Applying Lab Results
Build a portfolio of tests & check results in the field
Last week, I shared a range of testing protocols. Today, we are going to run through common issues you’ll encounter with test interpretation.
Was it a good test?
Do the results align with the field data?
What did the tests indicate?
Did the results align with subjective perception?
Were there any surprises?
Test Validity
Sometimes the data makes no sense, literally. This might be due to calibration issues, sample contamination, impending illness or a cause we can’t determine.
This is extremely frustrating, especially when the athlete has taken time, and spent money, to gain insight. Unfortunately, the best course of action is to re-test at a later date.
Even when the data appears good, athletes will gain the most insight from a series of tests over time.
Do not change training protocol based on a single test.
Does My Map Match The Terrain?
When I visited Helsinki, I kept Elias in the dark on what I expected to see. We used his protocols, in his lab.
All athletes share an irresistible tendency towards confirmation bias. The purpose of going to an outside lab is to get “outside” of our heads. Elias is willing to call it like he sees it.
When reviewing test results, give extra attention to anything that surprises, and recommendations where you feel yourself “pushing back.”
Tell me more about…
I wasn’t expecting…
Why do you think…
Place yourself in a learning, rather than justifying, mindset.
The surprises in my test:
Good to excellent metabolic fitness.
Run breakpoints were high.
Bike breakpoints were low.
What YOU should be looking for…
Directional guidance.
High vs Low.
Weak vs Strong.
Relative performance.
Against your category.
Against your race requirements.
Ideas for further investigation.
Recommended field tests.
Areas for future study.
Let’s use my results to illustrate.
We’re in a lab, hooked up to sophisticated equipment… the results must be highly accurate… right? Well, it’s important to remember what’s hooked up to the equipment…
We are.
…and we are a complex system that is changing all the time.
What I mean…
There is natural variation in our bodies, and measurement errors in our systems.
The wise athlete looks for trends and general guidance, rather than precision.
An experienced exercise scientist is going to be aware of the limitations of testing.
Metabolic Fitness
This was a relative strength, and that surprised me. Strong metabolics, combined with being lean for my body weight, have implications for training approach:
Don’t skip meals.1
Never deplete.
Fully fuel.
Strategic placement of energy positive periods (i.e. gain weight before big cycles)
Despite decades of experience, I can be tempted to do the opposite of what’s optimal:
Skip meals.
End sessions depleted.
Constrain intake.
Tactical periods of low energy availability.
Next year, I want to have a look at my “fully fed” profile across my submax range. Elias has a test to see impact of early feeding on an athlete’s metabolic profile.2
If metabolic fitness is weak then the typical advice is to match carbohydrate intake with exercise. You will also read advice to start endurance sessions “light” in terms of carbohydrate intake.
This usually results in rebound eating and no performance gains.
What actually works is improving the quality of what we eat when we are NOT training.3
Put another way. My metabolic fitness comes from:
Ample, and Consistent, Zone 1 Volume.
High Quality Core Nutrition.
My Individual Response To 1 & 2.
Breakpoint Profiles
Breakpoints can be defined based on velocity, heart rate, power, pace, ventilatory thresholds, subjective perception and lactate. An experienced sports scientist will show you the different methods within your test data. For example, using different methods, an athlete’s “first threshold” will be across a range, not a single point.
Breakpoint terms, previously discussed:
Heart Rate Reserve (article with video)
Fractional Utilization (article with video)
Baseline & First Threshold (links to section in Lactate Chapter)
Second Threshold (links to section in Lactate Chapter)
When we say an athlete has “high or low breakpoints” we need to define:
The specific breakpoint(s) we are considering.
Relative to “what.”
In my run test, Elias found my first and second thresholds to be relatively high compared to VO2max. The thresholds were also high when cross referenced with other test data (heart rate, lactate, velocity, RPE and ventilation).
An implication of having high breakpoints is the desirability of raising the roof (boosting VO2max) to create headroom for further increases in velocity at first & second threshold.4
My bike test had a more common profile for an amateur. My thresholds were relatively low compared to VO2max. Low breakpoints are easier for training prescription. Stay balanced with an emphasis on Green Zone and Sport-Specific Strength.
