Longevity
- Basic$275VO2 max
- Pro$450VO2 maxRMR
The Lab
VO2 max testing in Santa Monica
The maximum amount of oxygen your body can use under load — the single best-studied marker of cardiovascular fitness.
Price
$275
Improve health + longevity
Cardiovascular fitness
& longevity
A VO2 max test is the better choice if you want a single objective marker of cardiovascular fitness. Lactate testing is the better choice if you are training for a race.
A test session takes 30–40 minutes of actual testing, progressing through 4–8 stages. Allow around an hour in total, which includes the setup and the consultation where Gareth reads your results back to you.
Every test is run and read by Gareth Thomas — Coach to world & national champions · 30+ years. You do not get emailed a PDF and left to interpret it.
- Measure cardiovascular fitness objectively
- Find your Fat-Max fuelling intensity
- Track improvement test over test
- Maximise the return on your training
- BookIncludes consultation$275
What you leave with
Fat-Max and VO2 peak
Two numbers from the same session: the intensity at which you burn the most fat per minute, and the top of your aerobic range.
Fat-Max
Peak Fat Oxidation
The intensity at which you burn the most fat per minute. It drives fuelling strategy for long efforts.
VO2 peak
Maximum Aerobic Capacity
The top of your aerobic range. It sets the upper bound on everything below it and is the marker most tied to long-term health.
Longevity packages
Start with VO2
Longevity Basic is the VO2 max test on its own. Longevity Pro is VO2 Max + RMR — Both tests in one visit, one consultation.
Both in one visit
VO2 Max + RMR
Both tests in one visit, one consultation.
$450
BookEvery price includes the consultation and a full explanation of your results. Call (858) 361-4733 if you are not sure which to book.
Questions
Before you
book
Still not sure? Call (858) 361-4733. There's no sales pitch — if a test isn't worth it for you, he'll say so.
What is the difference between a lactate test and a VO2 max test?
A blood lactate test measures how your body produces and clears lactate as intensity rises, which gives you your aerobic and threshold training zones. A VO2 max test measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, which gives you your aerobic ceiling and your Fat-Max fuelling intensity. Lactate testing is the better choice if you are training for a race; VO2 max is the better choice if you want a single objective marker of cardiovascular fitness.
How long does a test take?
A test session takes 30 to 40 minutes of actual testing, progressing through 4 to 8 stages. Allow around an hour in total, which includes the setup and the consultation where Gareth reads your results back to you.
Do I need to be a serious athlete to get tested?
No. Roughly half the people tested at the lab are not racing anything. RMR and VO2 max testing are used just as often for body composition, longevity and general health as they are for performance, and the protocol is scaled to whatever you can currently do.
How often should I retest?
Every 9 to 12 weeks. That is long enough for a training block to produce real physiological change and short enough that your zones do not drift out of date while you are still training to them.
Also in the lab
The other tests
Book a VO2 max test
Know your aerobic ceiling
The maximum amount of oxygen your body can use under load — measured in Santa Monica and read back to you in person.