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Metabolic Testing

By Andrew Voris

This article is to inform readers of a Metabolic Test that I feel is an essential part of any fitness program.

Whether your goal is to lose body fat (weight Loss) or improve your fitness level (run a marathon) the metabolic test is the first thing you should do for planning your attack. As a fitness professional I can absolutely tell you that this Metabolic Test alone can make the difference in seeing results over a 12 week training program. We are all at different levels and make up for hormones, muscle tone, body fat %, age, gender, etc. There is no way I can be certain that my cardiovascular recommendations for my clients will yield results unless they have a Metabolic Test.

The only other method available is guess work. Using out dated equations for establishing someones heart rate training zones (Karvonen Formula) is just simply designed to give someone the most basic guidelines. Most people do not truely fit into these recommendations. I of course use this method if there is no metabolic test to give me the answers but I will need to monitor the success and continue to adjust my recommendations several times probably before the client will see results.

We all need to discover our truely most efficient training heart rate for results. Whether you want to increase the amount of fat you utilize during exercise or you want to be able to run faster for longer periods before bonking. That is the purpose of the metabolic Test.

That's what the metabolic test can do. More specifically the exercising metabolic test. There is also a resting metabolic test which can give you your true caloric utilization for a day and help you set goals for what amount of calories you should be consuming.

The metabolic test is available at most LifeTime Fitness locations, my facility in St. Charles, IL (Tri-City Fitness), and many other larger health clubs. Expect to pay about $100-$150 per test and also be prepared to test every 3-4 months. Look for New Leaf testing. This is the best company offering the service through the clubs. The test should be done by an exercise physiologist. Some clubs have trainers doing the test and they are capable but the Exercise physiologist can interpret your results with more detail and will be able to give you more precise recommendations based on these test results.

About the Author:

Andrew Voris is a NASM certified personal trainer working out of his private office in Glen Ellyn, IL and out of Tri-City Fitness in St. Charles, IL. His websites are www.bodyformpersonaltraining.com & www.tri-cityfitness.com