Breakpoints and Specific Preparation
The end of the General Preparation period is an excellent time for metabolic and full profile testing. Test data can help guide the workout targets in Specific Preparation.
Consider the athlete’s profile against their race requirements.
The low-breaking profile is common, especially in explosive males. When this profile is combined with weak metabolic fitness, the athlete must show extreme caution with velocity targets and spikes.
The reason? The athlete will deplete themselves at a low-RPE and have poor late-race performance.
Not good.
For a triathlete, the prescription is race-specific rides, with short transition runs to check decoupling.
It’s a similar prescription for distance runners and cyclists. Challenge the athlete via duration and look for late decoupling.
See the video below for a review on decoupling.
An athlete does not need lab tests to determine the relationship between RPE, metabolic fitness and goal race velocity. All that is required is paying attention to what happens late in key workouts, as well as the following 24 hours.
Athletes with high breakpoints and strong metabolic fitness have more flexibility with race pacing. These athletes, often female, can be more aggressive and use higher relative intensity for their race-simulation workouts. Again, pay attention to late workout performance and the following 24 hours.
Testing vs Reality
After testing in early June, I started my specific preparation for a seven-hour triathlon with a ton of climbing. The triathlon (Alpe d’Huez Tri) fell at the end of a two-week block, including many classic climbs in France.
It turned out my metabolics were better than the test indicated.
My cycling breakpoints, while low during the test, moved materially. Compare my 20 minute and 60 minute power between May and July.
My May bests (259w/240w) were set at my first training camp of the season.
My July bests (293w/280w) were set during my French training camp.
These bests were set using the same powermeter, a set of Favero Assioma power pedals.
The jumps of 13-17% do NOT reflect an equivalent change in fitness.
Part of the increase is a shift in training emphasis towards race-specific sustained efforts.
In the data above, it is best to focus on my outdoor season, May/June/July.
When looking at September to April:
The spring numbers contain challenging interval workouts. Done wisely, intervals create top-end adaptations without strain.
I rarely set bests in training. Chasing bests wastes mojo that is better spent building general capacity.5
My indoor powermeter (kick’r bike) reads ~9% lower than my outdoor unit. The indoor bike accounts for all bests from September to April. To compare early season bests against Summer numbers add ~10%.
It takes a lot of faith to “hold back” for most of the year. The pattern of a summer “performance pop” is one I’ve seen whenever I was able to establish strong General Fitness.6
The changes made once Spring arrived:
10 hours (weekly target) of cycling. Didn’t hit this every week.
Uphill Tempo & Big Gear work.7
A hint of VO2 / Zone 5 work.
If you are a low breakpoint athlete then “do more Zone 1” is a simple & effective strategy.
Run performance was less of a consideration this season.8 I set a 50+ best with an 18:39 for 5km during a race-simulation event (July 18th).
Run performance is an important consideration for 2025 as Challenge Roth is my goal event.
Onward to ideas for the high breakpoint athlete.
Back to Table of Contents
Here’s a short article on Transforming Your Body. I’m quite good at this aspect of performance.
The ability to eat a lot the morning of long event, and immediately before the swim, can give an athlete a “nutritional head start” on their day. It’s a shame that many athletes are reluctant to train this approach.
I explain athlete nutrition starting at 1:39:09 of this podcast. You can read detailed advice in our Nutrition Chapter.
Improving VO2max is not as simple as smashing ourselves with a bunch of Red Zone work.
The need for bests to plot a critical power (CP) curve is why the CP system is a disaster for most amateurs. I also dislike frequent 20-minute/30-minute bests for the functional threshold power (FTP) system.
It is better to check first threshold with lactate, use subjective perception and use the Full Profile test sparingly. We explain all this in our Training Zones and Lactate chapters.
Schedule your A-event to take advantage of natural fitness peaks.
Our preferred tempo and big gear sessions are in the Cycling Essentials chapter.
Lab testing can identify limiters not relevant to the current season. For example, my high breakpoints for running were not relevant to my 2024 goals.