VO2 MAX & LACTATE THRESHOLD TEST | How accurate is Garmin?

[@stephena1639]

Hi Flora, i have just attended a test with Jonathan and got the discount mentioning your name. Being an older athlete 220 minus age was no good to work out my zones so wanted to get the correct HRs to work at. The test was an experience, a bit nervous before i went because of the mask, but Jonathan was brilliant and there was nothing to worry about. The 14-page test report was so detailed and i now know what is required to improve, I am in the excellent category for my age, but it can improve and Jonathan gives you details on how to get better. i would highly recommend it, thank you

[@richardmead4272]

You are a fascinating young lady. I’ve been running for more than 50 years and I learned a little bit from this video. Keep up the great work!

[@FloraBeverley]

@@richardmead4272 so happy to hear it! 🥰

[@jonathanrobinson2628]

I had planned to get a VO2 max test this year, and I think it's clear now that I've found the gold standard of tester in my namesake! 😁

[@Richz2]

It makes a refreshing change to see a pro athlete actually share their data. So many don't for various reasons, but then why make a video and then keep them secret? everyone who watches wants to know for curiosity. It's not that the numbers mean anything to anyone else as we are all different. So nice you are prepared to share...Really enjoy these video and hopefully there will be some more in the future.

[@FloraBeverley]

aha i appreciate that you think i'm a pro athlete - i'm definitely not! - but yes I always find it fascinating to see data from other athletes. I hope to do more similar vlogs in future!

[@lauraemerson7900]

Very interesting on the HR zones, I think this is often why a lot of athletes run on perceived effort. I have been struggling to keep in my Garmin zones but it varies so much from person to person it’s a minefield!

[@And-rc9yy]

I'm 52, I did a Vo2max test about 15 years ago then promptly got injured the following week. I didn't do any training until a month before Covid when I began Park Run. I've kept up with my training and am just finished a three month stint in Kaptagat, Kenya. I will be getting my Vo2max and Lactate Threshold tested within a week of my return. Like you I love data too but not the 'wishy washy' type from an algorithm. Best wishes with your training and stay injury free.

[@nicograf9745]

I spent a whole year training in the wrong zones until I did one of these tests. Now after a year of very consistent high-volume (70-90k per week) , low-intensity training things look much better. I was able do to really well in an 84k trail race just a fews ago and I am sure it’s all down to training properly. I wish I would have understood these concepts when I started running. Thanks for the great video with so much good information.

[@FloraBeverley]

Oh thats great to hear! It's hard to know if it's the right thing to be doing when you first start. I struggle with anything over 55km/week but have easily got around that these past 4 weeks. Excited to see where it goes from here!

[@peterdeboer5773]

I had a similar experience. Did a lactate test last year and it showed my zone 2 was higher than my Garmin watch said. I improved a lot when i started training in my real zone 2!

[@tamiio1]

I had the same thing, my watch (and all the calculators) were telling me my upper zone 2 was 142, i had a LT test done and it was 163. so much happier running at 150 than 140 :)

[@FloraBeverley]

Haha yes me too! Crazy how far off it can be, but I guess it's pretty hard for any tech to generalise across the whole population

[@amelia.jane1235]

That looked tough. Well done 👍 Thank you for sharing your data Flora! 💗 Great information, very helpful. You’re results are awesome. You are clearly super-fit, numbers or no numbers, it’s evident in your previous races/events and, you’re an inspiration! 🙌💗💗

[@Emily-gr4nw]

Amazing! Love this content! Can tell a lot of hard work went into this one!!!

[@Lucy-qk2vs]

As a bath uni student I applaud you for walking up that hill 👏🏼👏🏼

[@FloraBeverley]

Haha the bus said it would take just as long! 😅 plus, saves me doing it in the gym on the treadmill 💀

[@vickiball1]

Love the nerdy side of running, thanks for explaining with clarity

[@FloraBeverley]

Haha me too, so interesting!

