Comment by dgxyz
10 hours ago
If Apple watch said anything about that it's probably wrong. It can't accurately measure VO2 max.
Incidentally I got rid of mine recently. It is bliss not having one.
Also VO2 max is a crappy measure of fitness. I apparently had "average" VO2 max after a treadmill test. I can hike 50km with a 2km elevation gain in one go and not die. People with higher VO2 max I know, dropped out.
During a 50 km hike you are not anywhere close to your VO2 max, so it makes sense that the VO2 max is not predictive for that distance.
> hike 50km with a 2km elevation gain in one go and not die.
And thru-hikers can do this for days. It’s more related to fatigue resistance, mitochondrial density, and walking efficiency. But VO2 max still matters in high-intensity sports, you can’t ignore it when you’re pedaling a bike at high Zone 4 in a race.