If you wear aGarmin watch, chances are you are at least somewhat interested in your fitness and performance. After all, its watches use a robust list of sensors and metrics to provide a well-rounded picture of your current fitness level, with tools specifically designed for different types of activities. The Garmin platform even offers training tools to help guide you if you’re trying to work towards specific goals or improve your fitness.
One such performance metric found on select Garmin watches is the Endurance Score. Garmin first introduced this score on itsEpix Proand Fenix 7 Pro products but has since expanded it to other top-end watches in its lineup, including the Forerunner 955 and965and the latestFenix 8 lineup. While it’s slightly more widely available now, it is still considered a premium feature for Garmin users. But what is Endurance Score, and what does it actually mean? We’re here to help you decipher what this tool is for.
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Garmin fēnix 8 AMOLED
The Garmin fēnix 8 AMOLED blends smartwatch and adventure watch features into one highly advanced wearable with a vibrant AMOLED display. It features a microphone and speaker to take calls and use voice commands right on your wrist, plus an expansive list of training and navigation tools.
Garmin Forerunner 965
The Garmin Forerunner 965 is a premium running watch with advanced features for serious athletes. It provides access to metrics like Endurance Score and Hill Score, along with training tools to help you keep pushing forward.
What is Garmin’s Endurance Score?
A dynamic score based on many factors
VO2 Max has been the standard for measuring aerobic fitness for some time as it can give a picture of the coordinated effort of the lungs, heart, and muscles during exercise. If you want to test your aerobic performance, a lab will conduct a VO2 Max test to measure the maximum amount of oxygen you can use during intense exercise. Simply put, the more oxygen you can use during high-level exercise, the more energy your body can produce, meaning you have a higher level of aerobic fitness.
While VO2 Max is the gold standard for aerobic endurance, itdoesn’t necessarily predictperformance capabilities. There are other factors at play, after all. Plus, while Garmin estimates your VO2 Max, which can be helpful, for most individuals, that number is fairly static. More significantly, though, is that only outdoor running and cycling activities with a power meter influence your Garmin estimated VO2 Max. Additionally, your VO2 Max actually decreases as you age. As a result, that number isn’t necessarily the most motivational and doesn’t help predict performance all that well.
Garmin recognized the limitations of VO2 Max and introduced its Endurance Score in response, which is more dynamic. It doesn’t discount the importance and well-studied relationship between aerobic fitness and endurance, though. As a result, the Endurance Score uses VO2 Max as the starting point and the most significant contributor to your Endurance Score. If you haven’t recently completed an activity that provided an estimated VO2 Max, Garmin will estimate your current aerobic fitness with a combination of your age, gender, BMI, and recent activity levels.
On top of your VO2 Max, however, the Endurance score provides a true multisport perspective. Every activity you record that measures heart rate will contribute to your Endurance Score. From those activities, Garmin estimates an activity impact based on the activity duration and intensity, speed, and power (when available). The score is based on your previous four weeks of data, and Garmin will also provide suggestions on how to maintain or improve it. The score is broken out into seven different color-coded levels ranging from Recreational, with a score of 1 to 4,699, all the way to Elite, with a score of 7,300 and beyond.
“Combining fitness and training perspectives holds the key to understanding endurance, tracking changes as they occur and unleashing the motivation that comes from watching your hard work translate into measurable results,” says Garmin in its explainer.
“Combining fitness and training perspectives holds the key to understanding endurance, tracking changes as they occur and unleashing the motivation that comes from watching your hard work translate into measurable results,” Garmin saysin its explainer. After all, for a true understanding of your endurance potential, more than just your VO2 Max needs to be considered. The Endurance Score can provide that more well-rounded viewpoint.
How can you improve your Endurance Score?
It takes time and consistency
Pardon the pun, but endurance is about the long game. It is not something you’re able to improve with a few short workouts. It takes dedication, consistency, and time. Most workouts will only shift your Endurance Score by 10-20 points each day if you are working out daily. Plus, if you are sick, injured, traveling, or simply taking a break from training, your Endurance Score will decrease.
That said, you absolutely can improve your Endurance Score. As mentioned above, consistently working out over time is the primary way to do this. However, the metric does reward certain types of activities more than others. Garmin says that long activities carry extra weight when calculating the Endurance Score, which makes sense. After all, it is supposed to estimate how you will handle endurance activities, and tackling long activities will give a better picture of how your body will hold up to future efforts.
While it could be tempting to go all in to drive that number up quickly, remember that these things take time. Your body needs to recover from hard efforts, or you could risk injuries. Garmin’s platform does a great job of factoring in rest and recovery, so you’re able to always use its training advice to help guide your workouts if you don’t work with a coach.
Wearing a chest strap heart rate monitor can provide more accurate heart rate data, giving you a more precise Endurance Score.
