VO2max, metabolic efficiency and resting metabolic rate testing across cycling, running and rowing — run by an ESSA Accredited Sports Scientist. Thresholds measured directly, so the zones you train in are actually yours.
Exercise & Sports Science Australia is the professional body for the industry, and Accredited Sports Scientist Level 1 is the credential that says someone is qualified to conduct physiological testing and interpret what comes out of it.
Plenty of places will sell you a VO2max number. Fewer can tell you what it means for next Tuesday's session, or spot when the data says something different to what you assumed. That interpretation is the actual product.
Paired with a Masters of Physiotherapy, it also means that if the testing uncovers a physical limitation rather than a fitness one, you're already in the right room.
Most training zones come from a formula — a percentage of a maximum heart rate you've never actually reached, or a threshold estimated from a twenty minute effort on a bad day.
The relationship between intensity, heart rate and metabolism varies enormously between individuals. Two athletes with identical FTPs can have thresholds in completely different places, so identical training produces different adaptations.
Testing measures what your body is doing directly — the gas you exchange, the fuel you burn, the point lactate starts to accumulate — so prescription stops being an approximation.
Test 01
A graded exercise test to exhaustion measuring your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and your VO2max. Delivers the training zones your programme should be built on, plus a baseline to measure every future block against.
Test 02
How effectively your body uses fats and carbohydrates during exercise, and your preferred fuel at each intensity. Essential for fuelling strategy on long events.
Test 03
The energy your body needs at rest for essential function. The honest starting point for any nutrition plan — and for knowing whether you're eating enough to support training.
ASpS1
ESSA Accredited Sports Scientist Level 1 — qualified to test and interpret.
3
Modalities — cycling, running and rowing, so the test matches your sport.
2
Thresholds measured directly, not estimated from a formula.
1
Baseline to beat. Retest after a block and see if it worked.
Physiology is specific. A cyclist tested on a treadmill gets a number that doesn't transfer cleanly to the bike, so testing runs in the discipline you actually train in — cycling, running or rowing.
It suits cyclists, runners, triathletes and endurance athletes generally, whether you're chasing a result or simply want a real starting point.
A test result tells you how hard to ride. A bike fit tells you what position to hold while you do it. Aero testing tells you what that position costs you in the wind. Physiotherapy sorts out the restriction stopping you holding it at all.
Running all four means the recommendations reinforce each other instead of contradicting each other — which is the entire reason UpHill is set up this way.
Where can I get a VO2max test in Canberra?
At the UpHill Performance Lab in Wright, ACT. Testing is conducted by an ESSA Accredited Sports Scientist (ASpS1) across cycling, running and rowing, and includes your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds rather than the VO2max figure alone.
What is an ESSA Accredited Sports Scientist?
Exercise & Sports Science Australia is the professional body for the industry. Accredited Sports Scientist Level 1 (ASpS1) is the credential confirming someone is qualified to conduct physiological testing and interpret the results into training that works — which is the part that actually changes your performance.
What is the difference between VO2max and threshold testing?
VO2max is the ceiling of your aerobic engine. It is largely genetic and moves slowly. Your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds determine how you should actually train day to day, and they cannot be reliably guessed from a percentage of maximum heart rate.
Can I be tested on a bike rather than a treadmill?
Yes, and you should be. Physiology is specific — a cyclist tested on a treadmill gets numbers that do not transfer cleanly to the bike. Testing runs in the discipline you train in: cycling, running or rowing.
Is there anything I need to do before testing?
Yes. There are pre-testing requirements that differ by test, and getting them wrong invalidates the result. This is why Sport Science bookings are made by phone on 0+61 438 284 788 rather than online — so we can talk it through before the day.
What is a Metabolic Efficiency Test (MET)?
It measures how effectively your body uses fat and carbohydrate as fuel, and identifies your preferred fuel source at each intensity. If you have ever run out of energy at a predictable point in a long event, this is usually where the explanation lives.
What is RMR testing for?
Resting Metabolic Rate measures the energy your body needs at rest for essential function. It is the honest starting point for a nutrition plan, and for working out whether you are eating enough to support the training you are doing.
How often should I retest?
A test gives you a baseline. Retesting after a training block shows precisely whether that block produced the adaptation you were training for, rather than leaving you to guess from race results and feel.
Metabolic testing at the UpHill Performance Lab in Wright, ACT — for Canberra cyclists, runners, rowers and triathletes.