[@kofuzi]

have always wanted to do this

[@manuel_877]

Good afternoon. It's very important for all the runners. Brilliant Flora. Here is my like. Let's goooo. A nice weekend for everyone. 🌞🏃⌚

[@davidzof]

LT1, typically around 80% of HRmax would be at the top of Garmin's Zone 3. Given your HRmax of 196 that would be 156 bpm. So Garmin's figures are not too bad for training just below LT1. LT1 is the point where lactate doesn't build up in the body; your "all day" or "tempo" pace. The speed / HR you can run a marathon at. LT2 would be somewhere in the upper bounds of Garmin's Z4 at 171bpm at 87% of HRmax. Training will improve these values so it is not really a surprise that your lactate test shows that your LT1 is a little bit higher than the standard calculations. I also think Garmin uses Heart Rate Reserve for its calculations, the difference between HRmax and resting HR which takes into account fitness to some extent and gives slightly more accurate results.

[@jenHry-ng3pw]

99% of people confused by garmin zone 3 is the "zone 2" everybody is talking about. Edit: she didn't do garmin lt test, but if she did, it was 181 Garmin would put her on 145-161 for zone 2 (if you use your lt as base, zone 2 = zone 2, perhaps to make itmore simple? 😂)

[@alwayslearning4]

This is a must watch for new swimmers. Very simple rules to follow. I'm looking forward to using them in my training for my first sprint tri! Thank you.

[@FloraBeverley]

No worries, good luck!

[@grahambowes756]

Fascinating! Thanks for all the detail. I’ve recently moved to a Garmin head unit (with HR strap and power meter pedals on my bike) as I was concerned that my Apple Watch VO2 Max algorithm was pretty useless for a cyclist. Sure enough the predicted figure has increased with Garmin. That suggests a figure of 47, which feels about right for the amount of consistent training that I do. It probably won’t get much higher, but at 67, I’m good with that. Thanks again for such an enthusiastic vlog, from someone who also loves the metrics?

[@IainThacker]

I've been using %LTHR zones over %HRmax for quite a while now and they're much more useful in terms of mapping well on to things like RPE/conversational pace. Super-interesting on the importance of VO2max in the different distances - I'm focussed primarily on 10k and understanding that makes a lot of sense of the various tortures my coach is throwing my way! I have a 55km ultra in, eek, under 9 weeks so training is currently focussed on getting to a place I can enjoy that... First time venturing over half-marathon! It'll be a run-walk with emphasis on the walk I think!

[@Snuzzcumber]

Nice one - those last few reps are sooooo hard!! I did this a few years at Bath Uni and the report you get is really impressive. Well worth the money.

[@FloraBeverley]

Yeah so impressive! Fascinating too. And yeah haha I wanted to go forever but it was a struggle 😂

[@harrietg2495]

Hi Flora, thanks so much for your reply on instagram pointing me in the direction of this video :) this was really interesting and also useful! I am yet to have a lactate test but I have a feeling that my Apple Watch is massively underestimating my zone 2 as well, because whenever I try to do a gentle run/maintain a conversation whilst running, my heart rate is still super ‘high’ compared to what my watch suggests it should be. This video makes a lot of sense and I also feel less anxious knowing that my zone 2 heart rate isn’t abnormally or dangerously high, as I feel comfortable at that HR and not like I’m over exerting myself! Thanks so much 😃

[@woody_runs]

Thank you for sharing this. You’ve convinced me to change my Garmin zones to %LT. I had, previously, used %HRR but found that my resting hr would bounce around so much that it constantly mucked up those zones. I now have a broader range in zone 2 so that should help immensely.

[@IRunThings]

This was so super interesting. Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@FloraBeverley]

No worries at all, so glad you enjoyed!

