After a 20-minute warm-up on the bike, I was fitted with head harness that holds a mouthpiece attached to a series of tubes that into and gas analysis machine attached to the computer. Then comes the obligatory nose clamp that ensures all air enters and exits through the mouth and testing machinery. The mouthpiece is like an oversized snorkel mouthpiece and the nose clip is like a glorified clothespin that squeezes your nose shut. The first 5 or so minutes of the test weren’t bad at all. The resistance on the rear wheel of my bike felt like an easy roll down Putah Creek road. I begin to think to myself, “When is this going to start to hurt, everyone says it hurts a lot?” The hurting began quickly, though, at the 8-minute mark. My mouth and throat began to get dry, and swallowing became difficult. 12 minutes into the test and, holy cow, is was really beginning to hurt! The fan blowing on me did no good at all. I was pouring sweat from my forehead, arms and legs. My heart felt like it was going to blow out of my chest, and what little saliva I have in my mouth was now running out of the mouthpiece, all the while, resistance on the rear wheel was quickly increasing. My starting cadence of 100 – 110 RPM was now down to a loping 70 - 80 RPM. My legs felt like they are going to explode! My mouth and throat were now officially designated as a desert region. They were so dry from the mouthpiece I was chewing on that a water bottle full of Cytomax was all I could think of. Oh, and that little thing called pain was still there too. Jacob said, “Come on, one more minute, you can do it”, and I completely blew up before that minute was done. I pushed my legs to the very end of their abilities.
“As we discussed the results I realized this was only a baseline for future tests and I now know where I stand physically. One of the main reasons we put ourselves through all this testing is to enable us to train smarter while increasing our fitness thus allowing us to reach our goals. The results are mine, the numbers are mine, the percentages are mine, and the pain I felt is definitely mine. I now have specific training zones and targets based on my results, not some generic information found in a training book. With this personalized information, I can now adjust my training to hopefully allow myself the joy of reaching that next level I desire. Dr Testa and his staff have the ability to make you feel you are their most important client. The personalized attention you get is second to none. If you are like me and thought, “testing, what is it good for?” I highly encourage you to rethink your opinion and give testing a try. You won’t be disappointed.
“Thank You”! Thank you for your unwavering desire to help those of us, competitive and non-competitive, who come to you for guidance and insight so that we may reach our goals, whatever they may be.>
