The IMFIT metabolic assessment is not a test. There is no pass or fail standard, no studying or preparation you can do beforehand. The assessment gives you a snapshot of where you and your body are today, in terms of how your body burns fuel when it is at rest and when it is exercising.
A metabolic assessment measures several things:
The amount of calories your body needs to function, including everything from regulating your body’s hormones to thinking the thoughts that run through your mind
The amount of calories you need to consume each day to achieve your fitness goal, whether that’s weight loss or greater athletic performance
The point known as your Aerobic Endurance Threshold heart rate, which is the highest intensity at which your body still uses fat as it's dominant fuel
The highest sustainable intensity of exercise, known as your Anaerobic Threshold or Lactate Threshold, that your body can sustain and still burn fat efficiently
The rate at which your body absorbs oxygen, which your body requires to burn fat.
Your VO2 Max- the maximum capacity of your body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise.
All that information comes from measuring your heart rate and from evaluating the mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your breath. Those measurements are taken at various levels of activity, from a point of complete rest to a point just shy of your highest normal physical activity level.
There are two kinds of assessments. The first measures your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). The mask is positioned over your nose and mouth, and then you get to kick back in a comfy chair for 10-20 minutes. Hang out, breathe, try to stay awake. That’s all there is to it. (Your assessment will be most accurate if you’ve fasted overnight and are well rested. Mornings are a great time for this assessment.)
The second kind of assessment measures your metabolic rate during exercise. This is often referred to as a VO2max test. You’ll put the mask back on, and for 10 to 15 minutes, you’ll walk or jog on a treadmill or ride your bicycle on a computrainer at increasing levels of intensity. This is where you’ll learn how many calories your body burns while exercising; whether those calories come mainly from fat, carbohydrates, or a combination of both; and at what intensity level you burn calories most efficiently.
And that’s the science-based secret to creating a personalized, fitness plan.
Why this works
The information gained from a metabolic assessment is powerful because it comes from technologies that have been proven effective for decades. The type of metabolic assessment offered by IMFIT is used by physicians who rely on it for the health of their patients and by Olympians, who rely on it to achieve world-class athletic performance
What makes an IMFIT metabolic assessment the gold standard? It measures both the oxygen levels and the carbon dioxide levels in your breath, where other techniques measure oxygen only or just airflow. Other metabolic systems merely estimate—rather than precisely measure—the carbon dioxide levels in the breath. And with an estimate, you leave a large part of your training program to chance. (In fact, it’s a lot like relying on the preset programs on the treadmill at the gym. You may see some progress for awhile, but in the long run, you’ll miss out on achieving a lot of your personal potential because you get stuck in a rut or plateau in your performance).
With an accurate measure of both oxygen and carbon dioxide, you get a clear picture of your body’s complete fuel composition. That is, you know exactly when you’re burning the energy-dense fat fuel as opposed to when you’re burning the less-efficient carbohydrate fuel. You know the precise heart rate you need to work up to, and how long you should exercise at that intensity. You know you’re burning fat, not just time. No guesswork required
Benefits
There are many benefits to having a personalized metabolic assessment: You get a training program that is based specifically on the data that is YOU. Your resting metabolic rate. Your required calories. Your calories burned. Your fuel composition. Your Aerobic Base heart rate. Your Anaerobic Threshold heart rate. Your fat-burning efficiency. That’s what makes the IMFIT metabolic assessment your sure path to success.
Your results determine how long you need to exercise, how intensely you need to exercise, how often and for how long. Your results reveal your fitness level right now, and they suggest what level of fitness you may achieve in the future. With your personalized metabolic assessment results in hand, IMFIT can map out an exercise plan that makes the most of your time and your effort.
Your metabolic assessment looks inside your body to find out what’s going on with your fitness efforts. In fact, it’s similar to the inside look you get from x-rays or blood work at the doctor’s office—although there are no tiny gowns or needles involved here! A metabolic assessment delivers results instantly.
Like a doctor interpreting lab results and writing a prescription, IMFIT will help you understand the information revealed by your metabolic assessment. IMFIT will talk with you about your resting metabolic rate and your caloric needs. You’ll learn about your base heart rate (known as your aerobic base) and your threshold heart rate (known as your anaerobic threshold). And based on that info, you’ll discover how and when your body burns fat instead of carbohydrates.
