Vo2 Max testing and lactate testing at University of Cincinnati

I had the opportunity to go to UC (University of Cincinnati) to have some metabolic testing done this past weekend. Since I'm not in training for anything, I was leary about going, but the opportunity to be in the lab again and see how another lab does their testing was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

The set up at their lab was very nice for several reasons:

1. They have standard road bikes that are available... which means you don't have to ride those uncomfortable Monarch cycles that both the University of Kentucky and Nebraska had. (Although to be fair, I never spent time on UK's).

2. They have the bikes set up with powertaps. I liked this because they are commonly used power meters by cyclists and triathletes on the road. I have not made the investment to start riding with power, so it was nice to get my hands on one.

3. They have four stations. Very nice when you are testing a large group of athletes. I am assuming they have a good funding source?

4. They have metabolic analyzers that are worth using. I still have questions as to the validity to the portable systems that we see at fitness centers and other various places. Maybe someone could show me that those systems have been proven reliable, but I just hear too many strange results for me to be a big believer.

The Tests:

After getting 5 minutes of resting data, I got onto the bike. (Which had my own pedals on it!) We started at 120watts and increased the power output by 20watts every three minutes. The watts were increased initially by changing the gears, then by the incline (using a Tacx trainer).

The metabolic analyzer was measuring o2 consumption, co2 output, ventilation, the powertap was measuring heart rate and power output, while an assistant (Jim was the man) was taking blood samples at the end of each 3 minute stage to measure blood lactate (using a Lactate Pro).

The protocol (3 min steps) was used in order for the rider to achieve a steady state prior to increasing to a new workload.

The Results:

I have had this done before several times on the bike, but many more times on the treadmill. What I found out was similar to past experiences: my cycling Vo2 is about 10 ml/kg/min lower than my running Vo2 max.

Here's a link to the results: RESULTS HERE - username: gditsch01

I haven't had much time to look through the data, but the initial things that I wanted to look at were these:

Vo2 : 56.93 ml/kg/min
Watts/kg at Lactate Threshold : approx 3.2
Watts at Lactate Threshold : 213
Heart Rate at Lactate Threshold : 176bpm

I need some more time to look through the efficiency data and the other metabolic data before I can make a more detailed comment on them.

One interesting comparison to make is looking at the watts/kg at lactate threshold. I remember reading a book on Lance Armstrong (Lance Armstrong's War, I believe) that talked about a test he did with his coach, Ferrari. They would go to a mountain climb and ride the climb a few times. Each time increasing the intensity, until they hit his lactate threshold (they took the sample at the top of each climb). After the testing, they new Lance was ready for the Tour if he had a watts/kg result of 6.7 or above. (You might have to go check the facts, as it has been awhile since I read the book.)

I guess I am not ready to take on the Tour! But still not completely disappointing results as I have the worst fitness that I have had in several years (Fall of '05).

To compare the results that I got this weekend to last year's Vo2 testing I had done on the treadmill might be of interest. You can read my post after those tests:

Here - Vo2 Max the Good Results.

Hopefully this will start a discussion, as it is much easier to be in a discussion about this information than it is to state all that seems important.