Vo2 Max testing- where & how much?

[Pure Savage]

As a tri-athlete, I spend a lot of money on my sports. I am starting to feel a little milked actually. Why is Vo2 max testing even required/valuable? I can track my cycling gains using power, and running through speed. Why is this even needed for average athletes? 

 

Its not "needed" CSA does not require it. It is just additional information. 

 

If you are meeting your goals with your current training then no need to do it. 

 

Everything cycling related ask yourself. Will it add to the enjoyment, if yes worth it. 

 

Like, should I get a power meter - would not fit into the schedule, like group rides and just going full gas when required, so a PM would not add to the smiles. A new gravel grinder, now that will add to the smiles.

[BaGearA]

Has anyone actually mentioned A place the OP can go and how much it will cost him ??

[seven]

Physiology Department (Exercise Physiology) at Wits Med School.... I have no idea of the price....

 

PM me if you need contact details, but it should be on their site....

[Fat Boab]

Ask this lot who they sell kit to?

http://www.lifemax.co.za/metabolic-measurement-systems

[milky4130]

Has anyone actually mentioned A place the OP can go and how much it will cost him ??

im guessing you decided not to read the whole thread?

[milky4130]

Good Day.

 

Please see the article that I have written below, in response the comments posted to your question. I hope this helps..

 

VO2max testing/CPET for endurance athletes

After reading a discussion about “VO2max” testing on a forum called Bike Hub, I was disappointed by the slew of misinformation and pseudo-science which followed.

In the discussion, the question was asked, “Where can I do a VO2max test?”

Why would you want to do a “VO2max test”? How will it help your performance?

What followed were some sadly misinformed responses from unqualified indviduals who only understand part of the picture and are propagating misinformation and confusion and asked questions such as “Why would you want to do a VO2max test?”, “ How is that going to help your performance?”

 

First of all, VO2max testing is a misnomer. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is the actual test being discussed and in fact in most test subjects the true VO2max is not actually attained. For this reason the ventilatory thresholds which are attained during the test are of more relevance to the exercise scientist and athlete for the purposes of planning training and assessing cardiopulmonary endurance capacity. These thresholds namely; Ventilatory threshold 1 (VT1) and Ventilatory threshold 2 (VT2) commonly referred to as the aerobic and anaerobic thresholds respectively, are important markers upon which training can be scientifically planned/assessed and reflect the intensities at which marked changes occur in the predominating energy systems and the ratios of contributions of the different energy substrates to the total power output. This information is great importance to an endurance athlete because of the link between exercise intensity and energy production and how this affects all aspects of endurance performance including but not limited to, maximal endurance capacity, pacing, nutrition and training strategies.

Once the different ventilatory thresholds and possibly the VO2max have been attained at different workloads during the test and correlated to heart rate data at each point, we now have a basis for planning training according to specific HR zones with the aim of training at or around the different thresholds to improve the specific physiological attributes that contribute to optimal endurance performance. These attributes include maximal aerobic capacity, aerobic endurance and anaerobic capacity.

 

In the forum a comment was also made that “Sky says VO2max is not a good predictor of performance” This is an example of a piece of information taken out of context. This statement is partly true but also completely misinformed. The basis of this statement is research that has shown that amongst homogeneous groups of elite athletes (athletes of the same sport and same level) that differences in their VO2max did not directly predict performance outcomes. This is because all the athletes in the elite group had adequate VO2max scores but at the very high intensities that they competed, a multitude of other factors influenced performance outcomes, factors such as anaerobic capacity, pacing, nutrition strategies and psychology for example.

However, VO2max was a very good predictor of performance outcomes amongst heterogeneous groups of athletes (Athletes from the same sport but at different level of competition). For example, novice/beginner athletes typically had significantly lower VO2max scores than the elite athletes in the same sport. That being said, improving your VO2max can help improve endurance performance up to a certain point however there are a multitude of other factors that also influence endurance performance and outcomes.

 

Therefore to conclude, a cardiopulmonary exercise test would provide valuable information to an endurance athlete/coach provided that the test is performed correctly, using a valid test modality in a controlled environment and using accurate CPET testing equipment. Of utmost importance is that correct analysis and feedback of the results of a test is provided to the coach/athlete so that the appropriate training decisions can be made and specific training sessions can be planned and implemented.

so who are you? Please share the link to the paper you wrote?

[MudLark]

Necropost. But just use your Garmin. It's probably accurate enough for most of us - though it requires time to build up a database for you.

https://sites.udel.edu/coe-engex/2019/03/16/how-accurate-is-your-garmins-vo2max-estimate/

"Across the board, there appears to be a high degree of accuracy with Firstbeat’s Fitness Test in estimating VO2max. For endurance athletes everywhere, this is a huge sigh of relief. Rather than partaking in expensive, strenuous VO2max testing, we can monitor our progress utilizing the technology in the watches we wear everyday. In addition to watching our paces, heart rates, and overall progress, we can also monitor our cardiovascular health and athletic progress as we continue to train and push ourselves everyday."

