Assessment of Peak Oxygen Uptake with a Smartwatch and its Usefulness for Training of Runners

Peak oxygen uptake (VO (2peak) ) is an important factor contributing to running performance. Wearable technology may allow the assessment of VO (2peak) more frequently and on a larger scale. We aim to i) validate the VO (2peak) assessed by a smartwatch (Garmin Forerunner 245), and ii) discuss how this parameter may assist to evaluate and guide training procedures. A total of 23 runners (12 female, 11 male; VO (2peak) : 48.6 +/- 6.8 ml center dot min (-1) center dot kg (-1) ) visited the laboratory twice to determine their VO (2peak) during a treadmill ramp test. Between laboratory visits, participants wore a smartwatch and performed three outdoor runs to obtain VO (2peak) values provided by the smartwatch. The VO (2peak) obtained by the criterion measure ranged from 38 to 61 ml center dot min (-1) center dot kg (-1) . The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) between the smartwatch and the criterion VO (2peak) was 5.7%. The criterion measure revealed a coefficient of variation of 4.0% over the VO2peak range from 38-61 ml center dot min (-1) center dot kg (-1) . MAPE between the smartwatch and criterion measure was 7.1, 4.1 and -6.2% when analyzing VO (2peak) ranging from 39-45 ml center dot min (-1) center dot kg (-1) , 45-55 ml center dot min (-1) center dot kg (-1) or 55-61 ml center dot min (-1) center dot kg (-1) , respectively.