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Why must GPS be enabled to measure/track Vo2Max?

Easterbunny
over 1 year ago

Why must GPS be enabled to measure/track Vo2Max? In other words, all hard training sessions done indoors with, for example, the Ellipse machine do not affect the Vo2Max measurement at all. There must be a reason for why GPS have to be enabled , but I don't understand the logic of it.

I assumed that the most important element for Vo2 Max measurement was pulse/heart rate, so I was very surprised when I learned today that GPS must be active and that outdoor training is required. Is Vo2 Max affected by where you are in the terrain? (lol?) :)

I use another app, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.miahealth.mia and it tracks Vo2Max, also indoor activity as I understand it.

There is probably a reason why Garmin requires outdoor activity with GPS enablef to measure Vo2 Max, although it seems illogical to me :)

Start the debate :)

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Btw; the fact that Vo2 max is not measured without GPS being activated also affects the fitness age, which is then also not measured.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Because it needs to relate that heart rate to an effort, ie how far and how fast did you move your xx kg body, or from power meters on a bike...

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to oBuTTuSo

    Anyway, I think it should be a user choice to be able to track Vo2 Max without GPS enabled.

    Although perhaps the measurement without GPS is not as accurate as the one with it, it is at least much more accurate than not getting a Vo2 Max measurement at all, I should think?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Easterbunny

    If you don't record any running/walking activities with GPS enabled, you can still get some kind of VO2max estimate from 24/7 heart rate: https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=lWqSVlq3w76z5WoihLy5f8&identifier=886725&tab=topics

    But as others have said, analyzing just HR is not enough for VO2max, because then the watch has no idea of how much effort (= power) you are exerting for that HR. For cycling, that power estimate can be can be obtained from a bike power meter. And for running and walking, from pace estimated from GPS (and the barometric altimeter). As far as I know, the 24/7 VO2max estimate is a very coarse guess based on your age, gender, HR, HRV, etc. And that's more or less what you could get from non-GPS activities (which are included in the 24/7 guesstimate).

    Note that in order to get the VO2max reading based on 24/7 HR, you cannot have any other VO2max producing activities within 30 days, because those (being much more accurate) override the 24/7 guesstimate.

    (The page I linked also mentions "VO2 Max Estimates Without GPS" for watches without GPS, I haven't ever had such a watch, so cannot comment on how that works.)

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Bitti

    Well, by accident I just stumbled on this app (while reading another section of this forum). It's a Connect IQ app for getting some kind of VO2max estimate when running on a treadmill: apps.garmin.com/.../330f64e4-ac94-42f1-ba6b-51964b028a3a