calculation vo2 max

when calculating the vo2 max, is the difference in altitude taken into account?

I noticed that when I go up a lot the vo2max decreases, while when I run on the plain it increases .... it seems to me that it does not take into account the difference in height. the same happened with the forerunner 920xt ... I thought that fenix 6 also took into account the difference in height for the calculation

0 Sascha over 5 years ago

If have a very similar issue

- running close to my house always requires a lot of ups and dows, VO2max is shown very low and even declining despite improvement in speed and distance

- running somewhere else where it is more or less flat improves my VO2max

I personally think that the calculation is currently faulty anyhow - I ran 14 km this morning at a moderate pace with lots of ups and downs, yet it tells me VO2 max of 32 and fitness age 20 years above my actual age... Fitbit shows VO2max of 42....

0 Squalo81 over 5 years ago in reply to Sascha

thanks

0 C.sco over 5 years ago

This is why "Trail Running" is excluded from VO2 Max. It can't accurately calculate VO2 Max when you're climbing up and down during your run. To get an accurate measurement you need to run on level terrain.

If you frequently run on uneven terrain, I'd recommend using "Trail Run" so that you don't get these inaccurate measurements. And when you want to calculate VO2 Max, then go run somewhere level, like your local school track.

0 Squalo81 over 5 years ago in reply to C.sco

https://www.firstbeat.com/en/consumer-feature/vo2max-fitness-level/

in theory it should calculate it correctly .. obviously this is not so ... thanks

0 C.sco over 5 years ago in reply to Squalo81

Per the page you linked, it doesn't calculate hills "correctly", it completely ignores the parts of your run that are on hills. If your run is mostly hills, then that doesn't leave much data to work with. It's not reasonable to expect an accurate result with that. If you put garbage data in, you'll get garbage calculations back. It isn't Garmin's or Firstbeats's fault that your expectations exceed the technology's capabilities, they're pretty clear about the limitations and requirements for accurate VO2 Max calculations in the page you linked, and elsewhere.

0 Squalo81 over 5 years ago in reply to C.sco

ok. I will use the trail running profile ... too bad because where I live there is not much plain therefore the caliber of vo2max will always be approximate..thanks

0 Dr Phil over 5 years ago in reply to Squalo81

Squalo81 said:
vo2max will always be approximate

Wherever you are, the VO2max will only ever be an estimate. It is an indirect measure providing an estimate based on research and maths. You'll only ever get a true measure of your VO2max from a lab test analysing your expired gases.

0 mcalista over 5 years ago in reply to C.sco

C.sco said:
Per the page you linked, it doesn't calculate hills "correctly", it completely ignores the parts of your run that are on hills.

Actually, that page shows it DOES take into account hills.

Also, the issue with trail running is the unevenness of the surface (eg. tree roots and rocks, sideways tilt), NOT the fact that it has hills

0 Squalo81 over 5 years ago in reply to Dr Phil

ok .... but going from 69 detected in the laboratory to a 58-61 detected by the fenix is a bit too much ... first beat declares 95% accuracy....I expected more precision