Suunto 3 User Guide

Fitness level

Good aerobic fitness is important for your overall health, well-being and sports performance.

Your aerobic fitness level is defined as VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption), a widely recognized measure of aerobic endurance capacity. In other words, VO2max shows how well your body can use oxygen. The higher your VO2max, the better you can use oxygen.

The estimation of your fitness level is based on detecting your heart rate response during each recorded running or walking workout. To get your fitness level estimated, record a run or walk with a duration for at least 15 minutes while wearing your Suunto 3 with connected GPS or calibrated speed.

If connected GPS is not available, you have to manually calibrate your watch before you can walk/run for 15 minutes and get your fitness level estimated, see Speed and distance calibration.

After a successful calibration, your watch is able to provide an estimation of your fitness level for all running and walking workouts.

Your current estimated fitness level is shown in the fitness level display. From the watch face, press the lower right button to scroll to the fitness level display.

Historical data, from recorded running and walking workouts, plays a role in ensuring the accuracy of your VO2max estimate. The more activities you record with your Suunto 3, the more accurate your VO2max estimate becomes.

There are eight fitness levels, from low to high: Very poor, Poor, Fair, Average, Good, Very good, Excellent and Superior. The value is dependent of your age and gender and the higher value you have, the better your fitness level is.

Press the upper left button to view your estimated fitness age. Fitness age is a metric value that reinterprets your VO2max value in terms of age. Regularly engaging in the right types of physical activity will help you boost your VO2max value and reduce your fitness age.

Improvement of VO2max is highly individual and it depends on factors such as age, gender, genetics and training background. If you are already very fit, increasing your fitness level will be slower. If you are just starting to exercise regularly, you may see a quick increase in fitness.