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Triathletes by their very nature are marginal-gainers, seeking the latest strategies and gear to eke out an extra watt, raise efficiency and race smarter. Testing your physiological status and potential, however, is much more; it’s a maximal-gainer, potentially earning you much greater savings than deep-rim aerodynamic wheels and close-fitting polyester. And it’s why many of you head to the labs, hit the treadmill or stationary bike, don a gas-analysing face mask and have your results processed and analysed. It’s the gold-standard, but rather cumbersome.
That’s where the VO2 Master comes in. It’s projected as the world’s first portable VO2 monitor, the unit comprising a main enclosure containing relevant sensors and electronics, sanitary filters that are replaced after each test, a filter lock and spit guard, mask and what’s called a Hans Rudolph face mask to strap it all in. And that’s it. No backpacks, nada.
It’s designed to measure your resting metabolic state, submaximal state or all-out VO2max testing. That’s why you’re given numerous physiological parameters that are next-level analysis. These include your respiratory frequency, tidal volume, ventilation rate, ventilation as a percentage of VO2 and fraction of expired oxygen. Unless you’re a sports scientist or exercise physiologist, these will be new to you. But don’t worry, the VO2 Master’s really aimed at practitioners and their disciples (triathletes) to crunch the numbers and prescribe suitable sessions.
The one metric that’s broadly known on the usable app is your VO2max. As a reminder, VO2max is the maximal rate at which your body can take on and process oxygen to generate energy. It’s usually measured as millilitres of oxygen per kilogramme of bodyweight per minute. Elites often nestle in the 70-80ml/kg/min category, while good age-groupers will stretch between 50 and 60ml/kg/min.
The product’s independently validated, too, so you can trust the results. Again, though, you need a professional to dissect the results as the impact of the more detailed data points will result in greater training specificity. And costing nearly $5,000, it’s clearly aimed more at coaches to offer another service to their triathletes. vo2master.com