Improving Fitness Age - Tracking the wrong way!

Guy_Scott

I have increased my running activity to 45km per week and earning 4 stars a week yet my fitness age is increasing and not decreasing. I have gone from a low of 37 to now a high of 51 despite a substantial increase in fitness!

tfarabaugh

I honestly don't feel you can make any judgments from what it is telling you in terms of fitness points or fitness age. It only uses runs or cycles to calculate points and while it does refine its readings over time, but it seems to be a random, capricious measure that ties to very little. It uses your calculated VO2Max (which will be wrong as no watch can compute this) to calculate points. It is not the amount of exercise that matters, it is the intensity. Unless you are in Z3 or higher for a substantial part of your workout it will not change anything. If your workouts are walks or jogs or anything that is not intense, it will have no impact on the age and points. It is based on whatever algorithm TT came up with, which is different than what Garmin uses or Strava uses, or anyone else. Ultimately, I don't expect a watch to be able to tell me how fit I am.

Guy_Scott

Thanks for the insight and clarification. Points noted.

tfarabaugh

Guy Scott wrote: »

Thanks for the insight and clarification. Points noted.

No problem. I think the most important thing to note is that fitness points are based on intensity, not duration. If you go out for a 5 hour jog in Zone 1 it is not going to get you any points as it is looking for a minimum intensity level (Zone 3), as it is the increased HR that drives improved VO2Max, which drives fitness points and fitness age.

jordi_mas_sabate

I have the same problem the last two months. But I haven't changed my activities: running and indoor activities (combat / HIIT ) . I do my activities, five days per week and I earn almost 4 stars per week. From January to march my fitness age has decreased to 39 and suddenly, with de same rutines, has increased to 43. Perhaps there is a kind of malfunction...?

tfarabaugh

jordi_mas_sabate wrote: »

I have the same problem the last two months. But I haven't changed my activities: running and indoor activities (combat / HIIT ) . I do my activities, five days per week and I earn almost 4 stars per week. From January to march my fitness age has decreased to 39 and suddenly, with de same rutines, has increased to 43. Perhaps there is a kind of malfunction...?

Not likely, as you continue to exercise you will need to ramp up the intensity or the age will start to increase as you are no longer as effective. Also, only the runs are impacting Fitness Age so if you are doing more HIIT than runs this will impact it.