The Apple Watch low cardio fitness alert have made many users wonder how accurate the reading is. Sometimes the Apple Watch notification says that the user has a low VO2 Max despite the person being quite active and fit. Even after considering the age of the user, which impacts the reading from low to high cardio fitness, the low cardio fitness warning can feel off. Here’s whether the accuracy of the cardio fitness reading for the Apple Watch is reliable or not.
How accurate is the Apple Watch low cardio fitness reading?
The Apple Watch low cardio fitness reading is only fairly accurate because the rating is limited in scope.
Some of the problems with the overall cardio fitness rating is that it’s mainly based on outdoor activity, like walking, running, and hiking outside. So if you mainly get your cardio on the treadmill, an exercise bike, or something similar, this can make your cardio fitness read lower than usual. An exercise that’s quite intense but slower than running — like swimming, for instance — can also not read properly.
Also, basing the rating on VO2 Max means that it only increases if you’re pushing yourself hard in high-intensity areas, like Zone 2 or Zone 5 training. You can be very consistent with your cardio, but that won’t raise the fitness rating much. Low- to medium-impact workouts aren’t rewarded as much.
That said, if you do work out in the outdoors, then the Apple Watch cardio fitness readings provide good overall estimations. It factors in your age, sex, height, weight, and various medications you might be taking in its calculations. So long as you take the cardio fitness ratings with a grain of salt, they can approximate your exercise level fine. But if you want a truly accurate VO2 reading, you’ll need to take a test at a professional facility like an exercise lab.
For more guides on the Apple Watch, here’s whether you should purchase an Apple Watch Ultra or wait for the Ultra 2, and if you should get the Apple Watch 7 or wait for the Apple Watch 8.
