← esMetabolicLab

▶ Power / Pace-only Profile

A metabolic estimate
without the needle.

Enter four of your max efforts — a 15-second sprint, plus 3-minute, 6-minute, and 12-minute all-outs — and we'll estimate your VLamax, VO₂max, and the full metabolic profile that follows from them.

◆ Before you start

How to run your time trials

Four maximum-effort time trials — one each at 15 s, 3 min, 6 min, and 12 min. Get these right and the profile follows.

  1. Warm up — 10 to 15 minutes minimum

    Easy spinning or jogging until you feel the system fully open up. A cold start blunts power and skews every downstream number.

  2. Maximum effort — race it

    Each interval is an all-out time trial. Hold nothing back for "the next one." If you have anything left at the line, you didn't go hard enough.

  3. Spread the four across separate days

    Doing all four back-to-back on a single day compromises every one of them. One effort per session — same week is fine; same day is not.

  4. Test fresh, not stale

    Each test should be relatively fresh — not directly after a hard workout, long run, or heavy lift. We recommend good sleep plus 24+ hours of easy / off training before each one. If you want to get them all in the same week, we recommend: 6 minute effort on Monday; 15 second effort + 3 minute effort on Wednesday (separated by at least 5-10 minutes); 12 minute effort on Friday.

  5. No ergogenic stacks

    Skip the bicarb, beta-alanine loading, race-day caffeine megadoses, etc. Use only what you'd take on any normal workout day — otherwise the resulting profile reflects an enhanced state you can't replicate in training.

  6. Enter your four efforts below

    Once all four are in, the calculator returns your VO₂max, VLamax, MLSS, training zones, and the full metabolic profile.

⚠ These are smart estimates, not direct measurements.

We work your numbers out from how hard you can go — your sprint and your sustained efforts — not from a blood sample. Some numbers hold up well: your VO₂max comes from a 6-minute all-out effort, which is a standard test labs trust. Others, like your sprint-and-recovery numbers, are more of a best guess — two athletes with the same sprint can still be quite different under the hood.

So treat these as a strong starting picture. If you want numbers you can fully rely on, the blood-tested metabolic profile is the way to go. This tool is for when a blood test isn't an option.