Reset V02? 6X PRO

RobScriven said:

V02 is stuck on 51 for a few weeks.

Im a lot fitter now,

You shouldn't expect a massive change in VO2max over a short period of just a few weeks, it takes time. Quick changes to the reported value can of course happen if the watch starts of with a really bad estimate, and then gradually "tune in" on your true VO2max.

RobScriven said:

Great it was blank on the watch,then i synced it to my phone and account again,  it was back on 51 without doing an activity

...which means the syncing works as intended.

What kind of activities do you do? Run? Bike? Indoors? Outdoors?

For running the watch will only give you VO2max estimates from outdoor runs w/ GPS enabled, and for biking you will need a pwoermeter. 

I run 3 or 4 times a week, always wear a chest strap, ive had garmin watches that do v02 for the last 3 or 4 years,never noticed it get stuck like it has on the 6X.

I did a 5K the other week 20.53 hilly course, the v02 didnt move, im 47, when i was doing 19.21 5k's my v02 was about 58-59.

Again - you shouldn't expect to see day-to-day changes in the VO2max. The value represent an estimate of how much oxygen your body is able to utilize*, and that physical metric of your body is not something that changes from one workout to the next, especially not for a person at your activity/performance level. If the reported value does change however, you shouldn't pay too much attention to the short term changes, instead look at the trends over time (months, years).

What about your Performance Condition - how did that look like throughout the activity?
If the watch isn't recording Performance Condition, it's not estimating VO2max either and I agree something is wrong. If it does record Performance Condition on the other hand, it's also estimating VO2max. So, if you have Performance Condition but the VO2max remains the same, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with the algorithms, it simply means that your VO2max hasn't changed.

*edited

SAHO said:

The value represent an estimate of how much blood your heart is physically able to pump,

Apologies for being being pedantic here but that’s not quite true. VO2max represents the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can use during exercise. It’s a combination of central (heart and lungs) and peripheral (capillaries etc) that together contribute to how well a body can turn oxygen into energy. Heart rate is a function of VO2max as it increases to circulate more oxygen enriched blood around the body to meet the demands of the exercise. However, if there is insufficient means to convert that oxygen to energy at the periphery then it is returned and exhaled. A large part of increasing VO2max is developing more mitochondria and increasing capillaries so that more oxygen can be utilized.

Thank you for that detailed explanation @philipshambrook, you are of course right and I stand corrected.

I’d say the key point of my post is still correct though.

SAHO said:

Again - you shouldn't expect to see day-to-day changes in the VO2max.

Couldn't agree more and something that is routinely overlooked largely because Garmin have these metrics on the watch that are poorly understood.

A large part of VO2max improvements come from developments at the periphery through steady state exercise at low-to-moderate intensities. It's all well and good having a strong heart pumping more blood but if you do not have the means to convert that oxygen to energy at the periphery to power muscles then it's wasted.

VO2max is also a metric that changes less as fitness develops. Once a person has reached the point were VO2mac stabilises,  increased performance may then only come from efficiencies in movement ie increasing pace/speed at VO2max to the percentage of VO2max that can be utilised for exercise. That's part of the reason why two people with the same VO2max will not produce the same mechanical output.

Go slow to go fast!

How many times have I said that to people I coach!

what i didnt say was, im using 11.75 and 11.76 beta firmware, others have reported stuck V02  as well. gone back to 11.10 now.