[@SubtleForces]

Very interesting. I am also following a German language triathlon channel. Due to the nature of Ironmans, they talk a lot about FatMax (Maximal Fat Oxidation) for longer distance. I think the fundamental issue for average people (especially older ones like me) is that training is about health but also about vastly different objectives such as having both the endurance to go for lung runs AND the ability to get that super fast forehand down the line and return it even harder. In other words, aging well and enjoying life may require more than a single athletic focus with complete determination. We want to enjoy a variety of experiences.

[@Kelly_Ben]

Fascinating stuff!! It shows that listening to your body is important, and to not just go by the tech. I don't even know if a place near me offers this service, but I'd be quite curious to find out my true zones.

[@FloraBeverley]

Yes totally! It's super interesting

[@RobE8475]

Great video and really timely. For many people Garmin will be way off.. it measures your max hr based on the formula that has no bearing on reality (220-age) and then uses a % of that for your zones. As a heavy strength athlete I only need to think about running to be above 150 bpm. I did a formal test like you and my z2 is 160-170.. so informative I would recommend everyone gets one!

[@Quintinia]

My Garmin zones were super off at first because it does default to a max HR of 220-age, but then I learned you can set it to be based off of LTHR or Heart Rate Reserve, and all the values can be manually edited. So I put in my actual max heart rate and got much more sensible numbers.

[@swampy2b]

That’s where it starts, but some watch models are also able to detect and estimate max hr based on activity. Lactate threshold detection requires a chest strap heart monitor with the watches that can detect that.

[@matthewvillegas6494]

Fun topic Congrats on surviving your VO2 Max test!

[@martinweston8147]

Really interesting, thanks for this one ☝️

[@djclass005]

I’ve done the lactate test (without mask) 6 years of ago, was really interesting I’m thinking about doing it again, because training is going well and I want to see if the results are better although I’m so much older!:-)

[@ameliaberry5828]

This was so interesting! I've been wanting to get my lactate threshold tested for awhile as I also think my Garmin is off for my HR zones. Makes such a difference I bet!

[@FloraBeverley]

It's well worth it I think! 👌 super interesting stuff

[@mattsmith8191]

Top video - great data. Surprised you weren't massaging all parts of your lactate curve in your training - even if you are ultra ultra long focussed. Over a 3 week block it's good to do 1 VO2 Zone 5, 1 Areobic Power Zone 4, 2 LT2 sessions and several LT1 sessions amongst all your over distance and recovery. Working your higher zone areas gives you lactate capacity to run/race lower heart rates at a higher speed. Hope that curve is nudging along. I'll definitely check out Bath for a test when I get to England next year. PS my Garmin says VO2 56 but my lab test is 72. Garmin predicts a 19:30 5k and I ran 16:50 a couple weeks ago. The Garmin data is no where near my actual run fitness - and zones.

[@belwynne1386]

Technical heavy is GOOD! Great vlog.

[@Jendo12]

I did this with Jonathan literally 2 weeks ago…. Lol ! It’s fascinating stuff and like you, my garmin was 2 points higher than my actual vo2 and my zone 2 was larger than my garmin suggested……..I love stats too and loved the pain of the test and the results are well worth having….I do triathlon so it’s very helpful,

[@FloraBeverley]

Ah no way! Small world haha. About the same findings then, so interesting. I have found it super valuable!

[@Runner_Phil]

Love this another very interesting video, it does look difficult but I’m going to look to see if I can get one done locally, Bath is a bit too far unfortunately. My HR zones sound similar to yours around 150 feels easy but watch says it’s Z3 😂, good to know I’m around Z2. 🙂

[@_Mountain_Dave]

Thanks for the video re lab comparison - really enjoyable and super interesting to hear the analysis and whilst everyone is different i have thought the same re: zone two being low on the Garmin (including the 7x pro but same software so no surprise). Really great content by the way always well presented / filmed & recently stumbled into your channel from the Lakes content. As for the ultra's whilst V02 is important agree it is far from the bee all and end all of performance predictions - Garmin/lab's can't measure mental stamina, the biggest difference on long ultra's esp if conditions are challenging (as in a typical UK weekend lol). Do think hill training (as in proper hill's bring a huge increase in stamina/fitness that can be taken to the flat courses albeit with an increase in risk injury). Brecon's are stunning if your south west based and haven't been (as well as some great established routes), or for less elevation Dartmoor has some good courses/runs too. Hope you keep injury free and enjoy those runs with your partner and dog, he must have an advantage though with those four legs!

