Posted: 11/10/2008 10:19:18 AM EDT
|
I understand they strap a mask to you and you get to run on a treadmill to nearly pass-out speeds for 25 minutes.
I think it would be worth the $100 or $125. Opinions? For reference, I am nowhere near an elite performer. I'm still packing around a midsection that is slowly dissolving. I want to use this to find out what HR I should be training at for running. |
|
I want to make it clear that am just a lowly technician, not an expert in exercise biochemistry. I do administer max tests, and I have run several as well.
25 minutes? I suppose it would depend on the protocol being used, but the idea is "max out" the subject's aerobic system, resulting in a higher reliance on the anaerobic system. An appropriate protocol likely wouldn't have a subject on a treadmill or bike that long. In a heavily oversimplified explanation, you're breathing into a machine that analyzes the the air you exhale to determine the rate at which your body diffuses and transports gases. At the same time, your heart rate is monitored. There is a point during exercise in which your body will begin to rely on the anaerobic system more heavily than the aerobic system; the idea is to determine your heart rate at this point. You can then examine your goals and use this information to help you determine at what intensities you should be training at. By training at or above the heart rate seen at this 'breakpoint'(referred to as the anaerobic threshold, or in this particular case, ventilatory threshold), you can begin to delay the point at which this threshold occurs, allowing you to perform at higher intensities for a longer amount of time without fatiguing as quickly. I hope I'm not making it confusing... |
