VO2 Max serves as a widely utilized indicator of cardiovascular fitness, and the higher your VO2 Max score, the better your overall well-being and life expectancy. For individuals utilizing an Apple Watch for physical activity monitoring, both your iPhone and Apple Watch are capable of calculating and recording your VO2 Max score, offering insights into your cardiopulmonary fitness and stamina.

Why does VO2 Max matter? Once again, if you incorporate an Apple Watch into your fitness routine, this metric is highly pertinent. Should you be focused on enhancing your health, tracking and improving your VO2 Max score is essential, as it can significantly influence your overall health and risk of mortality. As health advocate and medical doctor Peter Attia mentions:

"Merely elevating your VO2 Max from 'low' (bottom 25th percentile) to 'below average' (25th to 50th percentile) correlates with a 50% decrease in all-cause mortality. Moving from 'low' to 'above average' (50th to 75th percentile) results in a risk reduction nearing 70%!"

There aren't many interventions that can diminish your all-cause mortality risk to such an extent, so indeed, VO2 Max is significant. Let's explore how you can view this information on your Apple Watch.

How to View Your VO2 Max Score on iPhone with Apple Watch

Your iPhone will compute your VO2 Max score once your Apple Watch has tracked multiple brisk walks, hikes, or runs outdoors. Therefore, if you don't see a score, you need to participate in some cardiovascular exercises that are logged by your Apple Watch. You'll also need to set up Cardio Fitness levels on your Apple Watch and iPhone prior to this data being calculated.

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.

2. Navigate to "Browse."

3. Select "Heart."

4. Find "Cardio Fitness" to display your VO2 Max score.

5. Tap on "Cardio Fitness" to delve deeper into your VO2 Max score trends and gain more details about VO2 Max and cardio fitness.

6. Tap on "Show All Cardio Fitness Levels" to view VO2 Max score ranges for various fitness levels, ages, and genders.

That's it—you can now view your VO2 Max score and trends.

Your VO2 Max score may fluctuate daily, contingent upon your exercise regimen, exertion levels, and other fitness metrics. Based on my observations with the Apple Watch, the days I run tend to yield much higher VO2 Max scores compared to walking days, which isn't unexpected given the differing cardio demands.

Note: If you haven't yet configured Cardio Fitness on your iPhone and Apple Watch, opening the Health app to access VO2 Max information will instead prompt you through a series of steps to set up your cardio tracking. Choose "Set Up," follow the prompts to verify your health data (like age, gender, and weight), and decide whether or not to enable 'Low Cardio Fitness' alerts. After setting up Cardio Fitness, you'll need to engage in several outdoor walks, runs, or hikes to calculate your cardio fitness and VO2 Max score.

This is a fantastic feature for monitoring your fitness levels. While viewing averages and information about VO2 Max can be beneficial, it's crucial to remember that you're essentially competing against yourself here and determining whether you wish to enhance your VO2 Max score. If you aim to boost your VO2 Max score, the simplest method is to engage in more cardiovascular exercise at higher intensity levels, which makes checking your target heart rate zones helpful, as working out in higher target heart rate zones generally improves your VO2 Max.

Other methods exist to determine VO2 Max or approximate it (such as the Cooper Test), but thanks to the Apple Watch and iPhone, you can currently obtain this data within your Health app and monitor changes and advancements alongside your fitness journey.

Should you be curious to learn more about VO2 Max, check out some resources provided by the Cleveland Clinic. For a deeper dive into VO2 Max and its connection to longevity, watch the following clip from the Peter Attia podcast:

Do you utilize your Apple Watch and iPhone to track your VO2 Max and fitness? What are your thoughts on these features? Share your opinions in the comments.

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