Learn to Train Efficiently Pt1. My Experience with Metabolic Testing « Measurements

Learn to Train Efficiently Pt1. My Experience with Metabolic Testing

Aug 21st, 2010 | Posted by Bonnie

On National Dance Day 7/31/2010 I woke up at 6AM for metabolism testing with Mobile Metabolics at Eastside Sports Rehab.

What is Metabolic Testing?

Results from a metabolic test tells you how many calories you burn at rest (or as I call it the potato couch calories!), your fitness level, your muscle fiber type, amount of calories you need to increase or decrease weight, and lots of other geeky terms such as RER and anaerobic threshold. What it comes down to is it gives you data so you can build a workout routine where you work smarter not harder!

What are Key Benefits from a Metabolic Test?

Find out if you’re Genetically Predisposed to be a Better Marathon Runner or Ballet Dancer. Results from the test will tell you if you have Type I or Type II muscle fiber. Type I (Slow Twitch) athletes are good at aerobic sports while Type II (Fast Twitch) athletes are good at anaerobic sports. Ballet for example is an anaerobic sport. See below for more details on muscle fiber differences.
Find Out your Heart Rate that Corresponds to your Aerobic and Anaerobic thresholds to Maximize your Calorie Burning. In a nutshell, when your body is working harder, your heart rate goes up. If you sprint your heart rate will be higher than when you walk. When your heart rate, measured by beats/minute, crosses your anaerobic threshold, fatigue starts to settle in! So if you want to increase your endurance, you need to raise your anaerobic threshold.
Create a cardiovascular program to meet your goals

What is the Metabolic Testing Experience like?

Working with Mobile Metabolics was a great experience! The trainer really made sure I understood everything and that I was ok every step of the way. Below is a recount of my day.

Day Starts at 6AM

I’m off to Eastside Sports Rehab for the test at 7AM. Why so early? The test requires you to fast 10 hours previously so it’s easier to do it when you first get up
We start by calibrating the equipment and fitting me into the ventilation mask!
One funky note about the mask is it makes this noise when I breathe

Test #1 (15-20 minutes) – Measures my Calories Burned at Rest

I get to sit and watch TV. Really it was a time to relax! The only challenging part here is I’m the type that doesn’t relax easily so I kept feeling like I should be doing something more productive
Calories burned at rest tells you how many calories you need to survive

Test #2 (8-15 minutes) – Measures my Heart Rate and Calories Burned at Different Speeds (Easy walk, jogging, with incline, and running)

Here I had to put on a heart rate monitor on my chest. My skinniness actually made this a bit of a challenge for the trainer because it kept slipping off. But she was great and solved it by putting a clip on!
Then I had to walk, jog, and run on a treadmill until I couldn’t handle it anymore

And I’m Done! Total time was ~1 hour and 15 minutes

My lips are a bit dry from the ventilation mask, but overall I’m good

Snapshot of My Results:

Type IIA Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber – Yay I’m good at anaerobic sports – I’ve got strength and can generate bursts of power for jumps, but… I’ve got no stamina. This is 100% correct. I tire quickly at the end of Ballet class when we practice vertical jumps (though I don’t feel too bad because I see other people short of breath too from doing jumps)
965 Calories Burned At Rest; 1.2k Calories to Maintain Weight – If I start becoming a couch potato again, I can just live off of 965 calories a day. If I include 30 minutes of exercise and 288 calories of regular life activities, then it’s closer to 1.2k calories
My workout zones – The high zone is where I start to fatigue and the peak zone is where I’ll run out of breath shortly. My anaerobic threshold right now is at 102 beats/minute. Basically when I start running at 4.0 on the treadmill my heart rate goes above 102 and I’ll start to fatigue. What I want happen is when I’m running at 4.0, my heart rate stays between 87 and 102, so I can keep running at that speed for long periods of time

*C/Hr = calories burned/hour, HR = Heart Rate

Next Steps

Goal: My goal is to increase my endurance mainly because I’m tired of feeling tired so quickly lol. I think this is really hurting my ability to train for jumps and faster footwork. I fatigue so fast that I just give up before I get any real training in.
The PLAN… According to this, I need to raise my anaerobic threshold. The way to do this is through interval training. I need to add more cardio workouts where I get my body used to the High Zone heart rate and then a longer duration in that zone over the course of 6 weeks
Equipment: In order to figure out which workout zone I’m in I need to know my heart rate (duh!). So before I can really start I need to invest some time in buying a heart rate monitor.

In the next few posts, I’m going to spend time getting nerdy on you and deep dive into the science behind this and passing along some of my findings about heart rate monitors.

Can I get more detail on the different Muscle Fibers?

Type I (Slow Twitch) Muscle Fiber: People with Type I or Slow Twitch muscle fiber have great endurance but less explosive capability. If you have majority Type I muscle fiber, your body is better geared for aerobic activities. Think marathon runners, swimmers, and Lance Armstrong’s of the world!

Type IIA (Fast Twitch) Muscle Fiber: Type IIA athletes have great explosive power, but little endurance, so you get tired easily. If you have Fast Twitch muscle fiber, your body is geared for anaerobic activities. Think sprinters, hurdlers, weightlifters, and.. Ballet Dancers!

Type IIB or Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber: The middle child! Type IIB Fast Twitch athletes is the in between of Type I and Type IIA. You have some endurance and can generate bursts of power. In other words, you’re better at running 400 meters instead of a marathon.

A few caveats to this… While Ballet is an anaerobic sport, if you’re getting ready for a big production you may want to train to increase your endurance. Even if you’re not made to have high endurance, you can train to improve it to a degree. And whether you are a Type I or Type II athlete, this does not mean you can’t pursue sports activities that you’re not genetically disposed to, but keep in mind your body is more suited for certain areas.

If you’re a science geek and want more details about muscle fibers and how it impacts your training, see Muscle Fiber Types and Training.