Garmin may be exploring muscle-oxygen saturation monitoring for future wearables. Learn how near-infrared spectroscopy works and what it means for athletes.
On September 23, 2026, TechRadar reported that Garmin may bring muscle-oxygen monitoring to future wearables. The report cited coverage from the specialist outlet the5krunner. That coverage claimed Garmin had acquired Moxy Monitor. Moxy Monitor is a company known for producing specialized muscle-oxygen sensors.
Neither the acquisition nor any future product has been officially confirmed by Garmin. The founder of Moxy Monitor directed questions to Garmin rather than commenting publicly on the matter. TechRadar noted that Whoop has also patented its own muscle-oxygen strap. This rumored activity places Garmin within a broader industry race to add advanced physiological data to endurance platforms.
The story currently remains a look at potential future capabilities rather than an immediate product launch.
The central technology revolves around tracking muscle-oxygen saturation. This metric is commonly expressed as SmO2. It differs entirely from the peripheral blood-oxygen readings you might already see on your smartwatch. Peripheral readings estimate arterial blood oxygen saturation systemically across your whole body.
SmO2 isolates the regional oxygenation behavior occurring inside a specific working muscle. This localized data adds context that heart rate, pace, and power cannot directly provide. Garmin watches already support receiving this data from compatible third-party straps.
A new development could simply mean better integration of these external sensors within the Garmin ecosystem. It is highly unlikely that this metric will be measured directly from a conventional wrist location. The hardware requires placement directly over the working muscle to read local saturation levels accurately.
The5krunner reportedly indicated that Garmin filed a 2026 patent for an algorithm to process this data. The available reporting does not provide a patent number or technical specification for this algorithm. TechRadar identified Whoop as a Garmin competitor with a patent covering its own muscle-oxygen strap.
The reporting does not establish that Whoop has commercially launched this product yet. However, this patent indicates that advanced physiological tracking is becoming a key battleground. High end wearable platforms are racing to offer deeper insights into muscular fatigue. Endurance athletes stand to benefit from this increased competition over time.
The broader sports science trend focuses on combining these localized physiological signals with traditional workload measures. Athletes want to better understand their exact exercise intensity and adaptation rates. If Garmin does move forward with Moxy Monitor technology, it would bypass building a completely new sensor stack internally. This potential move highlights how elite performance metrics eventually trickle down to consumer training platforms.
Muscle-oxygen sensors use a technology called near-infrared spectroscopy. This method is often abbreviated as NIRS. NIRS estimates oxygenation in the regional tissue beneath or near the sensor itself. A 2026 narrative review described NIRS-derived saturation as a potentially useful marker.
Researchers noted its value for tracking exercise intensity, physiological adaptation, and recovery kinetics. The same review linked these measurements with metabolic thresholds and internal training load. NIRS does not assess the oxygen status of your entire body. It only measures what is happening directly under the hardware pod.
This localized nature presents unique hardware challenges for device manufacturers. Measurement quality can be affected heavily by how well the probe couples to the tissue. Local pressure, superficial pigmentation, body hair, and tissue thickness all alter the readings. The specific placement of the sensor and the testing protocol also influence the data.
This means a single saturation value should never be interpreted as a universal fatigue score. You cannot easily compare readings between different athletes or different muscles unless the testing conditions are perfectly standardized. Research into NIRS is expanding beyond basic real-time readings.
The 2026 review cited one study where NIRS-derived mitochondrial function predicted a cycling time trial better than traditional marker combinations. That study involved twenty four trained participants completing a twenty six kilometer effort. It demonstrated that looking at localized energy systems can offer distinct predictive advantages. However, this was a specific study looking at mitochondrial function rather than a broad proof of consumer tracking efficacy.
We cannot assume consumer monitoring will automatically improve race performance in everyday training.
Hitting my forties brought a harsh reality check. The track workouts were not getting slower, but the days after them felt significantly heavier. Instead of forcing my old Tuesday and Thursday intensity schedule, I looked closely at the data on Masters athletes and muscle protein synthesis. I pushed my second hard session to Friday.
This allowed an extra forty eight hours of low intensity recovery. My total weekly volume stayed the same, but the quality of my intervals skyrocketed. We learned that introducing new physiological signals requires immense discipline. You need a reliable system for evaluating your long term progress beyond simple race times.
If a future Garmin system fully integrates local muscle-oxygen data, its true value will lie in tracking long term trends. Ambitious adults aged 35 to 65 do not need more isolated data points to obsess over during a single workout. You would use this metric to observe oxygen behavior during repeatable workouts over several months. You would then compare that local behavior against your power, pace, and perceived exertion.
It acts as an additional training signal rather than a complete replacement for your established routines. Athletes should focus on establishing individual baselines under highly repeatable conditions. You should be incredibly cautious about overinterpreting apparent changes in your daily numbers.
Clothing pressure, skin contact, terrain, and posture can all influence the NIRS signals during a run or ride. Our team advises athletes to retain their established measures like sleep tracking and subjective recovery scores. Many athletes already track continuous heart rate to inform their weekly training volume. We have seen that monitoring continuous biometrics helps illustrate how well our bodies adapt to baseline aerobic loads.
Adding muscle-oxygen data simply provides another layer of localized context. The sheer volume of wearable data can sometimes become overwhelming for aging athletes. We often see runners and cyclists become paralyzed by fluctuating metrics that they do not fully understand. It is crucial to remember that your subjective feeling of readiness still matters immensely.
Technology should validate your physical sensations rather than completely overriding them. If you eventually add a muscle-oxygen sensor to your gear bag, treat it as an educational tool first. You do not need to delay any equipment purchases or medical conversations while waiting for an unconfirmed watch feature. Current Garmin devices already integrate with existing third-party straps if you want to experiment today.
A smart approach to managing your athletic longevity balances new technology with proven physiological principles. The scientific literature certainly supports the potential value of localized oxygen tracking. However, no validated Garmin-specific protocol currently exists to prove this improves outcomes for masters athletes. You should always view regional saturation as one piece of a much larger performance puzzle.
Garmin appears to be positioning itself to make localized muscle-oxygen data more accessible, but athletes should maintain their current training protocols until a confirmed product proves its practical value.
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