After a metabolic test, most athletes don't know which numbers to prioritize. This guide shows how to calculate ideal VO2max, VLamax, and FatMax targets based on your specific race distance and performance goals.
So you received your metabolic test report and now wonder what you should work on to improve performance? Here’s how to discover potential room for improvement. We also show how you can calculate your ideal metabolic profile, depending on your goal. Afterwards you know exactly which metrics you should improve by how much.
Grab your metabolic report and let’s get started.
In this example, we detect possibilities for improvement with a group performance comparison technique. Don’t forget to read the entire article to learn more strategies to detect strengths & weaknesses of your metabolic profile.
First, in the INSCYD Athlete Setcard, you can see all Physiological Performance Benchmarks. The gauge already compares the results against a comparison group. For instance:
This metabolic gauge can give you a first indication of areas to focus on for performance improvement. For instance: in the example the VO2max is already super high, but FatMax is below average.
The comparison group itself can be determined by the INSCYD coach. This could be a standard comparison group like: recreational-, amateur- or professional athletes.
Prefer to have an overview of all performance benchmarks in one place? Scroll to the Metabolic Fingerprint, also known as the strength and weakness profile.
Example of another athlete:
This again gives you an overview of areas to focus on for performance improvement. This example shows that FatMax and Efficiency are low compared to similar athletes.
Watch the INSCYD Metabolic Profile in action:
It goes without saying that you can also choose to do a direct comparison between two or more athletes. For instance when looking at VLamax:
A direct comparison allows you to dive a little deeper into the details. For instance when comparing running economy or trying to improve swim economy.
Improving running economy is probably the most efficient way to shave off valuable minutes from your race times. At the same time, it’s an overlooked metric that is often wrongly measured. That’s why it’s time for a change! This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about the running economy – from theory to practice.
This XC use case shows why VO2max, VLamax and Anaerobic threshold can be similar between two athletes, while their performance differs dramatically: economy.
You can directly compare the economy of two athletes via the Economy tab in the INSCYD app. Watch the video for an example. Economy data does require a test with economy (VO2) measurements. INSCYD users can find the economy test protocol in the help center.
Let’s compare the economy of two swim athletes. The graph shows how fast two swimmers (red vs black) swim with a given energy expenditure.
This graph shows whether you swim faster or slower than someone else, while swimming at the same energy expenditure (exercise intensity). It uses the actual test results, meaning you can look at swim economy depending on swim technique (e.g. freestyle vs backstroke), swim distance, duration and intensity.
You can compare against another athlete or against a control group. This direct comparison strategy is a very good way to see whether – in this case swim economy – is something you should work on.
Dive into the depths of swimming performance with our exclusive webinar. Join Alexander Törpel, Head of Diagnostics at the German Swimming Federation, as he unveils the intricacies of swimming performance tests, their protocols, and insightful applications in training.
What You’ll Discover:
If you don’t have any reliable comparison group, you can still compare Physiological Performance Benchmarks with normative data. Discover normative data per metric via the links:
Comparing your metabolic test results with others is one way to detect areas for improvement. Note that you need to look at all Physiological Performance Benchmarks (e.g. VO2max, VLamax, Economy) to fully understand what’s going on. A simple lactate profile can easily lead to false conclusions, as this swim use case shows.
INSCYD’s cutting-edge metabolic profiling offers a comprehensive view of an athlete’s capabilities, far beyond traditional metrics. Enhance training efficiency by understanding the unique metabolic profiles of each athlete.
Let’s move from a group comparison to an individual comparison technique, to detect possibilities for improvement. Don’t forget to read the entire article to learn more strategies to detect strengths & weaknesses.
While group comparisons help to see where others outperform you, analysing your own metabolic profile over time enables you to spot areas of improvement too. This individual approach is also necessary to see what improvements are realistic.
INSCYD’s Performance Tracking features enable you to look back in performance history and can give you great insights into what you need to do in the future. Say you just performed an INSCYD metabolic profile. A good way to discover what you should work on is to look at your performance tracking chart.
Were some metrics better in the past? Then this is a clear indication that those metrics have room for improvement.
Did some metrics increase rapidly after you changed your training program? Then this indicates you may have found the key to increasing a performance metric with a specific training method. Maybe sticking to that training method will increase those metrics even further, at least to a point.
Watch the INSCYD Performance Tracking function in action:
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Obviously it also works the other way around. If you have a personal record in VLamax after spending many months of dedicated sprint and strength work, you might hit your personal ceiling for VLamax. This could be especially true when you already see a flattening of the curve (less increase) over a couple of metabolic test results. It’s time to work on something else!
This example shows the importance of regular testing. Here’s more about how often you should do an exercise test.
Instead of comparing your test results with others or with your previous test results, you could also start with the end in mind. In this case, “the end” is your end goal and the metabolic profile that is necessary to reach that goal. From there on you can see what needs to be improved to get there.
