Best VO2 Max Watch

Written on December 14, 2023   By thecradletheatre   in Blog

Not long ago, best vo2 max watch was a metric that only serious athletes bothered with – but now it’s an integral part of many fitness trackers’ workout stats. Fitbit’s “Cardio Fitness” score uses it, as does the Apple Watch, and most Garmin models can deliver a VO2 estimate too.

The main thing to know is that the VO2 max values you see on your smartwatch are estimates. They rely on two things: heart rate and pace, so they’re not perfect. The problem is that wrist-based heart rate monitors aren’t always accurate, and the more you exercise, the less accurate they become. In fact, a study published in the journal Cardiovascular Diagnosis & Therapy 2019 found that the accuracy of a wrist-based monitor decreased as a runner ran faster.

Optimize Your Fitness Journey: The Top VO2 Max Watches for Peak Performance

Another factor is that a VO2 max estimate doesn’t take into account your body’s ability to use oxygen in different conditions. Specifically, running trails tend to result in a lower VO2 estimate than running on pavement because you’re exhaling more carbon dioxide when running off-road.

That’s why, even though the VO2 max numbers on most wearables aren’t 100% accurate, it’s still useful to track them. They’re a great indicator of how much aerobic energy you can burn, and it’s something that can improve over time as you train. With the right tracker, you can make sure that your workouts aren’t wasting your hard-earned fitness gains. Read on to find out our picks for the best vo2 max watch.