What is an Exercise Metabolic Test or VO2 test?
In this sense, an Exercise Metabolic Test is an analysis of some key components of your metabolism starting in a resting state, and gradually progressing to a state of higher exercise intensity. By using a technique called Indirect Calorimetry, this test reveals how many calories a person burns per minute while exercising, and how many of those calories are drawn from fat versus carbohydrates, and more importantly, how aerobically efficient an athlete is at different levels of exercise intensity. VO2 is merely a measurement of the volume of oxygen that a person is able to take in and utilize in their body. VO2 is just one of measurements taken in an Exercise Metabolic Test. We use the phrase “Active or Exercise Metabolic Test” because it is a more accurate term indicating that this test measures much more than just VO2, although we sometimes refer to it as a VO2 test simply because it is more well known by that name.