Here’s a practical triathlon example to clarify this approach.
In this example, the end goal is to swim 3.8 km (full triathlon swim distance) in one hour. We can now reverse calculate the required metabolic profile.
3.8 km in one hour equals a swim speed of 1.06 m/s.
Since the swim is only the first of 3 sports, swimming 1.06 m/s should be well below anaerobic threshold. For example: 70% of VO2max.
This means that when you swim 1.06 m/s the oxygen demand should be equal to or less than 70% of VO2max. That’s our end goal.
The current metabolic profile shows that the anaerobic threshold speed equals 1.03 m/s, which is at 77.6% of VO2max.
It also shows that the oxygen demand at 1.06 m/s equals 36.10 ml/kg/min (solid dark blue line in the image below). That equals 80% of VO2max (45 ml/kg/min in this example).
We now know that we either need to:
By playing around with those two numbers in the INSCYD Performance Projection function, we can see what our required metabolic profile looks like.
In the example performance projection below (dashed dark blue line), we increased VO2max from 45 to 48 ml/kg/min. We also improved swim economy so that combined, the current oxygen demand at race pace shifts from 36.10 ml/min/kg to 33.40 ml/min/kg.
This performance projection shows that a combination of these two improvements is enough to swim 1.06 m/s at 70% of VO2max (33.40 oxygen demand ÷ 48 VO2max = 70%).
You now know exactly how much VO2max and swim economy need to improve to reach your end goal!
Learn more about the INSCYD Performance Projections: practical examples and business opportunities.
Say you’re participating in the Alpe d’Huez triathlon and you want to climb the Alpe d’Huez by bike in one hour. We can now reverse calculate the required metabolic profile.
Say you’re participating in the Alpe d’Huez triathlon and you want to climb the Alpe d’Huez by bike in one hour. We can now reverse calculate the required metabolic profile.
The current metabolic profile (solid lines image below) shows that the anaerobic threshold – where lactate production meets lactate combustion – equals 251W.
Since you need to run afterwards, we aim for an intensity of 90% of threshold. This means that your threshold should be 4.1 w/kg (3.7 ÷ 4.1 = 90%). That’s our end goal.
We now know that we need to:
By playing around with those three numbers in the INSCYD Performance Projection function, we can see what our required metabolic profile looks like.
In the example performance projection below (dashed lines), we increased VO2max from 55 to 58 ml/kg/min, decreased VLamax from 0.40 to 0.30 mmol/l/s and decreased body weight from 70 to 67kg.
This performance projection shows that a combination of these three improvements is enough to increase threshold from 251W (3.59 W/kg) to 275W (4.10 W/kg).
Of course there are many different combinations of changes in these 3 metrics that can lead to the end goal → a threshold of 4.1 W/kg to climb the Alpe d’Huez in one hour. Pick one that is most realistic for you.
Here’s how to create a nutrition plan for La Marmotte.
In this final example, the end goal is to run a marathon in 3.5 hours. Let’s reverse calculate the required metabolic profile.
To run a marathon of 42.195 km in 3.5 hours, you need a pace of roughly 5:00 min:sec/km.
The current metabolic profile (red line image below) shows that the carbohydrate combustion rate at this pace equals 125.0 grams per hour and therefore 437.5 grams per 3.5 hours.
To understand whether that is realistic, we need to look at the carbohydrate availability = glycogen stores + carb intake. The INSCYD report shows a glycogen availability of 412 grams. However, let’s assume you have already swam and cycled. With a similar calculation as the calculation below, the actual glycogen availability for the run turns out to be 200 grams.
Let’s assume you plan to consume 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour during the marathon. We now have a carb availability of 200 + 3.5 * 60 = 410 grams. This is not enough to cover the 437.5 grams that we need.
We now know that we need to:
Consuming 60 grams of carbs per hour can already be a challenge, so let’s only play around with the latter three options in the INSCYD Performance Projection function, to see what our required metabolic profile looks like.
In the example performance projection below (dashed red line), only VLamax is decreased from 3.0 to 0.27 mmol/l/s.
This performance projection shows that a decrease in VLamax is enough to increase fat combustion and decrease carb combustion, up to a point that the carb combustion is down by ~10 grams per hour. The carb combustion now equals 115.0 g/h * 3.5 h = 402,5 grams during the marathon. This can be covered by the carb availability of 410 grams.
By playing around with the numbers, you can find several combinations of changes in performance metrics that lead to the end goal.
Learn more about the interaction between carbohydrate intake and pacing in running.
We’ve learned 3 practical ways to discover what to work on after finishing a metabolic test:
Create highly personalized training programs with lab-level performance insights anywhere anytime to analyze, optimize and improve performance faster, save cost and get a strategic edge.
VO₂max, VLamax, FatMax, thresholds, fuel use and training zones, from a single test in the lab, in the field or fully remote.