[@dstarley]

Super interesting results. I also felt that Garmin zone 2 is way under my perceived effort so mostly ignore it, or aim to be just at the top of the zone for steady runs.

[@mikew6840]

Great stuff - seems many of these tests shared on YT confirm that our HR-based tech underestimate our Zone 2. 🤔

[@vonNaaat]

14:11 So relatable, I would be too embarrassed to ever get anything like this done in the first place let alone post the results 😅

[@FloraBeverley]

😂🥲

[@badi9169]

Base on what you provide through the eyes of amator. You have room of improvement in your base training: 1 pushing yours lt2 by doing speed work/threshold (Give space for lt1 to go up) 2 pushing yours lt1 by working below yours threshold(zone 3) If you gain more % in body weight than you lose % in vo2max you improved. Ps i like yours long run videos

[@FloraBeverley]

Yes exactly all of this!

[@Dilara_____]

Hey Flora, this was a very insightful video! Have you looked into using HRR% instead of MaxHR for Garmin to calculate your zones? I'm a big believer in HRR% and I've found it to be a lot more accurate. Highly recommend!

[@davidculliton2615]

Really interesting 👌 thanks

[@JackBrady]

Hey Flora 😊🤗 hope you’re all doing well! This sounds like such an exciting experience, but I’m sure very painful too. Really sorry I haven’t been able to check in for quite some time now

[@FloraBeverley]

Hey Jack! Good to hear from you back on the channel! How are you doing?

[@JackBrady]

@@FloraBeverley heya :) ah good thank you 😊, feels like lots of great things recently but a bit less running. Good to be back and hope you’ve had lots of great things too

[@FloraBeverley]

@@JackBrady happy to hear it! 🥰

[@DaveMerrett]

Really interesting. Found it surprising how high your z2 hr is. I can feel that generally i need to be under 150 for it feel easy. My vo2 sits around 57ish, but i think performance at those shorter, 10k and below distances is as much psychological as it is physiological. I'm reasonably fit, sub 18 5k, but not as good at being in pain as others. I had vo2 max test done at Loughborough as part of a running study (the other part was doing a semi-fasted 90 minute run, with strength assesments pre and post. Not fun!).

[@brittanykopke6133]

Thank you for sharing all of that

[@adios012]

The super low hr2 zone bugged me as well on my Garmin.. I went in and configured it to use hearth rate reserve and gave the percentages manually to 50,60,70,80,90 percent and now it feels pretty close to how I feel during runs. Maybe I get it tested as well some time to double check :D

[@darringrey4329]

My zone2 was LT tested @115 BPM ran for 6 weeks , went from 41 min 10 k down to 37 min , trust the numbers , oh triathlete so that was after 40k on the bike,

[@theforeigner6988]

Great stuff 👍🏿👍🏿 Are you on strava by the way?

[@rob4214]

Thanks for the interesting video. You said devices work based upon zones from your max HR. Do you know how doing a lactate threshold test with the garmin modifies these zones or makes them more accurate, compared with a laboratory test?

[@kilianhzh]

one thing to note with VO2Max and Lactate Threshold is that the tests are pretty specific and very taxing. Somebody who is doing the test for the first time will probably score lower than they should because they are not familiar with the test itself and don't know how deep they can go

[@DavidTremblay]

Yes absolutely like other type of physical tests. Untrained people do not know how to grind through

[@jillmorrison4876]

Thanks Flora for such an informative video, can I ask do you ever wear a chest strap heart rate monitor when you run? Just wondered if they are vastly better than a watch? I’ve been using my watch for 3 years but always struggled to keep my easy runs in the low zones, even though I feel fine! I realise i need to run more on feel, but still want to learn more about heart rate training. Thanks again x

