Do more of them and make them gradually longer to get gradual but large improvements to your VO2 Max, with noticeable changes within 6 weeks.
Impact of terrain and conditions on Garmin’s VO2 Max estimate
Imagine for a few weeks you run on a road, on a cool, shady day, with the wind behind you. At any given heart rate (effort), you’ll go at a certain pace and Garmin estimates your VO2 Max. Then imagine for the next few weeks, you are running on trails at the same heart rate (effort), into the wind, the sun is out, it’s hot, the ground is muddy with loads of rubble, grass and roots, all of which are conspiring against you, so your pace will be noticeably slower than the weeks before (even though effort is the same). Garmin thinks you have lost fitness because it doesn’t understand the conditions and thus lowers your VO2 Max estimate. It’s my understanding that Garmin does to take elevation into account, but again, if you run a lot of hills, it will be harder for Garmin to estimate your VO2 Max successfully than if you had run mostly on the flat.
Does VO2 Max Matter?
The exact value of VO2 Max isn’t a guaranteed indicator of performance. Some athletes with very high VO2 Max values don’t perform as well as some with lower values. Whilst it’s fun to see fitness improving via changes in your estimate, fixating on the value itself isn’t productive. If you really want to see if your endurance fitness is improving, a race is a better measurement! Head out to your local 5K. If you can get round it faster, you are definitely getting fitter. Additionally, these types of short, fast races will give Garmin good input for VO2 Max values.
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.
