Testing turns training from opinion into data. The question most athletes ask is whether they need a lab test, or whether field tests are good enough.
Field testing
Field tests are done in your normal training environment: a time trial on the bike, a set-distance run, or a structured effort on a climb. Combined with heart rate, power and pace data from your everyday training, they give a good estimate of your thresholds and let us track progress often and at no extra cost.
Field tests are included for EVO Core athletes, typically at onboarding and at the start of each training block.
Lab testing
Lab tests measure your physiology directly under controlled conditions. Common options include:
- VO2max testing: measures your maximal oxygen uptake and shows how your heart rate, power or pace relate to it
- Lactate testing: measures blood lactate across increasing intensities to pinpoint LT1 and LT2
- Blood biomarkers: markers such as iron status and vitamin D that can quietly limit performance
When a lab test is worth it
- You're new to structured training and want an accurate baseline
- Your field test results don't match how sessions feel
- You're preparing for a major goal and want precise zones
- Performance has stalled and we want to understand why
How we use the results
Whichever route you take, the value is in the interpretation. We turn results into training zones, compare them with your previous data, and adjust your plan accordingly. Lab tests are arranged with the testing facility and paid for by the athlete; EVO interprets them and builds them into your programme.
