Frequently
Asked questions

Prior to the test

• Ensure you haven't done any strenuous exercise in the previous 24 hrs

• On the day of the test reframe from caffeine or cigarettes (this can interfere with lactate results)

• Fast at least 2 hours prior to the test

Wear any clothes you are comfortable exercising in. Make sure to wear enclosed shoes, preferably ones that you would typically train in.

The procedure can be done on either a treadmill or bike

• We will begin by measuring your resting heart rate and blood lactate. Taking the lactate is a simple finger prick with a very small drop of blood for analysis

• You will perform a warmup, which will ensure your lactate starts nice and low for the test

• We will then put on a heart rate strap + mask for measuring gases

• The test is made up of 3 minute stages, which start slow and gradually increase in difficulty. At the end of each stage we will measure your blood lactate, heart rate and RPE (rate of perceived exertion) before increasing the intensity and entering the following stage.

• The test will conclude once you have reached your maximum and can not sustain exercise any longer

• The test itself typically runs for around 15-20 minutes

• The entire process may take between 45 - 60 mins

If you think of your muscles like a car engine, your muscles need fuel (fats, carbs) to power them and a steady supply of oxygen to ‘burn’ the fuel and provide energy. Oxygen plays a key role in facilitating aerobic metabolism, which burns fuel to provide energy to working muscles during endurance efforts. If there is an insufficient oxygen supply within the muscles, your body will start producing energy via other means (anaerobic glycolysis). This is not a sustainable means of energy production and will result in bi-products such as lactic acid accumulating in the blood, impacting performance. Consequently, a high V02 max is desirable as it will provide more oxygen to your working muscles, which increases the duration you can run or cycle before being inhibited by these bi-products.

We measure your blood lactate readings during exercise in order to determine your heart rate based training zones. Different blood lactate readings correspond with different training zones. For example, if your heart rate was 130bpm at the time we took a blood lactate reading of 2mmol, we would know that the bottom of your zone 2 training zone was 130bpm.