Hello,
I am 62 years old and have been training with a Forerunner 165 for the past year.
Until last week, my VO2max was stable at 37. I understand that Garmin states the estimation accuracy is around 95%, so I relate to this number as reasonably reliable.
During the past month, due to a back pain issue, I was almost completely inactive. After this month of minimal activity, my VO2max decreased to 35.
I would appreciate clarification on the following:
- Did the score decrease because the algorithm penalizes prolonged inactivity (e.g., a formula that lowers VO2max after a certain period without training), or is this purely based on physiological signals detected during recent activities?
- My new fitness level is now defined as “Fair.”
Is this classification compared to people in my specific age group, or is it relative to the broader Garmin user population (including much younger users)? - If I return to the same training level I had before this forced break, should I expect the score and classification to return to “Good”?
Or does regaining the previous level typically require a higher training load than what originally produced it?
Thank you in advance for your clarification.