[@FloraBeverley]

Hey! I switched from my watch HRM to my Whoop around my arm, which has been a huge amount more accurate - the watch was picking up my cadence so my HR was always 170+! 😅 if you're looking to work to heartrate it's worth getting a chest or arm strap, but equally working to RPE is good too :)

[@jillmorrison4876]

@@FloraBeverley great, thanks, yeh thought so.x

[@ismovanutube]

Garmin's default zones are based on max HR and they're way off. Would be interesting doing 2 more comparisons now that you have fresh lab data. 1. Using a chest HR monitor do a guided lactate threshold test with your watch and compare the results after you changed the zones to LTHR. 2. Switch to HRR on your watch to calculate the zones (based on max HR and resting HR) and compare the zones. Would you mind looking into these for those who have no chance doing a lab test? It would be interesting to see how much closer those values are compared to the lab.

[@CamdenBloke]

I set mine based on my LTHR, and I found that by looking at the heart ware data for my last half marathon, and eyeballing where my heart rate averaged between about minute 10 and minute 30. That made my zones a lot more useful to me.

[@craigcoco6014]

I second this - Flora do you use a chest heart rate monitor when training with your garmin?

[@nicoleisheretolearn]

Interesting video!😊

[@allenjeng3506]

Interesting video. Well done. 👍 Wondering if you tried Garmin watch lactate test with a HR strap? The resulting zones are based on threshold % and not max heart rate.

[@FloraBeverley]

I've never done the lactate test no, but was using a HR strap for all my runs. Will have to test it out (though I'm much less fit now than I was in this vid)

[@alangray8952]

Really interested in this topic, I've been following the MAF method and enjoy the low heart rate training. It got me to 3.02 at Abingdon Marathon, might get booked in for a lactate test to see if my zone 2 really should be for me and if it will help me go sub 3

[@georgesa.videau8332]

Very interesting, test vs watches. Thank you. Your Zone 4 is very narrow. Do speed training would increase this zone by lowering the lower marker? ....and reducing the zone 3 as a collateral. All the best.

[@FloraBeverley]

LT1 and LT2 would be good to move closer together, but ideally both of them increase. It means the threshold at which the lactate in my blood starts to increase, increases. I.e. I can remain in an 'easy' state of running at greater speeds. Speed training would increase LT2 and lots more easy running would increase LT1 :)

[@georgesa.videau8332]

@@FloraBeverley Ok. Thank you. Makes sense. I was referring to your HR zones but same logic of increasing pace vs effort. Enjoy the training and improvement.

[@batze3105]

Very interesting video, thanks for sharing Flora :) What are the lactate boundaries that they use to define Zone 2? Is the upper boundary at roughly 1.3 mmol?

[@FloraBeverley]

The exact figure will vary from person to person, but LT1 is the lower boundary and LT2 is the point at which it starts to rise quickly (as your body can't clear it as fast as you're producing it)

[@mokefish8126]

Would be good to know your resting HR, and to check the lab zones compared to the Karnoven formula. I've found it pretty close, especially compared to percentages of Max HR.

[@FloraBeverley]

My RHR is around 42. I've not heard of that formula but would be interested to see what it says!

[@craigcoco6014]

@@FloraBeverley Garmin RHR or whoop? Garmin has a different calculation method for RHR than most other brands

[@FloraBeverley]

@@craigcoco6014 both

[@simonhowle6576]

It would interesting what different lab test results would give you against your watches.

[@typicality]

Hey Flora! Congrats on surviving the vO2 test! Having done a number of these tests myself they are absolutely Heinous aren't they? Personally I think it's important to note that although it's nice to know your vO2 max as a number - I can't think of any point where I've altered my training because of it! I've also recently been experimenting with much less intense tempo efforts. Previously I'd be pushing my tempo runs up towards the 10k pace level of intensity but I've backed that off towards more half marathon level of effort with very positive results so far! The notion behind this is introducing lactate to my system gently rather than flooding it and so far it feels like a much more sustainable approach! Have you been doing any speed development on top of your base training? I know you mentioned strides and fartlek but I'd love to know what protocols you've been following so far?

