Laboratory + Other Services

VO2 Max/Metabolic Test

This laboratory test remains to be somewhat of a misnomer. Finding the limit of oxygen consumption (VO2 Max) is valuable as an assessment tool for elite and competitive athletes. However, the information that is gleaned while VO2 Max is being reached holds the most value and is Sigma’s backbone for determining your initial metabolic status.

During this test, we place you on a treadmill or bike (depending on the demands of your sport), connect you to a device that measures and analyzes the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your exhausted breath while you increase your exercise intensity through a series of stages. The resulting data provides a crystal clear window into the processes that not only limit your performance, but also highlight the avenues down which your Sigma coach needs to travel in order to achieve your endurance goals as efficiently as possible.

Blood Lactate Analysis

Identifying the intensity (and/or wattage) at which your body begins to produce energy anaerobically.
Blood lactate analysis has been a gold standard of endurance science for years and remains to be the one most widely accepted tests used to determine aerobic efficiency. During this test, your exercise intensity will be increased on a gradual basis until you reach the point at which your body can no longer aerobically (with oxygen) convert its fuels to energy. This is your lactate threshold (a.k.a. anaerobic threshold, LT, AT, etc). The reason behind the name ‘lactate threshold’ is because, at this point, there will be a sharp punctuated rise in the presence of lactate (the by-product of anaerobic energy production) in your blood which signifies that the bulk of your energy is now being produced via anaerobic pathways.
Due to the negative effect that lactic acid has on your muscles and the 18-fold reduction in fuel economy when above AT, producing energy via anaerobic pathways can only be continued for a short period of time. Thus, knowing the true position of this physiological marker will keep you at the limit of your aerobic ability without involuntarily crossing your lactate threshold during a training ride or race.
Using a device that measures the quantity of this molecule via a small blood collection at the tip of your finger, we can pinpoint the exact intensity in wattage and heart rate at which this metabolic ‘switch’ occurs. Once your anaerobic threshold is reached, we plot the rise in blood lactate against your heart rate and show you exactly which intensities will have the greatest effect towards maximizing your training and racing success. As you continue through your training season, your increasing fitness will have a positive effect on your anaerobic abilities. Thus, regular analysis to identify the exact position of this training metric is crucial to your continued improvement.

Blood Lactate Analysis and VO2 Max Test

These two tests have a remarkable ability to be conducted simultaneously thus providing you the ability to examine the key limitations of BOTH your aerobic and anaerobic respiratory systems at once. Not only will this information paint a more accurate picture of your body’s metabolic pathways, but Sigma delivers this group to you in an economical format that requires less time, fewer interruptions in your training schedule, and a reduced cost compared to conducting these tests separately.

Body Composition Analysis

A method of determining the proportions of lean muscular tissue to fat tissue found within your body.

With use of skin calipers specifically designed to measure levels of subcutaneous fat, this method of elucidating total body fat and muscle tissue levels is the most cost-effective, non-invasive, and scientifically valid approach to analyzing body composition currently on the market. Measurements will be taken from seven different sites throughout your body, calculated with your age and gender, and delivered as a percentage of fat tissue to your overall body mass. Because overall body weight is a poor indicator of the ratio of fat to muscle, due to the pointed difference between the density of fat and muscle tissue, regular tracking of your body composition will accurately report whether fat tissue has been gained or lost over a period of time. Knowing this will provide insight on the success of your exercise and dietary protocols or whether or not they can be slightly altered to achieve the desired result over a shorter period of time.

Consultations

The Sigma Consultation is designed to provide you one on one access to a Sigma Coach with one agenda: To establish a clearer path towards enhancing your experience in endurance sport.

This consultation will put you in direct contact with a Sigma Coach during your training season, but as your marquee event approaches and you feel that you need additional interaction to fully ascertain your potential, you can invest in 15min, 30min, or 60min consultations which can be conducted in-person (where applicable) or over the phone. During this consultation, your Sigma Coach is at your disposal to discuss your progress, your current state, and exactly how to further refine your training to achieve your seasonal goals. Your Sigma coach will bring an agenda based on the time-allotted and you will bring questions and a passion for improving your training state. Let us handle the rest. The beauty of the BTS model is truly exemplified in this way. This service exists solely for you, the athlete, if and only if you wish to have a more detail-oriented and in-depth look at your training progression when you and your coach think it is necessary.