METABOLIC TEST RESULTS

Due to the way the fitness eval at DAHLC turned out to be (an estimate of VO2 max based on age) I ended up having an actual metabolic test done at the RAC. The metabolic test is designed to bring you AT (anaerobic threshold) then back you off, thus estimating the rest. This is how most of them are done because the average person at a health club is there to lose weight and get in shape. The meta test accurately determines oxygen levels at certain heart rates so as to set up zones that are most efficient for training. Wes Emmert, who put me thru the test, took me a little beyond the usual parameters because I wanted to see what numbers I could hit in the short time the test takes.

Here's how it went... We set up on a LeMond Revmaster Indoor Cycle with the resistance pad just touching the wheel. I had to maintain a steady cadence of 92-95 while every minute Wes would crank the resistance on the bike one half turn. It took handful of turns before my HR started to increase--once there was a good amount of resistance on the wheel those half turns really started to take their toll. I went anaerobic at 178, but we went a couple minutes beyond. I don't know what the system said, but he eventually said he has to stop the test. My HR peaked at 185. I don't think I could have handled much more resistance on the wheel, but with the amount that was on there I could have went a couple more minutes. I think.... The results look like this:

VO2 max: 65.6 ml/kg/min

HR and the average calories burned per minute:
152-162: 11.6 cals with 6.2 of those as fat
162-170: 14.4 cals with 6.4 burned as fat
170-178: 16.7 cals with 3.8 burned as fat
(at 178 its estimated at 17.3 cals/min with 1.8 from fat)
178-185: 20.1 cals with only .1 burned as fat

Below 152 I burn a bigger percentage of fat for fuel, but not very many calories. I think at about 140-150 bpm about 60-75% of what I am burning is fat, but the total cals per minute are only around 8-9.

If you want to go thru a metabolic test yourself, give the RAC a call at 282-6000 to set it up. You'll know the about info plus get a 12 training program. The cost, for members, is $115 for the exercise test (bike or treadmill), the resting test is $100--I believe that one will tell you what amount of cals you burn per day which is good for calorie counting. If you want them both done, its $165. For a retest it's $75 because part of the cost for the initial testing is for the mask that you keep. Not sure about the cost for non-members. The testing is done on New Leaf equipment. Google New Leaf to get all the info you need so you know its a quality test. Just an FYI, the personnel at the RAC were trained by Angie Sturtevant, the fitness director of a little company called Saris. You may have heard of the CycleOps trainers and the Powertap... www.cycleops.com