Physiological Testing

tim cronk

http://speedmerchantaero.com/

http://www.fxdcoaching.com/media/documents/FxD_Testing.pdf     ; (link describing the various tests offered)

For my birthday I received an hour in the wind tunnel and $150 worth of physiological testing from the company link listed above.  Pretty cool.  Anyway I am wondering which tests would be most beneficial to an edurance athlete HIM/IM.  They offer threshold , vo2max, body comp metabolic rate, economy , efficiency, done as tests of ... cycling 3min all out, ventilatory threshold , lactate profile and ventilatory threshold, gas exchange/vo2max, lactate/gas exchange/vo2max, body comp , resting metabolic rate, and body comp resting metabolic rate.

My thoughts are that I am not concerned with body comp and metabolic rate although they maybe nice to know.  We should already know our threshold via EN training and testing?  My guess is best use would be a lactate/vo2max testing combo?

Has anybody had any of these tests done?

Pros and Cons and real life use and application with the results within the framework of EN training for IM?

Thanks Tim,

jwpicciotto

I would look for Penny to chime in on this since the Ironman Sports Medicine Institute does this type for testing for professional and endurance athletes. The question to ask is what are you going to use the results of the testing for? The one test that people tend to focus on is the VO2Max test. However, once they actually get this number, they have tend to have a number that they can pin on their sleeves, but not dial their training in based on it. So if you are goign to get the VO2Max number, adjust your training to use VO2Max. If you are going to use this information, this is not just a one time testing run. Just like the EN FTP test, you will need to have the tests periodically rerun to see if you are getting the anticipated results and to reset your zones.

Coach Rich

Like John said, the value in these tests, if there is one, is in the quality of the testing, testing equipment, and the tester, but most importantly in the interpretation of the results, to include "_this_ is how you should apply these results to your training and racing." In my experience, quality interpretation is very lacking and testing equipment is like this is often just used as another income stream -- a whizbang product or service that athletes will pay money for...again and again and again.

 

penlynwilson

I'm going to 3X what John and Rich said. Pick the tests you'll use the results from (if the tests are well done). There are a lot of hacks out there doing testing (as Rich said). There is a guy in town who does lactate on the bike and the run on the same day. The second test is invalid because you have to come off a rest day for the test to be sure the lactate is cleared from your body for the test.

coop6

I had a lactate threshold/VoO2 max run test done in December by a sports medicine doctor. He gave it to me for free to evaluate a problem I had been having. I've had three maximal and near maximal exercise tests over the last year, so I've got an over abundance of data to work with, most of it meaningless to me in terms of training.

In the context of the EN training plans, the number I found most useful was the lactate threshold heart rate. I could look back on my previous run and bike tests and compare, so I know that I did in fact test well, and that the numbers i was training with were good. The VO2 max is kind of cool to know, but not terribly useful. I built my VO2 max cycling, so I can't run anywhere near as fast as my VO2 max would suggest.