The test that changed the way I look at……. Well, everything  

Daryl Hataway, Mayberry Athletic Club General Manager and Personal Trainer, provides the first post in a series sharing his experience taking Silver Sage’s metabolic efficiency test….

I recently had the opportunity to have some pretty cool testing done, a Metabolic Efficiency Test at Silver Sage Fitness and Sport Lab.  I have written a short, three part series on my experience, why I did it, and why every breathing human interested in bettering themselves as an athlete needs to take this test.  I hope you enjoy…

I have never really had the opportunity to have a lot of sport specific testing done, a few sub-max VO2 max tests here and there, but nothing at the elite level. I am talking tubes, breathing masks, electrodes on the chest, plugged nose kind of testing… the stuff used to really hit the nail on the head when it comes to fitness success.  Tests that truly give us the key to unlock our true potential for any of our fitness and sport specific goals.

As I strolled into The Silver Sage Fitness and Sports Lab, already nervous as to what my immediate future held, I was greeted by a very sweet front desk girl, politely asking my name and reason for visit.  I was asked to fill out the standard, “If we hurt or kill you we aren’t responsible for it” paperwork and I sat down.   Clipboard in hand, I went to fill out the typical doctor’s office visit formalities, but as I peered around before the focus kicked in on the paperwork, I noticed something a little different about this doctor’s office.  Off to my left, a Trek Speed Concept 9 series Triathlon bike….an (ah hem), $11,000.00 bike…seated next to it, a gentlemen, preparing the same paperwork as I was, looking to figure out how to make the most out of that ridiculously beautiful bicycle and match it’s equally ridiculous efficiency, dressed in cycling shorts and a cycling jersey, clipless shoes already on his feet. A bike, let’s remember, even an expensive one, is only as efficient as its rider, and this rider wanted the same knowledge I was seeking:

• How can I better train my body?
• How can I choose the right amount of nutrition for that long run or ride?
• And most importantly, what is my key fat burning heart rate zone?

I was soon taken to the standard doctor’s office room, weighed, measured, and told to remove my shirt for my ECG clearance.  This painless test is a standard for all athletes, essentially making sure the individual has a healthy enough heart for the upcoming test. This part was funny…. New girl + Hairy Italian Daryl = need for a razor and a quick shave so the electrodes will stick.  Unfortunately my first test was inconclusive, so our sweet new girl went for some assistance.  As she re-entered the room, seasoned veteran in tow, they tested again only to find out that my electrodes are placed incorrectly.  The two nurses played a cruel of game of “odds or evens” pulling off the sticky electrodes, jokingly guessing if they got an odd or even amount of my chest hair stuck to the tape, shaved two new places, and re-attached them, this time with a successful reading.  Six more pulls of Daryl’s chest hair and I was allowed to get dressed, await my results, and move on to the next stage, the fun part!!

I was escorted into a pretty normal room, normal for what I was testing for.  There is a treadmill, a rolling computer desk, a bike trainer and Julie Young. THE Julie Young, a U.S cycling pro with one heck of a cycling resume. She stands there, her gentle demeanor and graceful presence, a gleam in her eye, with the knowledge of years of training and competing.  This is not just our average Joe getting me ready for this Metabolic Efficiency test, this is a coach, a competitor and the sweetest cyclist I have ever met.