Health and Fitness Testing

All testing is performed at the Exercise Physiology Lab in the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) building. If there are any tests you are interested in performing that are not listed below or you would like more information on those that are listed, please contact us.

Body Composition testing

Bod Pod: A popular method of body composition testing that uses air displacement to measure body density, which can then be used to calculate percent body fat and percent lean mass. This test requires subjects to sit comfortably in the Bod Pod for 2-3 one-minute trials while measurements are taken. GP-$40 / FS-$30 / S-$20

Hydrostatic Weighing: Body composition is determined by having an individual submerge themselves fully underwater in order to determine body density. Subjects must expel all air from their lungs and multiple trials will be taken to ensure accuracy. GP-$100 / FS-$70 / S-50

Skin Folds: Skinfold calipers are used to measure subcutaneous adipose tissue at multiple sites on the body. These measurements are then used to estimate total body fat percentage. E-$10

Bioelectrical Impedance (BIA)-foot to foot: Body fat is estimated by measuring the resistance (impedance) of a small electrical current flowing from foot to foot. E-$10

Segmental Bioelectrical Impedance (SBIA): Body fat is estimated by measuring the resistance (impedance) of a small electrical current flowing from hand to hand and foot to foot simultaneously. GP-$30 / FS-$25 / S-$15

Resting Metabolic Rate: This test measures the rate at which your body burns calories at rest. The individual lays fully rested for approximately 40 minutes while breathing into a metabolic cart. This measurement is effective in calculating calorie consumption needed to effectively gain or lose weight

GP-$70 / FS-$50 / S-25

Aerobic Performance Testing

VO2 Max: This test measures maximal aerobic capacity by gradually increasing the exercise intensity until the individual is unable to continue. Tests are conducted on a treadmill or a stationary bike and are generally about 10 minutes in duration. The results of this test allows an individual to better establish target heart rate ranges for training. GP-$70 / FS-$50 / S-$25

Lactate Threshold: The lactate threshold test is used to determine the individual exercise intensity at which the body begins to accumulate lactic acid in the blood. This test is conducted on a treadmill or a stationary bike and the exercise intensity is gradually increased to maximum effort. Blood samples are taken periodically throughout the test and the entire test is approximately 1 hour in length. The results of this test in, combination with the VO2 max test, allows an individual to establish the most effective heart rate and exercise intesities for them to train. GP-$100 / FS-$75 / $50

Submax Bike: A method for estimating VO2 max by having an individual exercise on a bike while their heart rate is constatnly monitored. Exercise intensity is gradually increased until the individual reaches 85% of their estimated maximum heart rate. This test is approximately 9-12 minutes in length. GP-$30 / FS-$15 / S-$10

General public-GP

Faculty/Staff-FS

Student-S

Everyone-E