Full metabolic Profile
$449
What is it?
Most testing tells you how fit you are. The Full Metabolic Profile tells you why — and what to do about it.
This is Tristar's most comprehensive testing service, combining breath-by-breath VO₂ gas analysis, blood lactate step testing, and the INSCYD performance analysis platform to produce a complete metabolic fingerprint. Not just your aerobic ceiling, but how your body produces and manages energy across every intensity, where your limiters actually are, and the precise gap between your current physiology and what you're capable of.
INSCYD is the methodology trusted by the world's best endurance coaches and athletes. At Tristar, we are one of only four INSCYD-certified practitioners in New Zealand — and the only one in Canterbury.
How we test
The Full Metabolic Profile follows the same rigorous step-test protocol as our VO2max and Lactate test — steady-state stages at progressively increasing intensity, with blood lactate sampled at each stage and breath-by-breath gas exchange measured throughout via the VO2 Master Pro. After maximal effort, we continue sampling blood lactate every minute until it begins to fall, giving us your lactate clearance rate as well as your peak.
This data is then fed into the INSCYD platform, which models your complete metabolic profile — including variables that no single measurement can capture on its own.
What the results tell you
Your Full Metabolic Profile produces:
VO2max — your aerobic ceiling, benchmarked against population norms for your age and sex
VLaMax — your maximum lactate production rate, the measure of your glycolytic (anaerobic) power. This is the number most testing ignores, and it changes everything about how you should train
LT1 and LT2 — your two key training thresholds, expressed in heart rate, pace, and power
Fat and carbohydrate oxidation rates — at every intensity, showing exactly where your fuel sources shift
Lactate clearance rate — how efficiently your body recovers from hard efforts
Carbohydrate consumption rate — how quickly you burn through glycogen at race pace, with direct implications for fuelling strategy
Metabolic phenotype — your classification across the five Tristar phenotypes, defined by the relationship between your VO2max and VLaMax. This tells us where your limits are, why they exist, and what kind of training will move them
Personalised training zones — built from your actual physiology, not generic formulae
INSCYD report — the full INSCYD performance analysis output, presented with Tristar branding, to keep and share with your coach
Your results are presented and explained at the end of your session. You leave knowing your phenotype, your zones, and the specific physiological targets your training should be working toward.
The equipment
We test on the Wattbike Proton for cycling, the Impulse RT700 treadmill for running, or the Concept2 RowErg for rowing. Tell us your sport when you book and we'll match the protocol to how you actually compete.
Bring your own shoes and pedals for cycling, or your usual running or rowing gear. We have Look Keo, SPD, and Shimano cleats available if needed.
Your metabolic phenotype
Every athlete we test is classified into one of five metabolic phenotypes based on the relationship between their VO₂max and VLaMax. This classification drives everything — training emphasis, race strategy, fuelling approach, and the specific adaptations your training needs to produce. Two athletes can have identical race times and completely different phenotypes, requiring completely opposite training prescriptions.
Knowing your phenotype is the difference between training hard and training smart.
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Competitive endurance athletes who want precision rather than guesswork
Athletes who have plateaued and don't know why
Coaches who want objective data to build training blocks around
Anyone who has been training with power or pace for years and wants to know whether they're actually working the right systems
This test is also the foundation for INSCYD coaching retainers with Tristar — if you want ongoing coaching built around your metabolic data, this is where it starts.
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Allow 90–105 minutes. The exercise component is typically 50–65 minutes depending on fitness level and sport. Results are presented and debriefed on the day.
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No exercise for 24 hours before your test
No food or caffeine for 3 hours beforehand — water is fine
For cycling: bring your shoes and tell us your pedal system when you book
For running: bring your usual training gear and shoes
Wear comfortable exercise clothing
All prices NZD inclusive of GST. Includes full results report and debrief.