VO₂ Max Testing · Performance Lab
Know your engine.
The gold-standard measure of aerobic fitness. Go to your limit on the treadmill or the Wattbike wearing a metabolic mask, while we capture your true VO₂ max, training zones and thresholds — the numbers every other session is built on.
Your true zones
Train in the right heart-rate zones instead of guessing.
A fitness benchmark
A single number to track progress across the year.
Pace smarter
Find the thresholds that make training and racing efficient.
Feeds your plan
Results flow straight into your EnduroIndex and coaching.
How the test works
Three phases, twenty minutes of effort.
Mask & warm-up
We fit the metabolic mask and settle you into an easy walk or spin to calibrate.
Ramp to max
Speed and incline — or watts on the bike — rise step by step until you reach your ceiling, with a coach pacing you the whole way.
Read your numbers
Cool down and walk through your VO₂ max, zones and thresholds together.
Choose your protocol
Treadmill or bike — same test, your sport.
Both protocols use the same metabolic mask and give you the same VO₂ max, zones and thresholds. Pick the one that matches how you train — tell us when you book.
Treadmill
DefaultSpeed and incline rise in steps until you reach your ceiling. Best for runners, triathletes and anyone training on foot — it gives you running pace zones as well as heart-rate zones.
- You get
- VO₂ max, HR zones, pace zones, thresholds
- Bring
- running trainers
Wattbike
Also availableThe same ramp, measured in watts. Best for cyclists, or if running hard isn't an option — it adds power zones and FTP alongside your aerobic numbers.
- You get
- VO₂ max, HR zones, power zones, FTP
- Bring
- cycling shoes if you have them
Book your test
What to expect
- Choose
- tell us treadmill or Wattbike when you book; we set the protocol up for you.
- Bring
- kit you can go hard in. Running trainers for the treadmill, cycling shoes for the bike if you have them. Water is provided.
- Fuel
- eat lightly and avoid caffeine for 2 hours before.
- Effort
- the last minute is genuinely hard on either protocol; a coach guides and stops you safely.
Afterwards
Your results, in your inbox.
Within a day of your test you get an email with the headline numbers and two things to start and two to avoid, with your full VO₂ Max & Threshold report attached as a PDF.
Your VO₂ max, three ways to read it
63.4
30-second peak
aerobic ceiling
62.6
60-second peak
near-max, sustained
61.9
90-second peak
durability read
The 30-second figure is your VO₂ max — the highest sustained oxygen uptake you reached, your aerobic ceiling. The 60- and 90-second figures show how well you hold near-peak output; a small drop-off signals strong aerobic durability.
Two things to start
- Build the base. Keep most sessions genuinely easy, in Zone 2.
- Sharpen the ceiling. Add one weekly VO₂-max session — short hard intervals with full recovery.
Two things to avoid
- Don’t live in the grey zone. Zone 3 is neither easy nor hard enough.
- Don’t grind above threshold. Sustained efforts above LT2 cost more than they pay.
EnduroLab · The Outpost · Saltburn-by-the-Sea — Physiological Testing Report
Good to know
Common questions
How long does a VO₂ max test take?+
Allow about 60 minutes — a warm-up, roughly 8–20 minutes of graded effort to your ceiling, then a cool-down and a talk-through of your numbers.
How should I prepare?+
Come rested and hydrated. Eat lightly and avoid caffeine for about two hours before, and skip a hard session that day. Bring kit you can go hard in — running trainers for the treadmill, cycling shoes for the bike if you have them.
Treadmill or bike — which should I choose?+
Both use the same metabolic mask and give the same VO₂ max, zones and thresholds. Pick the one that matches how you train: the treadmill adds running pace zones, the Wattbike adds power zones and FTP. Tell us when you book.
Do I need to be very fit?+
No. The protocol is scaled to you and a coach paces and stops you safely. It suits everyone from first-timers establishing a baseline to seasoned athletes tracking a season.