Discovery Health - Vitality & Team Vitality plus everything else you need to know

[GoLefty!!]

Well that's news to me and is certainly not what was explained to me by Discovery or Club 100.

[CleatsnCleavage]

Still dont know about my money back...Vitality paid me R99 at the end of March..thats not half of my Cape Town Cycle tour fee. 

[cadenceblur]

They say up to 50% off

[Pulse]

I am still so confused! Am I the only one?

[Pulse]

I think they should have sorted a lot more stuff out before launching

Edited April 6, 2015 by Pulse

[Brandon P]

I joined Team Vitality on the 7th February 2015.
 

• Like others have stated here, I too haven't received the ‘welcome pack’ containing the jersey.
• Still having difficulty with them obtaining my CSA License.
• R800 Garmin voucher is useless as its limited to the Edge 510 or the Edge 810 on the Garmin site only, both units being more than R800 cheaper elsewhere - I have a free R800 voucher for anyone that wants it.
• Still hoping to get a response to one of my weekly emails.

Disappointed.
 

[GoLefty!!]

I received my welcome email on Monday

 

Csa license appeared, didn't ask for one but hey there it is...

[cadenceblur]

Licence sorted. Hear you on the voucher thing. They're not interested though. It's apparently a deal they've struck with Garmin.

[RocknRolla]

I joined Team Vitality on the 7th February 2015.

 

• R800 Garmin voucher is useless as its limited to the Edge 510 or the Edge 810 on the Garmin site only, both units being more than R800 cheaper elsewhere - I have a free R800 voucher for anyone that wants it.

Disappointed.

 

 

Nothing like Clever Marketing hooks.

[Frosty]

BTW, I'm keen on getting that Elite Fitness Test done - have some (MSA) savings that I can use for this...

 

To do this assessment at an accredited high-performance centre or university, you need to qualify.

You:

• Have to be between 18 and 59 years old. There is an age limit because of general age-related health risks;
• Must have completed one of the selected cycling or running events within the qualifying times listed below in the last year;
• Must have passed the pre-participation screening and given your consent.

The Vitality Elite Fitness Assessment with a biokineticist or sports scientist takes about 90 minutes to complete. It costs R1 500 and it includes the following:

• Anthropometric measurements, including your body mass, stature, body mass index, body fat percentage and skinfolds;
• An evaluation of mobility and stability;
• A cycling- or running-specific peak performance test (measuring your maximal oxygen uptake or VO2max).

After reviewing your test results, the biokineticist or sports scientist will email you a comprehensive report. The report will show your individual results and you’ll get training guidelines to improve mobility and stability. It will also help you perform at your best in your chosen sport.

So I eventually got around to doing the test - last week Friday.

 

It wasn't quite what I thought it would be, but I'm still happy I got to experience it.

 

VO2max (absolute) is 5.05 L/min

VO2max (relative) is 66.4 ml/Kg/min

Peak RER (Respiratory Exchange Ratio) is 1.11 - "This figure shows the relationship between the amount of oxygen inhaled and carbon dioxide exhaled in one breath. It can predict the proportion of which fuel your body is using for energy (fats vs. carbohydrates). It can also give an idea of how hard an athlete has pushed during a bout of exercise."

I was told not to do any intensive activities for 48 hours before the test.

 

Relative Power was 4.5W/Kg, placing me in the "Competitive Junior" category.

 

Peak Power Output was 342W, placing me in the "Competitive Club Cyclist" category, which is where I thought I would be. I was 18W away from hitting the "Top Amateur" category (which I believe is known as Cat 1 internationally), so I'm not too disappointed.

 

What took me by surprise was how hard the test was... pedal for 15 minutes at 100W resistance (to warm up), then the Watts increase 1W every 3 seconds. As soon as the cadence drops below 70rpm, the test stops and you then go until you pop. My test lasted 27 minutes and 3 seconds and probably could have gone a bit more. Having a mask over my face filled with perspiration and not being able to wipe it away made me feel a bit claustrophobic. 

 

LT is 289W or 166bpm - not far off my values currently showing in TrainingPeaks.

"Lactate turn point falls at 85% of peak power output. This is equivalent to that achieved by top amateurs and elites (80-90%). Training is therefore well balanced with respect to

endurance and high intensity training."

 

My flexibility is, well, not my strong point, and something I'm told to improve by many. I don't do much about it when told, so maybe now I should do something about.

 

There's a whole lot more that they've given me, but I'm sure the above is about the most important.

 

Would I recommend this test?

Yes - it's something I've never done and I although most of the results are similar to my day to day training/riding, it is nice to have input from another source. There are other results that I may never get again and it's somewhat satisfying knowing where I fit in the pecking order. Nothing worth bragging about, but just another little bit of knowledge gained.

 

 

edit: spelling, and added the VO2max chart below

 

Power Output Ranking Profile: Where do I fit in to the ranking?

• Professional Cyclist (>420W)
• Top Amateur Cyclist (360-420W)
• Competitive Club Level Cyclist (320-359W)
• Competitive Junior Level Cylist (265-319W)
• Novice Cyclist (220-264W)
• Recreational Cyclist (175-219W)
• Untrained Cyclist (<175W)

Edited April 21, 2015 by geraldm24

[Bub Marley]

Looks like a pretty cool test. Damn expensive at R 1500.00 though. Is it worth that amount though? I'm not so sure.

[Frosty]

Looks like a pretty cool test. Damn expensive at R 1500.00 though. Is it worth that amount though? I'm not so sure.

IMO it is expensive if you don't follow through with the training afterwards. I wouldn't do the test just for the sake of doing the test, but rather as another source of data.

 

I'm using it as a benchmark (knowing what I've done to get here, and as a base for what I want to do going forward).

 

I have an insane amount in my medical savings that has built up over the last 12 years, which I can only use for medical costs, or when/if I leave the medical aid. So I thought I'd use it while I can. Hopefully I never need the money for something serious *touching wood*

 

edit: grammar/spelling

Edited April 21, 2015 by geraldm24

[CleatsnCleavage]

My god. So after several useless email back and forwards without proper response, when I was paid my Healthy Food money back this month once again without a cent from any of my races which have been logged on the Discovery website, I had to CALL them to get this response: They have not yet paid any member cash back for Team Vitality, this will only happen in May, but he couldnt promise it would be May either. SO there we have it! 

[Frosty]

My god. So after several useless email back and forwards without proper response, when I was paid my Healthy Food money back this month once again without a cent from any of my races which have been logged on the Discovery website, I had to CALL them to get this response: They have not yet paid any member cash back for Team Vitality, this will only happen in May, but he couldnt promise it would be May either. SO there we have it! 

I haven't looked at the T's & C's, but I remember that they would limit the amount you could claim to a certain value over a 4 month period - R1500 rings a bell.

 

So they obviously need to consolidate all the events and only pay out once.

 

In hindsight, I'm glad I opted to skip this so-called benefit.

[Dynamix]

I cannot imagine anybody reaching R1500 cash back. On the current diary that runs till end of May there are 3 running events and 0 cycling events qualifying for cash back. If memory serves there was none for April.

[GoLefty!!]

you of course realise you're critising a system that has only just been launched and is not fully operational