INSCYD METABOLIC TESTING
INSCYD Metabolic allows Connect to Perform to create a complete 360 degree assessment of each athlete.
Laboratory grade testing without the need to enter the lab.
Triathletes/Cyclists: Test outdoors or indoors. Follow our testing protocol on the road or on your smart trainer even in Zwift.
Triathletes/Runners: Test in the field on the track. No more unnatural treadmill tests.
HOW INSCYD METABOLIC PROFILING IMPROVES PERFORMANCE
Performance is not random. It can be broken down into a very small number of fundamental components. In cycling, we really don't need to worry about much more than aerobic capacity (VO2max), glycolytic capacity (VLaMax), and aerodynamics.
One of the most used term and metric in cycling is Functional Threshold Power (FTP). A lot of training programmes are prescribed based on a % of your FTP. Race paces in triathlon have also been set based off a set percentage of FTP.
It is not surprising then that the biggest goal for most cyclists and triathletes is to increase their FTP. Armed with HIIT sessions, threshold training and sweet spot efforts athletes go to work on improving their thresholds. But, without understanding exactly WHY they are training in this way.
Approximately 97 to 98% of FTP is determined by the combination of your V02max and VLaMax. Performance is predictable so once you know your V02max and even more importantly your VLaMax, your training becomes clear. Both of these metrics are tied to your own personal physiology and metabolic profile.
With INSCYD testing you will know exactly what your own physiology is. You will know what your V02max and VLaMax is and once you know it you can train them. The testing will provide you with the following:
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V02max
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VLaMax
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FTP or Anaerobic Threshold
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Fat and Carb oxidation rates
Information is a very powerful thing and with these results you will no longer be training on hunches and educated guesses from the standard FTP testing approach.
This form of testing is not standard practice. Whether it is a V02max test with a gas analyser or a blood lactate test where you derive a blood lactate curve they do not consider or calculate your VLaMax. Since VLaMax is the elite coaches’ secret weapon to performance, you should never do another test unless they can provide you with this crucial metric.
Once you have completed the testing and received your results, you will KNOW for a fact which ‘lever’ you need to pull on to improve training. Should you train your V02max, your VLaMax, try to get your threshold to a higher percentage of V02max, or should you practice your ability to oxidise fat?
When you know the answers to these questions you can prescribe training for each of these scenarios.
Imagine the confidence and freedom it will give you knowing that you are doing the right training for you.
USED BY:
For years professional athletes such as Jan Frodeno, Peter Sagan, Tony Martin and teams such as BORA-hansgrohe and Team Lotto NL Jumbo Cycling conducted physiological testing using a platform only available to the professional ranks called INSCYD.
These methods were commercially unavailable to amateur athletes, until now. Connect to Perform is delighted to announce that we will be one of the first locations in Ireland to offer testing.
In the endurance world, there’s always a lot of bragging about personal data, performances and numbers.
A classic question that often comes up is “what's your FTP?” Or even geekier: “what is your power-to-weight ratio?”
However, your FTP and power-to-weight ratio are highly dependent on your V02max and VLamax.
VO2max is described as “the size of the engine”, and that means how much oxygen your body can actually use to produce energy during exercise.
The highest VO2max ever recorded in professional sports (and from a list of documented VO2max tests) is of cyclist Oskar Swendsen of Norway, who recorded a mind-blowing 97.5 in September 2012 during a test conducted in Lillehammer.
For reference, the American cyclist Greg Lemond reportedly has a score of 92.5.
An average male (non-trained) would score between 30 and 40, an average woman (also not trained) from 28 to 35. A good amateur would probably be around 60 and a Category 1 rider (professional level) around 70 and up.
VLamax is the maximum production rate of lactate in your muscles. If you are a sprinter a high VLamax is desirable. A sprinter needs to produce lots of energy very quickly during a sprint. This kind of effort lasts for approximately 12 seconds.
Endurance athlete needs a lot of energy spread over long time. Such endurance events can be long distance triathlons (half and full-distance Ironman), marathons and also bike races (GC Riders).
However, VLamax (the max production rate of lactate) affects the performance of an athlete in long events too. How?
If your lactate production rate is high at max conditions (sprints), it’s also relatively high at sub-max conditions (endurance events). Vice versa, if your maximum lactate production is low at max conditions, it’s also relatively low at sub-max conditions.
Imagine two triathletes or cyclists, both weighing 75 kg. Both have a Functional Threshold Power (FTP) of 300W.
Rider A has a VO2max (Aerobic Capacity) of 50 ml/min/kg.
Rider B has a VO2max of 63 ml/min/kg.
How is this possible? We know that a high V02max is desirable so you could assume that this should mean that Rider B should have a higher FTP.
But we also know that VLaMax has a role to play in how FTP is composed.
Rider A has a VLaMax (Glycolytic Capacity) of 0.3 mmol/l/s.
Rider B has a VLaMax of 0.9.
A higher VLaMax means a lower FTP!
Two riders with the same FTP.
But will require two completely different training solutions to improve FTP.