By Human Powered Health, a TCM Partner

As runners, you’re always chasing something, a personal best, a bucket-list race or simply clearing your mind after a long day. But, with so many training plans, techniques and gadgets out there, it’s easy to feel like you’re guessing what works best for your body and performance.
Refining your training program with accurate data removes this guesswork. This is where performance assessments are helpful. VO2max and Lactate Threshold tests are wonderful tools to help any runner train smarter and get more out of every mile.
These assessments provide critical insights into a runner’s fitness and the ideal training zones to improve speed, endurance and recovery. Accurate information is vital as using incorrect data can lead to suboptimal results, overtraining or injury. With precise lab-tested data, runners can develop personalized strategies to target weaknesses, build strengths and achieve their goals.
What is VO₂max?
VO₂max is a vital measure of aerobic fitness and a game-changer for runners. It represents the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise like endurance running.
It reflects how efficiently your heart, lungs and muscles work together to deliver and utilize oxygen for energy. For runners, improving your VO₂max means better stamina, faster paces and the ability to tackle longer distances over time.
Your VO₂max depends on a few key components including age, gender and fitness level. Essentially, VO₂max gives detailed insight into your aerobic endurance and overall fitness level.
How does VO₂max testing work?
Runners wear a mask over their nose and mouth while running on a treadmill. The mask detects the volume of oxygen you inhale and the carbon dioxide you exhale.
A performance physiologist will work to gradually and safely increase the intensity of the exercise until the runner reaches the point of maximal exertion, or VO₂max, while measuring your heart rate and respiratory activity. The test is usually 7-15 minutes from start to finish.
What is a Lactate Threshold?
Your Lactate Threshold is the exercise intensity level at which your body starts producing lactic acid faster than it can clear it, leading to rapid fatigue.
Lactate threshold testing identifies specific exercise intensities that you can train at in order to optimize training and performance. The testing pinpoints your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, which provides training zones that help to improve endurance, speed and overall performance.
How does Lactate Threshold testing work?
An expert performance physiologist will guide you through a series of 3-4 minute stages of runs, increasing the intensity over time. After each stage, a blood sample will be taken via finger prick so lactate levels can be assessed. Stages will continue until your lactate threshold level is determined, and then that data will be analyzed alongside your heart rate to establish precise training zones.
How accurate Is my smartwatch?
With the rise of smartwatches and the accessibility of mobile health metrics, it’s important to know the difference between watch-estimated vs. lab-tested assessments like VO₂max and Lactate Threshold.
A smartwatch can give you data on your heart rate, steps and calories burned. However, with many of the metrics, your smartwatch uses a general algorithm based on factors like your height and weight. This algorithm will give you an estimated range, but a lab test is the only way to uncover your precise VO₂max and Lactate Threshold.
Specifically, for the VO₂max, a smartwatch misses out on the key component of testing: the metabolic cart. To accurately measure and analyze your VO₂max, measuring gas exchange is required. In a lab, you can observe oxygen extraction and when your body switches dual utilization to using only carbohydrates, which marks your VO₂max.
Lab testing is the gold standard for Lactate Threshold testing. In a lab setting, blood samples taken at intervals measure lactate levels directly, providing superior accuracy to ensure correct measurements. This method accurately identifies the exact point where lactate begins to accumulate, offering precise heart rate and pace zones for training.
Data-driven training for every runner
VO₂max and Lactate Threshold testing is often limited to collegiate and professional sports facilities, leaving most people without access. Human Powered Health in Edina is changing that by making this valuable testing more accessible.
Our new all-in-one Performance Labs provide accurate insights about your body, with a wide range of assessments, followed by a consultation with a Master’s-level physiologist. You’ll leave with clear, actionable steps tailored to your fitness goals, empowering you to optimize your training and achieve your next personal best.
This article originally appeared in the The Connection, TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here.
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Human Powered Health is the official performance testing lab and proud partner of Twin Cities In Motion. Dedicated to providing accurate, actionable insights about your body, we specialize in health optimization and athletic performance services for athletes and non-athletes alike. Book a free 15-minute virtual consultation with a performance physiologist: https://bit.ly/3WA79u2 and follow us on Instagram: @humanpoweredhealth.