[@FloraBeverley]

Helloooo yes as I mentioned it's far from the be all and end all of training or running in general! After my 4 weeks of purely low HR training, I started intervals this week. Just 1 short session because I have a race tomorrow (next week's vlog!) but in general I'll be doing 1-2 harder sessions a week (intervals, threshold or hills). Hope that helps!

[@littlerunner4505]

You have a very high LTHR! That is actually far more useful than VO2Max for performance. You do have a 20 beat gap between AeT and LTHR, so you could benefit from more base building (like Z1 to low Z2). I did this test minus the blood check and yours seems way better. Mine came back with a believable VO2Max but the other bits were totally wrong. It told me my LTHR was like 152 meanwhile I run marathons in the mid to high 160s average. So that is basically impossible (my LTHR is really around 174). I think the place you went to seems top notch.

[@leonardmilcin7798]

In my case VO2.max, lactate threshold pace and lactate threshold heart rate were all precisely the same on my Garmin Fenix 5 and my lab results. The caveat is that I wear the watch all the time, use heart rate strap religiously on every single workout, I run almost every day and I had almost entire year of workouts with this watch.

[@FloraBeverley]

fascinating! I do all of those things too, but of course Garmin has to take an average, so for some people it'll be bang on and for others it'll be way off. I didn't think Garmin performed too badly with the VO2 max, but the HR data was way off, which was unsurprising considering i know my HR is pretty high when exercising!

[@leonardmilcin7798]

@@FloraBeverley I noticed, in certain situations, Garmin seems to be trying to calculate heart rate based on the exercise rather than measure it. I think when for some reason the sensor is unable to give sensible values, rather than make discontinuity in the graph they are just making numbers up. I would very much prefer to have a gap in the readings rather than fake results but I suspect they think it would be bad marketing for them. I noticed this one day. For the past month or so I was running in full sun in high temperatures meaning I would have relatively high heart rate for my pace. But on that day I went very early in the morning. I felt very well, had good night sleep, was well rested. So I was pretty surprised to see my heart rate was basically the same as if I was running in the middle of a hot day. And I definitely felt my heart rate was much lower than the "readings". So 20 minutes into the run the readings suddenly changed to much lower values that I felt were much more in line with what I expected. That was with their chest strap. The funny thing is, even the "fake" numbers seemed like they responded to change in my pace. They looked as if it was actually measuring my heart rate on a normal run, you could see when I had my warmup and switched to tempo, etc.

[@craigcoco6014]

@@FloraBeverley Do you use the Garmin LTHR calculation for your zones with the heart rate strap?

[@stephenvickers7772]

@FloraBeverley which Garmin do you have exactly?

[@MrRennieFrumpkin]

Shows lots of potential! A sub 40 10K perhaps 🤔?? Fascinating subject.

[@FloraBeverley]

Would love that! Not sure it's in me yet, but with a bit of focused speedwork and time off ultras maybe possible 🤞

[@davidw.pursley6474]

Flora, I’ve been back and forth about when to take the test. Was it arbitrary that you took it at the end of your base phase?

[@minasuknits]

Another data nerd here 😀 Greetings from Finland!

[@jon-kennethklemmetsmo2877]

Wtf. Jonna? Thats what my mom calls me 😂. Hey from Norway lol

[@davesharratt917]

I had mine done (elsewhere) a year ago but I guess it's pointless if you're not using the same tech to measure during training (i.e. you need to measure your HR during the test using your own watch or chest strap to be able to work in the same zones during training). I wonder if nose breathing so far into the test held you down a bit - impossible to know? as is the effect of hiking up the hill in Bath before the test. Granularity and detailed report is very interesting, however for most people it seems clear that the basic guidance will always hold true - build a good base aerobic and then do speed-work focused on the specific distance you are interested in. I really want to see you go sub-20. It's a big goal and I know how much you love the trails and ultras - I just know you can do it and will learn a lot in the process. I know some weekly track sessions your side of Bristol if you want to get involved!

