Pre-test guide
Aerobic Fitness Profile
VO₂max · aerobic fitness and training zones
Aerobic Fitness Profile preparation PDF ↗Matteo / In the lab
Physiology testing · Metabolic & aerobic
Stop guessing.
Start measuring.
Understand your aerobic fitness, metabolism and fuel use through laboratory measurement. Get clear results and a written report, with follow-up questions answered by email. Open to everyone, with or without coaching.
- CORTEX gas analysis, not a formula’s estimate
- Run and interpreted by me personally
- Body composition and blood pressure included
Tests & prices
Pick the question you want answered
Choose a profile or a package. We agree the assessment timing and preparation before booking. Every price includes a written report and email replies.
Find your test
What would you like to understand?
Choose your question for a starting point. We’ll confirm the right assessment together.
Aerobic Fitness Profile
VO₂max measurement
How fit am I, aerobically?
A laboratory measurement of your maximal oxygen uptake, plus ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2) and exercise economy. Understand your aerobic fitness and get personal heart-rate and pace zones.
Endurance Threshold Profile
VO₂max + blood lactate
What pace or heart rate should I actually train at?
VO₂max and blood lactate measured in one visit. Your LT1 and LT2 lactate thresholds are interpreted alongside your oxygen uptake to inform personal training zones. Small blood samples are taken from a fingertip or earlobe during the test.
See inside lactate testing ↓Exercise Fuel Profile
FatMax · maximal fat oxidation
How does my body use fat and carbohydrate?
Measure your maximal fat oxidation rate and the exercise intensity at which it peaks. See how your use of fat and carbohydrate changes as exercise gets harder, using indirect calorimetry.
Resting Energy Profile
RMR · resting metabolic rate
How much energy do I use at rest?
Measure the energy your body uses at rest from the air you breathe out. This assessment measures resting metabolic rate under standardised conditions; it is different from basal metabolic rate, which requires overnight laboratory conditions.
Every test includes
- Preparation instructions sent when you book, so the numbers are worth having
- A health screen beforehand, with clear criteria on when to speak to your GP first
- Expired air measured breath by breath on a CORTEX MetaLyzer 3B-R3 gas analyser, not estimated from heart rate
- Body composition measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)
- Resting blood pressure, taken as part of your pre-test health screen
- The test run and interpreted by me, not handed to a technician
- A written report within 72 hours, with your results set against normative data
- Follow-up questions about your report answered by email
- For the exercise tests, personal heart-rate and pace zones you can train to immediately
Before you pay: every booking starts with a short health screen, and we agree a date before anything is charged. If the screen flags something I’ll ask you to speak to your GP first and refund you in full. Because your test is booked for a specific date, please give at least 24 hours’ notice to move or cancel it — inside that window the appointment is charged, because the laboratory slot can’t be filled. If I have to cancel, you get the full amount back or a new date, whichever you prefer.
Physiological testing measures how your body responds to exercise and at rest. It is not a medical examination and it does not diagnose or treat any condition. You'll complete a health screen before we test, and if it flags anything I'll ask you to speak to your GP first.
Offers
Ways to pay less
I confirm eligibility before payment, so you know your final price before you commit.
Refer a friend
You both get 10% off
If someone you know books training or a test because of you, they get 10% off what they book — and you get 10% off your next booking too. Training or testing, either way.
Your friend tells me who referred them when they enquire. I confirm the referral before applying their 10% discount. Your own 10% is applied to your next booking once theirs is paid. One discount per booking; offers cannot be combined.
Coming back
10% off a re-test
Numbers are most useful when you can compare them. Book the same test again within six months of your last one and it's 10% off — enough time to train properly and actually see the change.
Returning for the same test within six months? I check your previous booking and apply the 10% re-test discount when we confirm your appointment. One discount per booking; offers cannot be combined.
No code needed. I confirm referral or re-test eligibility personally before payment and include any eligible discount in your agreed price.
Your assessment
A professional
laboratory setting.
Your physiology assessment takes place in a professional laboratory. I confirm the location, availability and arrival instructions with you personally before you book or pay.
Plan your visit
We’ll agree your assessment and preparation first. You’ll receive the exact address and practical details as part of your booking confirmation.
Before you travel
Read the guide for your chosen profile and contact me if your health or circumstances have changed. For a package, follow the preparation plan we agree for both assessments.
A closer look / Lactate testing
Your thresholds.
Your training zones.
Understand how your blood lactate changes as exercise gets harder.
During the staged exercise test, small samples from a fingertip or earlobe help identify your lactate thresholds. In the combined assessment, I interpret these alongside your oxygen uptake to inform your personal training zones.
The film shows me taking a small blood sample from the earlobe for lactate measurement, followed by preparation of the testing equipment.
Before your visit
Prepare for
accurate results.
