Every sports fan understands that professionals must undergo
Strict training plans, as well as monitor its nutrition and perform complete periodic health and performance tests.
Among them, the most famous, is the effort test. But what if we told you that it is not necessary to be an elite cyclist to benefit from the advantages of performing one of these tests? In fact,
It is increasingly frequent among fans to undergo this type of test before each season.
If you are one of those who are skeptical with the need that a cyclist can have to know data such as the threshold of
Maximum oxygen consumption, reflect on the efforts you make on the pedals and how, in each of them, you test your whole body, from
Your lung capacity to your heart.
If what makes you distrust is the price of these analyzes, which can range
Between 70 euros and 180 euros, compare these figures with what your helmet costs, your sunglasses or
Gadgets that you use daily when you go by bicycle.
What benefits do you have an effort test? Here are the following.
1- Prevents cardiovascular accidents
A cardiac arrest is the last thing to face an athlete, and too many times excessive effort can cause it.
The effort test will put us on alert to possible coronary risks. An ultrasound of the heart and arteries detects arrhythmias and other serious pathologies.
2- It serves to measure our physical state
What better way to get on the bicycle than to know, in the most realistic way possible, under what physical conditions we are. The sensations are important, but an effort test
It will facilitate objective and indisputable data.
3- Mark limits
Both professionals and amateurs should know what their effort threshold is. Know
How far can our heart And what is our maximum lung capacity will tell us where is the maximum pulsations that we can assume and how much recovery we have.
What time is the most indicated to make the effort test?
If you have not taken the bicycle for some time, the best time to perform an effort test is when you are going to resume your favorite sport.
If you are a regular cyclist, the ideal moment is
at the beginning of the season. Elite cyclists are usually done more than one test of this type per year, but for an amateur, especially if it exceeds 35 years, once every 365 days is an adequate frequency.
What is an effort test?
In the first place, it must be clarified that
There is no single effort test, but several types are performed that go from the simplest to the most complete. We are going to check what a test that encompasses the largest number of variables is.
In the Medical Center, cycloergometers are used in which the pedaling is imitated, but before climbing those static bicycles, the toilets will make us
A complete study in which we will provide data on our age, medical history and lifestyle.
This will be followed by a general clinical exploration, in which
Dysmetries are proven and deviations from the spine. You can also include a
Biomechanical study of the tread or, in this case, of the pedaling.
After these checks, the time of the test itself comes, which consists of the following:
Measurement of lung capacity with a spirometer
With the expulsion of air, several valuable parameters are obtained. The FEV1 is the forced expiration volume in the first second and the FVC The forced vital capacity, while the Tiffeneau index is the maximum air capacity that can be mobilized.
Cinetropometric study
With it, the structure of the different components of the body, composition, shape and proportions, as well as cardiorespiratory capacity is known. This defines our somatotype, which can range from the intermediate stages of endomorph, Mesoform and ectomorph.
Oxygen consumption
It facilitates information about maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) and maximum relative oxygen consumption (relative V02). The first is the greatest amount of oxygen that can both transport and use, in 1 minute, our body. The second indicates how many milliliters we can spend for each kilogram of our weight.
Anaerobic threshold
This data is the one that marks the point where our body ceases to be able to neutralize and recycle lactic acid from muscle cells. When that happens, lactate is piled up in our muscles and low performance abruptly. Knowing where it is always positive, because it is a threshold that can improve with proper training.
