Oura is adding two cardiovascular health tracking features to its smart rings, aimed at helping users understand how their regular workouts affect their long-term health and whether they should increase or reduce their exercise intensity. The features, Cardio Effort and automatic VO2 Max, are available for the Oura Ring Gen 3 and later models, but only to users with an active Oura membership.
Cardio Effort does not measure how fast or far a user ran or biked, or metrics such as calories burned. Instead, it measures how hard the cardiovascular system worked during exercise and how long that effort was sustained. It is calculated for individual workouts using both intensity and duration, and it provides a plain-language evaluation that compares a user’s cumulative weekly effort against a personalized baseline.
The rating scale runs from Light, described as substantially lower cardiovascular strain than a user’s usual baseline, through Fair, Maintaining, and Building, up to Reaching. A Reaching rating means weekly Cardio Effort was markedly higher relative to the baseline and signals that it may be time to prioritize recovery. The feature therefore does not always push users to increase their efforts, and it can recommend rest when that may be more beneficial.
Oura Rings already support VO2 Max readings used to track aerobic capacity, but the previous Cardio Capacity feature required a six-minute walking test for calibration to estimate a user’s maximum oxygen uptake. The new automatic VO2 Max, currently available as a beta feature through Oura Labs, activates automatically after users complete five qualifying GPS-enabled activities, including walks, runs, and hikes.
Once activated, VO2 Max readings appear in the Oura app’s My Health Heart Hub section. Users can see their current estimate, their capacity rated as low, fair, high, or peak, how their aerobic capacity has changed over time, and personalized insights for when VO2 Max meaningfully shifts or stays consistent. The additions expand the health metrics Oura offers through its ring hardware and membership service.
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