At Cadence, full-suite physiological testing services like blood lactate testing and Max VO2 testing are provided 100% in-house by our cadre of world-class cycling and multisport coaches. These services are identical to those provided at Olympic training centers and enable us to provide athletes with precise power and heart-rate zones for optimized training and results.
Blood Lactate Threshold Testing
Blood lactate is the by-product of anaerobic energy production in the muscle cells. Your lactate threshold is the point at which lactate starts to accumulate in the blood faster than it can be metabolized by your body. During exercise, an athlete can perform up to a certain intensity without accumulating lactate in the blood. Once this intensity is exceeded, lactate levels in the muscles rise, and the muscles fatigue rapidly. The critical exercise intensity at which this occurs is referred to as your lactate threshold. The lactate threshold (or, LT) is a critical determinant of performance in endurance sports and, unlike your VO2 max, your LT can change significantly over the course of a season. In fact, one of the very reasons for training is to increase your LT power (Watts).
At Cadence we use the Onset of Blood Lactate Accumulation (or, OBLA) protocol to determine your LT . Using this protocol, we take tiny blood samples from your fingertips as you run on a treadmill or as you ride on our Velotron ergometer. Once you reach a workload intensity--which is measured in heartbeats per minute or power output measured in wattage--that produces a blood lactate of 4.0 mmol/L we identify your LT. Having this information is crucial for you or your coach in building an optimized training plan.
Note that for elite athletes or for some athletes whose LT occurs relatively low Cadence offers a secondary test, the Lactate at Maximum Sustainable Power Output test. Extremely conditioned elite athletes have a physiological advantage in that their bodies are tuned to processing blood lactate at higher sustainable levels of exertion. Although the OBLA protocol we use corresponds to power output at 4.0 mmol/L many elite cyclists and triathletes can take their maximum sustainable power output (MSPO) to 5.0 or even 6.0 mmol/L. If you are an elite athlete, of if your LT occurs at an unusually low power or heart-rate level, we have our supplementary MSPO test to ensure that you are indeed training at the proper intensity to maximize your performance.
Max VO2 Testing
The Max VO2 test determines an athlete’s maximal capacity to consume oxygen for the purpose of producing energy. Your Max VO2 figure represents your upper limit of aerobic exercise tolerance. Absolute VO2 Max is measured in mL/min. and relative VO2max is measured in mL//kg/min. Cyclists typically refer to relative VO2 Max because body size and weight are important factors. Of note, compared to OBLA and LT, VO2 Max is far less sensitive to training once you are in a relatively trained state, but with proper periodized training and/or weight loss, an athlete can increase their VO2 Max with less trained individuals seeing the largest changes.
To conduct this test our certified coaching staff will take you to your absolute breaking point for muscular and aerobic exertion. This is done on our Velotron ergometer according to Cadence’s specified protocol which requires that you breathe into our Korr metabolic cart. The metabolic cart measures the volume of oxygen you exhale relative to the amount of CO2 you produce under exertion and, as such, accurately determines your Max VO2.
Whether you are a runner, a cyclist, or both, Cadence can perform testing in its world-class physiology lab on our Velotron cycling ergometer and our Precor treadmill. This way, you're sure to get the physiological results you need to be the best athlete you can be.
Wingate Power Test
Do you know how many Watts you can generate in a sprint? A professional cyclist with strong sprinting skills can kick out over 1700 Watts! However, another sprinter with a lower peak power but higher sustained power may win the race. During Cadence’s Wingate Test you will complete a 30 second effort at maximal intensity. Peak power output, time to reach peak power, peak rpm, average rpm, and your fatigue index are important metrics in this test. These metrics are used to compare you with other riders and help us determine your strengths and weaknesses in a sprint. Based on the information we extract from the Wingate Power Test we can tailor your training to turn you into a better sprinter. This is especially critical for sprinters and track and criterium racers.