Since version 20.16 my VO2 max has risen by 4 points in a few weeks. This is continuing in version 20.22 since yesterday. Also performance condition has values up to +14. Even when doing a slow run it is +6 or more. This has also been reported in the beta forums, and is happening om Fenix 6 series also. Only seems to be a problem when using a stryd.
Garmin-Laurie is the development team aware of this? It seems strange to me that data which is unrelated to Garmin data can influence its analysis.
Any updates on this? Will this be updated in upcoming versions or should one downgrade to some previous FW. It's frustrating that my numbers are now way off.
I can also report it does seem to be leveling off but there was clearly an adjustment to the Firstbeat metrics where everyone now is getting a free bonus vo2max point somehow.
My race predictor in comparison…
Used stryd again this morning for an easy run with pace set to 3s average as you suggested. Ran at garmin Base run pace, heart rate 35%Z1/65%Z2, subjective felt easy.
Post run Garmin characterised run…
This shows my Vo2max rising using stryd following firmware updates 20.xx onwards, you can see where I stopped using Stryd pod where the slope falls again. The little blip at the end is trying stryd again with 3s pace.
My Vo2 max seems to have leveled off in the meantime. However, the value is too high when I look at my running performance over the last 12 months.
There was also a firmware change in 2023, that resulted in my Vo2 max being rapidly downgraded. (https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/fenix-7-series/f/community-discussion/341028/14-23-likely-tweaks-to-vo2-max-calculations)
At the same time, my lactate threshold was measured correctly, but the corresponding pace and Garmin power where rated too low. Thanks to the Critical Power tests, I know quite well, where my threshold heart rate, pace and power (Stryd Power & Garmin Power) is. Garmin seems to have misjudged something here. In any case, this issue has been resolved for a while now. The running forecasts are also closer to those that I can calculate using the critical power tests.
Perhaps I should also point out that I run with both Stryd and an HRM Pro. The Stryd is also used for pace and distance measurement.
I had noticed an improvement in my metrics, but it turns out that it may have been related to the use of an external HRM. When I first experienced the issue I was habitually using a Polar H10, along with my Stryd pods, but since HR was not super important to me for my current training, I stopped wearing the external HRM. I did not correlate this with the extreme VO2 max, but slowly it went back to a more realistic number. Since the data used by external services (stryd, runalyze and others) was unaffected, I didnt pay too much attention. However I wore my H10 (connected via BT) along with my stryd pods for the first time in a while and I noticed something interesting. My Performance Condition after my run yesterday looked fairly normal for me
I ran the same run today, under almost identical conditions (time of day, weather, route, shoes, RPE) the only difference was I enabled and wore my Polar H10, all metrics and graphs were near identical to yesterday, with one notable exception
I expect this would also impact the VO2 max over time.
Is everyone else experiencing crazy high VO2 max using an external HRM as well as Stryd pods? If so does it get better if you stop using the external HRM?
