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Declining Vo2 max and strange heart rate while training

6419640
over 5 years ago

I've been running with my vivoactive 3 music for 2 weeks. Previously, before a 2 week holiday, I had been running consistently for 8-9 months with decent improvements so I'm not completely new to running. Two things are happening that I don't understand and nobody I've asked can explain.

1. My Vo2 max has been declining rapidly since I bought the watch by almost 10. I feel like and I know I can run much faster than it indicates. What's happening? Is the watch this far off or should I be concerned?
2. This is probably related to 1 but the heart rate readings are very puzzling. First, it's showing consistently over 180 bpm (I'm 30 male) at a relatively easy pace and I effectively need to walk to get to zone 2/3. Second the heart rate slows down when doing intervals or during progression runs even at maximum effort. When I cool down, it even jumps back up. What's going on? going on?

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Regarding the Vo2May the same thing occurred to me when the watch was new. It was took a few weeks until it the Vo2Max was rising to a value that I would have expected.
    I suppose the algorithm behind the measuring has to build a individual database first, before the values became accurate.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    It seems like the vo2max is calculated based upon how fast you are running while keeping the pulse in zone 3.

    Zone 3 is the threshold for the aerobic capacity. So the faster you run while you're in zone 3, without going over your aerobic capacity. The better vo2max you have.

    For this to be somehow correct, you have to do some testing to see your max pulse. So that you can manually enter that in the pulse zone settings.

    After that you can only get a somewhat correct reading, by running at a flat surface without any hills. And go as fast as possible without going in to zone 4.

    I've been running trails for over a year with my watch. And my vo2max have been going down the drain! But when I started to go slower and keeping my pulse below zone 4, the vo2max started to go up!

    I'm keto, so maybe that's why I always was in zone 4, even for runs of an hour or so.

    Zone 3 = muscles being mainly powered by oxygen.

    Zone 4 = muscles being powered by glucose or fat, in a fat adapted body. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Darsell

    I have had the same experience as Darsell outlines above

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    I am  having the same questions as you.

    Previously I had a nice correlation with running speed and heart rate and my VO2max was as high as 56 on my Fenix 3 HR. Previously to start interval training and increasing my weekly mileage ( 30km => 80km). Now, my heart rate does like you're showing on your graphs. When I step up the speed, the heart rate can go down as it should go up and then when I rest, the heart rate goes up before going down. I tried also with the chest strap and got same results, meaning there was not a measurement problem associated with the wrist HR optical measurement. Looks to me that something that I do not understand is happening when I change my speed too fast.