[@FloraBeverley]

Hey! Sub 20 5k? I already have a sub 20 5k! Did it in 2021 :) and no, nose breathing helps keep my HR down, but I can't do it as I move past threshold pace, so switch to mouth breathing. And yes agreed that the tried-and-tested rules of running will always apply, but this test helps you know exactly how fast you should be going for that base-building and those threshold sessions, for example. So yes, 80:20 etc etc still applies, but the test gives you specifics.

[@davesharratt917]

@@FloraBeverley ah, I misunderstood something you said in the video about the 5k. The problem I have with the test is that you can't take those paces (indoor treadmill) and expect the training (outdoor, mixed surfaces, varying temperature/humidity/wind/undulations) to relate. So I would prefer to go on HR zones but they often test with their HR chest strap and then we go out and rely on optical wrist (watch) sensors which again don't correlate. I think the biggest value for me would be getting a report saying which part of my system is currently most developed and where the biggest gap is, so I know to redistribute training to either more base pace / volume, more tempo / lactate or more top-end VO2max/speed intervals/strides. It's sure fun to watch you going through it though. :D

[@FloraBeverley]

@davesharratt917 ah yes - I said I was capable of a sub 20 min 5k because I am, because I have 😅 Yes agree re HRMs, that's why I've been advocating for using an accurate one like my whoop or polar or whatever! I can't imagine many people getting this test don't WONT have a proper HRM (or at least get one after the test, since one of its key benefits is finding out your zones!)

[@SpeedBoosted911]

I've never seen a Zone 4 of 181-186 so tight range of 5 beats. This looks very very unreal. You can check very precise by doing a Blood Lactate test...they usually offer it together with the vo2max test with zones. Only lactate test can show the real values for zone 2 and zone 4. They do know exactly bh the test - your Threshold point aka LT2 where anaerobic system kicks in heavily, but from what I've seen they assume our Zone 2 by breathing pattern, which may be very incorrect. My z2 is up to 148 and i can breath fine, but at 149-150 there is a shift that you can feel. In the lab test by vo2max they proposes lld that my zone 2 was 164 bpm ahaha, which is totally wrong, because 164 is a start of zone 4 already, so be aware of it. Regarding your z4 it's more logical that it's around 175-186, but only blood test shows it exactly

[@MTBScotland]

quite fancy doing this to better set my power zones. Don't fancy the finger pricks though - I'm such a woose 🤣

[@xx-qs1ij]

Can my Zone 2 Max BPM be 133 ? 34 years, less than 1 year 9f running experience.

[@Bb5y]

Flora i think we are zone twins. Definitely max heart rate twins. …. And thats it.

[@tombarr2536]

How much is the test please? Thanks 🙏

[@FloraBeverley]

£135 usually (at Bath Uni - more expensive most other places when i looked), but if you mention my name when you email it's £121.50

[@tombarr2536]

@@FloraBeverley quite reasonable really! Was expecting it to be more!! Thanks

[@FloraBeverley]

@tombarr2536 yeah Nuffield Health does it for like £450 or something 😂

[@Lockhart2000]

I don't think your Garmin is wrong per se. I think you should set it up so that your heart rate zones are calculated as a percentage of LTHR rather than Max. HR. We seem to have similar VO2 Max. My Garmin gives me a VO2 Max of 54 , but I suspect it's closer to 51 based on other nerdy tools I use like RUNALYSE, and the Zone 2 range it gives me based on setting my zones using LTHR, which Garmin estimates is 172, is 142 - 159.

[@FloraBeverley]

Hey! I switched it to LTHR as recommended by a few comments here, but the Z2 on garmin is still significantly lower than what the lab tests suggests. Very strange!

