# Apple Watch - VO2 Max



## dantan

Hi everyone,
I do realise that a proper VO2 Max figure can only be accurately sought in the Lab, with proper testing apparatus.

However, I wonder how accurate Apple's guesstimates are.

On my weekly Runs in the last few weeks, my VO2 Max figures shown (Apple Watch Series 2 Nike+) range between 51 and 52.

This was from this last Sunday's 90-minute Run:


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## rationaltime

I don't know. What input did you give that application?

I think "VO₂ Max" would refer to the maximum oxygen uptake rate you can achieve.
On a 90 minute run it seems unlikely to run hard enough to reach that rate. I wonder 
if in this case the app estimates VO₂ peak or average instead of maximum. Perhaps
they gathered a lot of correlation data and found their estimates are reasonably close.
I don't know.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## BarracksSi

rationaltime said:


> I don't know. What input did you give that application?


It's already built into the new Health app from Apple.



rationaltime said:


> Perhaps they gathered a lot of correlation data and found their estimates are reasonably close.


Apple's got a big department of exercise science and data-gathering, complete with VO2-measuring equipment like any good athletic training lab. It's big, though.
https://www.menshealth.com/content/inside-apples-secret-performance-lab


> "Our lab has collected more data on activity and exercise than any other human performance study in history. Over the past five years, we've logged 33,000 sessions with over 66,000 hours of data, involving more than 10,000 unique participants."






rationaltime said:


> I don't know.


And now you do. :-!:-!


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## dantan

From what I can gather, the VO2 max is provided only when 20 minutes or longer of solid, non-stop, activity has been achieved.

I run 3 times per week (and average 35+ kms per week).

I have run nearly 1,500kms this year, so plenty of data for my Apple Watch to collate.

On my 90-minute Run on Sunday, I averaged over 11km/hr (no world-beater, but I ain't that slow), and it was my recovery Run after a 5km parkrun (I ran a Personal Best 22:24, and my VO2 max said 52.41) the day before, and my average Heart Rate was 145bpm.



rationaltime said:


> I don't know. What input did you give that application?
> 
> I think "VO₂ Max" would refer to the maximum oxygen uptake rate you can achieve.
> On a 90 minute run it seems unlikely to run hard enough to reach that rate. I wonder
> if in this case the app estimates VO₂ peak or average instead of maximum. Perhaps
> they gathered a lot of correlation data and found their estimates are reasonably close.
> I don't know.
> 
> Thanks,
> rationaltime


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