[Frosty]

[Job]

While on this VO2max topic, I train 3 weeks hard and 1 week recovery (zone 1-2 rides). My VO2max on the Garmin edge always drops by 3-6 on the recovery week...is this only happening to myself or it's normal?

[Sid the Sloth]

2 minutes ago, Job said:

While on this VO2max topic, I train 3 weeks hard and 1 week recovery (zone 1-2 rides). My VO2max on the Garmin edge always drops by 3-6 on the recovery week...is this only happening to myself or it's normal?

I don’t experience the same thing. What it could be is your hr becoming less depressed from fatigue so it is more responsive and thus higher at given watts. Idk though I’m no sports scientist. 

[Jewbacca]

What is your V02 Max as per Garmin?

I've been trying to figure out who the Garmin algorithms are aimed at. 

I do a brutal 15km trail run with 1000m of elevation and go hard, broken at the end. Get a 150 score and told I need 12 hours recovery. I do a 55km pre work morning ride, go nowhere near as hard, get a 300 plus score and get told I need 79 hours to recover.

The recovery times are also ridiculous and every time I do more work and play less and my 7 day score drops below 1000 I'm suddenly 'Peaking'..... 

My V02 Max has been the same since forever. 

I would love to actually follow the prompts and suggestions they throw out and see what happens to my fitness. I just feel I will need to find a new hobby while I spend 6 days recovering from a Saturday Morning hundy

[mecheng89]

21 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

What is your V02 Max as per Garmin?

I've been trying to figure out who the Garmin algorithms are aimed at. 

I do a brutal 15km trail run with 1000m of elevation and go hard, broken at the end. Get a 150 score and told I need 12 hours recovery. I do a 55km pre work morning ride, go nowhere near as hard, get a 300 plus score and get told I need 79 hours to recover.

The recovery times are also ridiculous and every time I do more work and play less and my 7 day score drops below 1000 I'm suddenly 'Peaking'..... 

My V02 Max has been the same since forever. 

I would love to actually follow the prompts and suggestions they throw out and see what happens to my fitness. I just feel I will need to find a new hobby while I spend 6 days recovering from a Saturday Morning hundy

I hope you're not serious about 79 hours recovery for a 55k ride, maybe sprinkling it with exaggeration. 

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Spongebob...

[mecheng89]

25 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

What is your V02 Max as per Garmin?

I've been trying to figure out who the Garmin algorithms are aimed at. 

I do a brutal 15km trail run with 1000m of elevation and go hard, broken at the end. Get a 150 score and told I need 12 hours recovery. I do a 55km pre work morning ride, go nowhere near as hard, get a 300 plus score and get told I need 79 hours to recover.

The recovery times are also ridiculous and every time I do more work and play less and my 7 day score drops below 1000 I'm suddenly 'Peaking'..... 

My V02 Max has been the same since forever. 

I would love to actually follow the prompts and suggestions they throw out and see what happens to my fitness. I just feel I will need to find a new hobby while I spend 6 days recovering from a Saturday Morning hundy

What do you mean by score? Perhaps the Exercise Load on the Garmin Connect website after an activity?

 

[Jewbacca]

1 minute ago, mecheng89 said:

What do you mean by score? Perhaps the Exercise Load on the Garmin Connect website after an activity?

 

The load score... I think that's it, ja

[Jbr]

2 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

been trying to figure out who the Garmin algorithms are aimed at.

Mmm my Garmin Vo2max is 65 for cycling, apparently it’s top 1% for my age and fitness age 20. Weird thing is according to intervals.icu my vo2max efforts aren’t that great so I wouldn’t give it much credit.

Like for most fitness related numbers estimated by watches or scales, it’s probably best to trust the variations (provided you use the same device/power meter/hr monitor) than to trust the numbers themselves.

Edited August 25, 2021 by Jbr

[Jewbacca]

My fitness age is also 20 apparently. I felt 85 today and apparently I'm Peaking!

I guess I'm saying that the algorithms and the data is often not particularly trustworthy if you are looking for data for data sake.

It can progressively track your ups and downs, but the values are likely to be pretty bogus a lot of the time.

I was banging out the last couple of km of a run the other day, fully relaxed, barely pushing and the HR on the watch said I was revving at 175... I pushed the watch up to the wrist bone and suddenly it was 90. 

These sorts of things going unchecked for a whole 3 hours will massively influence how those algorithms direct you. Luckily I'm not particularly good at any of it and do it all for fun as part of a sanity routine and the 'numbers' and recommendations have become a bit of a side joke in our house.