[@Lockhart2000]

@@FloraBeverley OK. Don't know what that could be about other than gender. Well at least you have lab results. I may have to do that one day just out of curiousity. Lab testing is far from neccessary for an enthusiastiac but far from elite runner like myself but I do love nerding out about running. Sometimes I wonder if I'd ever have gotten so into running if there were no devices or software to let me geek out about every aspect of my run.

[@GTE_Channel]

Garmin uses different option to calculate zones, depending on what you want to use. It sounds it was still on the standard setting, which is the worst of all.

[@FloraBeverley]

Ive tried each of them, all were way off! 😅

[@GTE_Channel]

@@FloraBeverley that's money well spend on the test 👍🏻

[@usefulknowledge6074]

What was your 5k time when your Vo2max was 54?

[@FloraBeverley]

@@usefulknowledge6074 I didn’t do a 5k time trial but probably 20:30 or something!

[@usefulknowledge6074]

@@FloraBeverley That was fast. Have you managed to go under 20min since then? This has been my goal since I picked up running and my current PB is 21:05 and my Vo2max according to Garmin is 49.

[@FloraBeverley]

@@usefulknowledge6074 I went sub-20 before then (2021) but not since! When I went sub-20 I don’t know what my VO2 max was but my PB before then was 21:20 so it’s definitely possible for you!

[@amitesh7979]

It’s a lot better when someone else does it. 😂

[@mattijs4281]

Garmin HR-zones are normally based on your max HR and they are extremely low. Try setting your lactate threshold on your watch en set the HR-zones to 'LTHR', and it should be a lot more accurate to what you got before!!

[@FloraBeverley]

I tried this but they're still super low... do you mean to manually change the numbers?

[@mattijs4281]

@@FloraBeverley That's weird, did you change your threshold in the app/watch? Maybe your watch calculated a threshold for you that isn't right.

[@jacobriis7859]

I never understood what they mean when running over 100% VO2 max. For me it doesn't make any sense.

[@FloraBeverley]

If you think of VO2 as the volume of oxygen then it makes a lot more sense. Anything over 100% of VO2 max is anaerobic, I.e. utilises pathways that don't require oxygen.

[@jacobriis7859]

@@FloraBeverley thanks

[@gaspard9000]

So 161 bpm is still converstional all day pace for you?? That’s high

[@nofadin]

Thats really high. I would do a second test at another lab to double check

[@peterh.1521]

VO2max is one important parameter, another is RE.

[@darringrey4329]

Trust the numbers my zone2 is 115 BPM , 10k is ......

[@craigherbert25]

Are you using a chest strap HR monitor? You can’t use IR HR monitors and take your numbers seriously. They are so inaccurate.

[@scriptosaurusrex]

Your garmin zones are so wrong as they aren't actually looking at your performance. Unless things have changed since I switched brands of course, garmin just uses 220-age and then archaic percentage calculations off of that.

[@FloraBeverley]

Indeed. It measures (and updates) your maximum heart rate based off hard runs you do, and then figures out your zones from percentages of that.

[@craigtsmith6957]

YOU WERE COMPARING ZONES THAT HAVE BEEN CALCULATED DIFFERENTLY - THERE ARE MANY ZONE SYSTEMS AND THEY ARE NOT THE SAME WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT; NONE OF THEM ARE WRONG JUST DIFFERENT. THE BATH AND GARMIN SYSTEMS ARE DIFFERENT APPLES AND ORANGES. MY ZONE 2 TOPS OUT AT THE AEROBICC THRESHOLD LEVEL = 140; YOURS TOPPED OUT AT THE ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD - IF I USED THAT ONE MY TOP OF ZONE 2 WOULD BE 160. MOST ENDURANCE EXPERTS USE AEROBIC THESHOLD FOR THE TOP OF ZONE 2

[@250txc]

She has all the buzz words and all her HR numbers are too high for most of us average runners..lol