VO2max swimming

ND over 1 year ago

Hello fellow forum members,

I would like to share my experience regarding the VO2Max display on my Garmin Fenix 7 and my attempts to make it more accurate.

I am an active swimmer and have noticed that my Fenix 7 displays a VO2Max value of 41, regardless of my regular and intensive swimming sessions. I swim between 6 and 10 km per week at a steady pace, with sessions of more than 2 km each. Despite the Fenix 7 registering my heart rate and my use of the HRM Swim band, the displayed VO2Max remains unchanged.

I understand that the VO2Max value is an important indicator of aerobic fitness and endurance, and it is frustrating to see that this value is not accurately reflected, especially considering my dedication to my swimming training.

I wonder if there are settings that I can adjust to improve the accuracy of the VO2Max display, or if there are other factors I should consider. Has anyone else experienced similar issues and found a solution?

Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Nico

0 tmk2 over 1 year ago

AFAIK, the watch can't calculate VO2max for swimming.

0 razmichael over 1 year ago

tmk2 is correct. Dig into the garmin Connect reports and you will see that there is a running VO2max and a cycling VO2Max but no swimming. Either running or cycling require specific conditions to be met for the algorithm to provide an estimate (which should, in most conditions, get more accurate over time).but either need a good source of effort (pace, power) and HR (chest strap is always best but wrist will still work). So if you want to use VO2Max as an estimate of fitness level you need to hit the road a few times.

0 AgentMax over 1 year ago

Go running (with GPS) or cycling (with Powermeter) for more accurate VO2max.

0 ND over 1 year ago

ok thx for the answers.

I've been wondering if anyone knows whether Garmin plans to introduce a VO2Max swim feature in the future. Given the emphasis on swimming as part of many users' fitness routines, it would be incredibly helpful to have this additional metric specifically tailored for swimming activities.

If anyone has any insights or has heard any news about potential updates or features in the pipeline from Garmin, I'd love to hear about it. The addition of a VO2Max swim feature would definitely enhance the overall usefulness of the Fenix 7 for swimmers like myself.

0 CMA-CPH over 1 year ago

You could take a look at this data field from the App Store:

https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/75e76409-a53b-4a78-a91f-4170dc396558

- I haven’t tried it myself

0 ND over 1 year ago in reply to CMA-CPH

ok, thx, I'll try it. Strange Garmin hasn't got a embedded one

0 Morrison66 over 1 year ago in reply to tmk2

mmmhhhh It isn't 100% correct. Garmin says that The VO2MAX algorithm is based on Running and/or Cycling workouts, BUT in case of lack of RUN and Cycling workouts within a 30 days period, it will start a vo2max calculation based on data acquired from other activities. This could be the case of OP

0 Morrison66 over 1 year ago

Are you using a HRM Swim Chest strap? I've noticed that when I don't use the chest strap, my heart rate and aerobic fitness data are distorted, even if I wear the watch on my wrist correctly when I'm in the water