ASU-NCRC VO2Max Test and Body Composition

Yesterday I went to Kannapolis for the first of several visits to participate in a study looking at the effectiveness of a juice during strenuous exercise.  The study is at the ASU-NCRC Human Performance Lab.  This first visit was a baseline to get our body fat percentage and our VO2max to determine the intensity of the cycling portion of the study.  After reviewing the protocol for the rest of the return visits for study Dustin had me get in the Bod Pod (looks like a little space capsule) which is a calculates your body fat and resting metabolic rate.  From there I went to the “fun” part of the session:  the VO2max test.  For this you get on an exercise bike (with your pedal and saddle position), it is initially set to 150 watts, every 2 minutes the number of watts you have to pedal increases 25 watts.  To start out with it’s not bad at all, the last 4-5 minutes are miserable though, but within 10 minutes after the test you feel almost back to normal.  In addition to the studies that Dustin runs from the lab he also does testing for people interested in getting VO2max, body composition, and muscular strength evaluated.  He's great to work with and is more than happy to answer questions if you are interested in gettting evaluated.  Overall it was a very interesting and informative visit.

ASU-NCRC Human Performance Lab
Fitness Testing Page

My results:
Weight: 142 pounds
Body Fat: 5.6%
RMR: 1583 (calories consumed daily with virtually no activity during the day)
V02max: 64%
Wattage at completion of protocol: 375

Overall I was really happy with my results, I’ve lost about 4 pounds since I was tested last year, but added 2 pounds of fat free weight:  I’ve lost about 6 pounds fat, and put on 2 pounds of muscle.  My VO2max is just about what it was last year, but I was able to get to 375 watts, where last year my wattage maxed out at 350.