VO2max & Blood Lactate Testing

Based just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland, Aspire Fitness Lab are providers of structured sports science support. Our services include VO2max test, lactate threshold test and metabolic assessment for endurance athletes of all standards. Our testing services will provide you and your coach with the data required to analyse your strengths and weaknesses and structure your training sessions with greater detail and purpose. The testing service is designed to support athletes of every standard and whether you consider yourself an elite athlete or recreational competitor, everyone has the ability to improve.

VO2max Test

A VO2max test provides a unique profile of a client’s exercise status. Measurement of VO2max or Peak VO2 will provide a true assessment of fitness level. It is the maximum amount of oxygen consumed by your body during exercise. VO2max is considered by exercise physiologists to be the ultimate indicator of cardiovascular fitness. A personalized exercise regimen based on true VO2max is essential to optimum cardio training.

A VO2max test will also reveal the anaerobic threshold. The anaerobic threshold is the level of exercise intensity beyond which the body can no longer provide adequate oxygen to the muscles. It is the vital piece of information your coach needs to design any exercise program, be it interval training, circuit training, endurance conditioning, or fat burning. Anaerobic threshold is critical to selection of a Target Heart Rate. Exercise below the anaerobic threshold should be comfortable even though the exercise extends for long periods. Exercise above the anaerobic threshold will improve cardiovascular fitness, but will also cause discomfort, fatigue, and muscle soreness.

Exercising at the right target heart rate will allow you to go farther and longer than you ever have before, improving fitness and optimizing performance. In addition, by measuring oxygen uptake, Aspire Fitness Lab is able to calculate the number of calories burned at each level of exercise. These are real measurements, not just estimates based on averages. What does this mean for you? Obviously, it gives athletes and regular clients the data needed to be at the top of their game.

Lactate Threshold Test

Lactate threshold testing is a single appointment at Aspire fitness lab. Lactate threshold testing is an accurate way to analyse your personal physiology and calculate precise training zones. Your testing session will begin with sub maximal exercise and from this we will build a ‘lactate profile’. Lactate threshold testing is the perfect way to focus your training.

Small pinprick blood samples are taken often it is from the finger tip at regular intervals during the test at whilst increasing the exercise intensity. Hopefully there will be good blood flow from the wound, which is collected for analysis.

The measurement of blood lactate is recorded and the results are presented in a graph form showing heart rate and exercise intensity. Blood lactate levels indicate a combination of lactate production and release into the blood, and its removal from the blood. Blood lactate measurements are used to monitor changes in anaerobic power and responses to set workloads.

Lactate is a salt formed from lactic acid. Anaerobic exercise produces lactic acid, which quickly forms lactate in the muscles. Because of this, the terms “lactate” and “lactic acid” are often used interchangeably.

Testing Prices:

VO2max 60 minutes £50.00

Lactate threshold testing 60 minutes £55.00