SAN ANTONIO’S PREMIER
VO2 Testing Lab
VO2 Testing
Finding the Ideal Training Intensity
Cost: treadmill/run test is $175 and bike tests are $200
Training intensity is the single most important aspect of an athlete’s program yet few understand it. Too hard and you end up plateauing, getting sick and injured, and not properly preparing your aerobic system. Too easy and you don’t see results.
Our VO2 test provides ideal training zones based on personal thresholds: aerobic and anaerobic. Both are determined by your body’s needs for various fuel sources at different levels of intensity. Without this knowledge, you’re in the dark and can easily sabotage a great training plan.
• Find your ‘Fat Max’, or the zone in which you mainly use fat for fuel
• Avoid overtraining and know how to follow the 80/20 principle
• Use the ‘calories burned’ data to help you better fuel for training & races
Determining Thresholds
The most important data we pull from the test results are your Aerobic threshold (AeT or AT1) and Anaerobic threshold (AT or AT2). These are both extremely important as they signify when your body decides to switch between substrate (aka fuel) sources such as fat, glycogen or carbs, and lactate (lactate is a third fuel source).
Become a Fat Burner
In order to maximize fat for fuel, you have to integrate two practices.
1) training at an intensity that primarily uses fat for fuel
2) eat a diet that makes keeps you from being a “carb only athlete”
Without knowing the "sweet spot" or "crossover point", which is equivalent to your AeT you may be missing out on fat adaptation.
Work Less
Endurance Fibers aka AeT Training / Lower HR
Type I fibers or slow twitch fibers burn more fat for fuel and are great at fuel conservation. Think of these as the diesel engine fibers. If you're training at lower intensities, you're developing these fibers.
Power Fibers aka >AT Training / Higher HR
Type II fast twitch fibers burn glycogen at a high rate and eat through calories extremely quick. They're used to high output and need energy to produce big power, which is their job. These are the rocket boosters. If you're training fast or hard, you're developing these fibers.