You’ll receive written preparation instructions for your specific assessment when you book. Follow those instructions so your results are useful and comparable.
Open or save the guide for the assessment you have booked. Food, fasting and exercise instructions differ between tests. Each PDF opens in a new tab.
Pre-test guide
Endurance Threshold Profile
VO₂max + lactate · combined assessment
Endurance Threshold Profile preparation PDF ↗Pre-test guide
Exercise Fuel Profile
FatMax · fat oxidation during exercise
Exercise Fuel Profile preparation PDF ↗Pre-test guide
Resting Energy Profile
RMR · energy use at rest
Resting Energy Profile preparation PDF ↗Metabolic Insight Package: read the Resting Energy and Exercise Fuel guides. I’ll confirm a shared preparation plan for the two assessments before your appointment.
Plan your training
Avoid arriving fatigued from a demanding session. Your instructions explain how to arrange exercise in the days before your assessment.
Food, drink & caffeine
Meal timing and preparation differ between tests. Follow your assessment’s instructions rather than using one rule for every test.
Tell me before you travel
Contact me about recent illness, travel or any change to your health. We can discuss whether to move the appointment.
Bring the essentials
Wear suitable exercise clothing and footwear. Bring water, a towel and a change of clothes for exercise testing.
For a re-test, record your preparation and repeat the same conditions where possible. Share medication details during the pre-test health screen; don’t change medication to prepare for a test.
How it works
Four steps, start to finish
From booking to a plan you can act on, usually inside a week.
Book and prepare
Pick your test and a slot. You'll get a short health screen and written preparation instructions — what to eat, what to avoid and when — because the preparation is what makes the numbers worth having in the first place. See what preparing involves.
The test
The assessment itself, run under controlled laboratory conditions with your expired air measured breath by breath. I run and interpret every test personally.
Your report
A written report sent by email within 72 hours, with your results set against relevant reference data and, for applicable exercise tests, heart-rate and pace zones.
Email follow-up
If you have questions about your report, email me and I’ll reply by email. The report is yours to share with your coach.
Want the training built around it too?
Coaching is priced separately — single sessions, or blocks of 10 and 20 at a lower rate per session, programmed around the numbers your test produces. Strength, movement and body composition are assessed there too.
Beyond the number
Results you
can use.
Your written report arrives by email within 72 hours. If you have questions about the findings, reply by email and I’ll clarify them.
Ask about your report ↗Report contents · illustrative outline
Your physiology.
Put into perspective.
- 01Your measurements
The results from your chosen assessment.
- 02What they mean
Context, interpretation, and limitations.
- 03What to do next
Practical priorities and, where applicable, training zones.
An outline of the report, not a client result.
Reviews
What testing clients say
"Thank you so much for a great experience. My report has given me great insight into where my fitness level is now and where I can improve. I have taken up more running and cardiovascular training in my plan. I will definitely re-test to see if I’ve made progress."
"Thank you very much for doing the testing last week. It was very interesting and I learnt a lot."
Questions
Before you book a test
Do I need to be an athlete?
No. Plenty of people test because they want a clear picture of their health and fitness rather than because they're racing. The tests measure the same things either way — what changes is how we use the results.
Can I book a test without training with you?
Yes. You can book testing on its own. The written report is yours to share with your coach or trainer, and questions about the report can be answered by email.
Which test should I book?
Tell me what you're training for and I'll tell you which test answers that question — or that you don't need one yet. I'd rather you spent the money when it'll actually change something. Ask me.
How hard is the test?
It depends on the test. A resting metabolic rate measurement asks nothing of you at all — you lie still and breathe. VO₂max builds gradually to a hard effort at the end, but you're in control throughout and you can stop whenever you want.
Is this a medical test?
No. These are physiological assessments of how your body responds to exercise and at rest. They don't diagnose or treat anything, and they're not a substitute for seeing your GP.
Do you test strength and muscle as well?
Body composition is — every test includes a bioelectrical impedance (BIA) measurement. Strength and movement quality are assessed in the baseline that comes with training rather than as a laboratory test, and re-checked as you progress. See how training works.
How often is it worth re-testing?
Usually every four to six months, or around the start and end of a training block. Testing more often than that rarely tells you anything the training itself hasn't already.
Inside the laboratory
The effort.
The oxygen.
The insight.
A closer look at what testing involves. Here I’m wearing the gas-analysis mask on the treadmill, with every breath helping build a picture of how my body responds.
In the lab, I use measurements to help you understand your aerobic fitness, metabolism and training zones.
Explore physiology testingSilent film. Use the controls to play or pause.
Your next chapter
Let’s find your
starting point.
Tell me what you’d like to work on. I’ll reply personally, and we’ll work out the right next step together.
Start a conversation matteomagagnin89@gmail.com