BU sports lab physiological testing Nov 14.

 

 

In August this year Bournemouth University (BU) contacted the BaySUP posse to see if we wanted to take part in some lab testing again with them. It’s a great opportunity and the guys and girls that took part last year found it fun and beneficial, so we went for it again as we seem to like pain and discomfort!

I helped organise it, but wasn’t going to do it again as it allowed new comers the opportunity. At lunchtime the day of testing, Capt. Nick Watt told me someone had pulled out and I was duty bound to step in!

Ok WTF, as mentally and physically prepared athlete (read as nutter) I’d give it a go……read the preparation material: No caffeine 24 beforehand (like that’s going to happen: failed) and no alcohol 48hour prior (yeah right: also fail). Ok, ready!
Under the stern and watchful eye of BU sports department’s top Physiologist Kelly Goodwin; the students introduced themselves and outlined the testing protocol for the evening.
As I said, I’ve been a lab rat before, but this time the protocol was much harder as most of the tests where to exhaustion or muscular failure. Basically blowing out you’re &rse each time! Going from front plank to push up tests, I cramped up due to lactic acid build-up every time I went to adopt the press up position.

 

After all the blow-out muscular power and endurance tests, the sadistic scientists thought it was a great idea to put masks on us and made us peddle till out heart rate maxed out! Protocol was to peddle a stationary cycle at 80RPM for 5 minutes, increasing the load every minute. Basically the more tired we got, the load went up. At the end of 5 minutes or when we thought we could go any further, we signaled that the end was nigh, they capture the volume of air expired over the next 30 seconds, when cycling flat out! It was so intense my head was moving faster side to side than my legs were pushing the peddles:-)
A real eye opener seeing how hard people can push themselves and the faces they pull whilst doing it!

My results are……..

Max heart rate: 185
Lower Back Dynamometer                157 Strength, average
Hand Grip Dynamometer Left            52 Strength, excellent
Hand Grip Dynamometer Right          57 Strength, excellent
Sargent Jump Test                               2.64m Leg power, average
Countermovement Jump Test           100 Leg endurance, superior
Modified Pull Up Test                           26 imbalance, more “push” than “pull” in   my upper body.
Push Up Test                                          62 Endurance, Superior
Plank                                                       5min Core endurance, 1st in male group
Prone Accuplex                                     24 Shoulder flex mobility, fair
Sit and Reach                                        49 Flexibility, excellent
Thomas Test Left                               178 Hip flexibility, just below average
Thomas Test Right                            170 Hip flexibility, below average
VO2 Max                                                53.11 ml.kg.min -1 Max aerobic endurance, Superior

Overall it was a fantastic experience, everyone who competes in sport (or not) would find it a great experience and very beneficial to find out where you are physically and where you need to focus your training.
The info was presented in a way that was easy to understand, confirmed things I knew and showed some surprise results which will helps the focus of my future training. For example, I need to focus on more on power rather than on endurance training.
Thanks a lot to BU sports dept., the Students and top tutor and scientist Kelly for the opportunity with its pain and the laughs. Look forward to doing it again……………after a long rest!!