Lactate & VO2peak test
$299
What is it?
VO2max tells you the size of your aerobic engine. Lactate threshold tells you how much of that engine you can actually use — and for how long.
Together, they give you the two most important numbers in endurance sport. Not one or the other, but the relationship between them — because it's that relationship that determines what you can sustain at race pace, when you'll blow up, and exactly where your training needs to focus to move both numbers in the right direction.
Most athletes are training with one hand tied behind their back because they've never had both measured at the same time. This test removes that blind spot.
How we test
We use the VO2 Master Pro for breath-by-breath gas exchange throughout the test and the Lactate Plus v2 analyser for blood lactate measurement at each stage. A small blood sample — a single drop from a fingertip — is taken at the end of each steady-state stage to build a complete lactate curve alongside the gas exchange data.
After maximal effort, we continue sampling blood lactate every minute until it begins to fall. This post-maximal clearance data tells us how efficiently your body recovers from hard work — a key variable for training prescription that most protocols skip entirely.
Our step protocol holds each stage long enough for physiology to stabilise before we progress — producing far more accurate threshold data than ramp-based approaches.
Testing available on the Wattbike Proton, Impulse RT700 treadmill, or Concept2 RowErg. Tell us your sport when you book.
How Should I prepare?To ensure we capture completely accurate baseline data, you need to arrive fresh:
Treat the 24 - 48 hours before your test as a recovery window (avoid grueling intervals, heavy lifting, or exhausting endurance sessions).
Avoid food, caffeine, or intense stimulants for 2–3 hours before your slot.
Stay well-hydrated in the lead-up to your test.
What the results tell you
Your VO2peak, the highest oxygen uptake reached during the test.
Your LT1, the aerobic threshold below which fat is your primary fuel and recovery between sessions is maximised.
Your LT2, the highest intensity you can sustain before lactate accumulates faster than it clears.
Personalised training zones in heart rate, pace, and power, built from your actual physiology.
And a results debrief where we walk you through exactly what your numbers mean for training.
Who is this for?Endurance athletes who want both thresholds precisely identified so their training zones are built on real data rather than estimates. Anyone who's done a VO2max test before and wants the full lactate picture alongside it. Athletes heading into a key training block or race season who want a precise baseline to build from.
Want the complete metabolic model, including VLaMax, metabolic phenotype, and full INSCYD analysis? Step up to the INSCYD 360º Metabolic Profile.
Lactate clearance testing is available for certain sports on request. Contact us for details.
All prices NZD inclusive of GST.
How long does this take?Please allow 60 - 90 minutes for your total booking. This covers your setup, protocol briefing, warm-up, the sport-specific step-test itself, and a brief initial cool-down chat before we process your data.