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VO2 Max

Former Member
Former Member over 4 years ago

I have a question about VO2 max.

I'm 39 years old (male) and my Venu calculates my VO2 max after various exercises around 40.  My GArmin connect app tells me that is a "poor" score and puts me in the bottom 40% of for my age and gender.  It then says my fitness age is 46.

However, other charts I consult has that score at average or above average, including Garmin's own page:

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/fitness/whats-a-good-vo2-max-for-me/

It isn't a big deal at the end of the day, and my VO2max score is on the rise as I continue getting more fit. Still, its a bit discouraging.

Any ideas?

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Tarask

    You bring up a good point about how it is calculated.  Sometimes i do other things and categorize them as "running" or something else due to limited options from my old Forerunner. For example, when I used to mow the grass, I categorized that as a running workout.  I just liked to see how far I went, calories burned, stuff like that, for fun.  But that would probably sink my VO2 calculation, as Garmin would think I ran really slowly with a higher heart rate due to pushing a mower.  And then if that is Garmin's understanding of my baseline, subsequent workout would start from there, if that makes sense.  

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to CindiL

    You are right removing your birthday or adding it wouldn't change the value but it will change the status. I remember a few years ago I had kind of similar problem and I changed my heart rate zones and it did help. I will send you a screenshot of my zones but it could not work for you. Remember that this value doesn't change very quickly. Sometimes it's takes a weeks to go up just one point with regular exercise almost everyday. I remember I was running faster than yesterday but my VO2 max was down one point. I find out that's because of the heart rate zones I had during run. Remember it's using a lot of different values to calculate VO2 Max. It's not direct measurement but you can improve it just keep exercising. I'm sure it will help you. Have fun!

  • +1 over 4 years ago

    Hello everyone!  I am pleased to share that the chart in the link (www.garmin.com/.../) originally referenced in this thread's first post has now been updated.  The chart that was previously included in that article was from a previous build and was no longer valid.  We appreciate you all sharing your experience that enabled us to get this on our radar to be updated!  If you check the link now, you will see that the values in it match the values for each VO2 Max classification in Garmin Connect.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Garmin-Kevin

    Thanks!

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to CindiL

    Hi Cindi, would you please advice on how to see the "excellent" or "good" mark on Garmin App. Because either my Garmin connect app doesn't show any analysis on my record, or I don't know where to read.

    Thanks in advance.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to H3nny

    In my iPhone app its under “health” VO2 max.  You can also see it on the watch though under settings, user Profile, VO2 Max and it will what it is there like “good” or “excellent”.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to CindiL

    Hi Cindy. Much thanks for your help. Just find mine! Haha, I didn't know it was there.
    In Android, we could find it under "Performance Stats" VO2 Max. (Hope this might help others like me :) )

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Another issue is that the Venu shows an inaccurate Recovery Rate. As far as I can tell, Vo2 Max is calculated based on the recovery rate.

    You can see the Recovery Rate when you stop an activity and do not press save, but wait for two minutes. Then the screen will show the Recovery Rate briefly. And briefly is the operative word, because for some reason Garmin shows it for a few seconds and then it disappears.

    But basically after stopping an activity, the Venu stops reflecting the real drop in heart rate, instead, it's showing a much higher HR and dropping it much slower than the real-time HR drop, screwing up the Recovery Rate value.

    IMO, this affects the VO2 Max score.