If you are an athlete, coach, trainer, or somebody who’s interested in using data to manage health and fitness, you may have heard of metabolic testing. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and Maximal Oxygen Consumption (VO2 Max) testing are becoming more well known, and there are good reasons for doing them. In the not-so-distant past, these tests were hard to access, expensive, and reserved for elite athletes or medical purposes. Advancements in technology have paved the way for everyone to now have access to these tests and the rich, life altering data they provide. One example is TrackYourMax.com whom offers RMR testing and a bevy of other services to help you take control of your health.
RMR tests provide a highly accurate measure of the calories we burn at rest, how fast or slow our metabolism is compared to normative data, and the percentage of the resting calories that we burn that come from fat versus carbohydrate fuel sources. There are benefits to doing this test for those pursuing a healthy weight loss programs, for early identification or confirmation of a potential metabolic disorder, and for athletes trying to stay on the tip of the spear when it comes to managing nutrition and training for optimal performance.
Reason 1: Establishing the Baseline
There is a very simple question I like to get patients and clients to think about when it comes to rehabilitation, fitness and performance optimization. How do we get to where we want to go, if we don’t know where we are beginning? Without a baseline, we begin our journey lost, and fly blind. There might be multiple things we want to train or coach, so we also need a way to identify the highest priorities. Metabolic testing prior to embarking on nutrition or training programs helps establish a baseline so that when the time comes to measure progress, we have the basis of comparison needed to determine how effective the programming has been.
Reason 2: Identifying the Biggest Limitations
In sports and life, it’s always best to play to our strengths and improve our weaknesses to be successful. Therefore, training requires a laser focus on the biggest limitations in order to improve. But what are they? Metabolic testing sheds light on them, and with good coaching and nutrition advice they can be reduced or eliminated.
An RMR test paints an excellent picture of how the heart, lungs and other organ systems are functioning at rest. It can highlight potential issues with fat burning, cellular health, nutrition, exercise habits, and metabolic disorders like Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes, and Thyroid conditions.
Reason 3: Identifying Unique Training Zones
Our HR zones are unique to each of us, and it might come as a surprise that they vary with our sports and activities. One of the most valuable things we get from a VO2 Max test is accurate, individualized HR zones that we can apply in our training. Wearables and the internet can’t compete with using performance science to obtain our very own zones. Estimated HR zones can do more harm than good in some cases, causing us to train in the wrong zones, or in zones we don’t need to be training. To eliminate limitations, we need to use a precise, data driven training approach.
Reason 4: Keeping a Tight Feedback Loop
The best athletes, coaches and trainers keep really tight feedback loops. They are constantly measuring and remeasuring to track progress and adjust programs. Once the baseline and highest priority limitations are identified, targeted training and nutrition programs can be developed to achieve goals. But we can’t stop there. We need to retest often enough to make sure what we are doing is actually working, identify new limitations, modify programs, avoid plateaus, prevent injuries, and thrive.
Summary
Metabolic testing provides us with a reliable, accurate and insightful window into ourselves. It allows us to determine exactly how harmoniously all of our organ systems function together. It helps us set a baseline understanding of our inner workings and identify if any part of us is playing “out of tune” and throwing off our inner symphony. The data we get from metabolic tests allows us to pinpoint exactly what needs to be adjusted and why, so that we can uniquely and precisely make changes in our nutrition and training. With this tight feedback loop, we can recalibrate as many times as we need to achieve our health, fitness and performance goals. Let’s not waste time and money experimenting with diets and training programs we see posted online. The pros don’t take this approach, and we shouldn’t either. Let advanced technology, science and data drive us to be the best versions of ourselves. Book your metabolic testing today.
