Apple Watch: the Cardio Fitness function has arrived

The Apple Watch is already praised for its very useful features for athletes. Thus, the connected watch allows you to calculate your VO2 Max, or the maximum quantity of oxygen that your body can use during physical exercise.

A feature open to all

A new function is now appearing with the update of WatchOS to version 7.2. Cardio Fitness further refines these sports performance readings. It thus becomes much easier to assess your condition over the long term. However, this new feature is also aimed at non-athletes in their daily lives. This is what Dr. Sumbul Desai, vice president of Apple's Health division, explains:

The ability to measure something can be very motivating for some people, to see how they are progressing. In this sense, Cardio Fitness can be very useful for everyone, not just those who run marathons. This is why we are very enthusiastic about the idea of ​​democratizing the possibility of using VO2 Max, not only for high-level athletes, but also for everyday life.

Concretely, Cardio Fitness works quite simply and allows you to evaluate your cardio fitness. A series of tools are used such as optical heart sensor, GPS and accelerometer. Once your VO2 Max is known, a score corresponding to your state of fitness will then be assigned to you. From 15 to 30, your cardio level is considered low. From 30 to 38: average to above average. If it exceeds 40, it is considered high.