METABOLIC ASSESSMENT
Stop guessing your heart rate zones and caloric burn. Powered by the medical-grade PNOĒ metabolic analyzer, Alpha 1 Performance Lab provides the same clinical breath-by-breath gas exchange testing utilized by Olympic training centers, elite cardiologists, and human longevity institutes.
Official technology partner for clinical breath-by-breath cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), resting metabolic rate (RMR), and cellular longevity analytics.
Your Breath Is The Ultimate Biomarker
Every calorie you burn requires oxygen and yields carbon dioxide. By analyzing your precise O2 consumption and CO2 production second by second during rest and ramped exercise, PNOĒ exposes mitochondrial fitness, biological age, metabolic flexibility, and cellular energy efficiency.
Tailored to your sport—run, cycle, row, or measure resting metabolism in reclined comfort.
What PNOĒ Assesses Inside Your Body
Breath-by-breath spirometry provides direct diagnostic windows into your vital organ systems, cellular mitochondria, posture mechanics, and central nervous system.
Brain Function & Posture
Evaluates autonomic nervous system balance, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and how spinal posture impacts breathing volume and thoracic ribcage expansion. Identifies hyperventilation tendencies and fight-or-flight sympathetic overdrive.
Lungs & Heart Capacity
Measures peak cardiac stroke volume, arterial oxygen extraction, and pulmonary gas diffusion. Reveals whether your heart or your lungs are the limiting factor during high-intensity training or endurance efforts.
Metabolism & Cellular Health
Maps mitochondrial density, respiratory quotient (RQ), and substrate oxidation ratios. Pinpoints the exact gram-per-hour rate of fatty acid vs. glycogen burning across every heart rate bracket.
The PNOĒ Prescription Engine
How clinical breath data converts into personalized training zones, macronutrient targets, and breathwork protocols to reverse metabolic slowdown and optimize longevity.
Lab Precision to Target Outcomes
Pinpoint VO2 max for Zone 4/5 longevity training, metabolic rate for exact calorie needs, and resting/exercise substrate burn for customized macro and Zone 2 programs.
Personalized Zone 2, 4 & 5 Training
Zone 2 training improves fat-burn efficiency, enhances cellular mitochondria, and lowers obesity risk. Zone 4 & 5 training boosts peak VO2 max, enhances lung function, and balances resistance training with cardio.
Macro Intake & Breathwork Protocols
Personalized fat, carb, and protein intake lowers hunger, elevates energy levels, and accelerates fat loss. Clinical breathwork prescriptions target autonomic balance and elevate mood and cognitive focus.
The Complete Precision Health Ecosystem
PNOĒ breath analysis connects with multi-omics biomarkers, wearable telemetry, and Alpha 1 coaching to turn clinical metabolic data into targeted nutrition, training, and longevity interventions.
Whole-Body Biomarker & Organ Health Scoring
Combines real-time breath spirometry with whole-blood biomarkers, wearable metrics, and clinical patient intake. PNOĒ maps comprehensive biological scores across endurance, recovery, brain, thyroid hormones, metabolic inflammation, gut, and cellular autocrine signaling.
From Lab Screening to Daily Execution
Clinical-grade metabolic testing does not sit in a silo. At Alpha 1, breath data directly informs your personalized nutrition blueprint, client tracking software, supplement protocol, and weekly Alpha 1 personal training program.
Personalized Protocol Recommendation Calculator
Select up to 4 areas you’d most like to improve. You don’t need to know exactly what you need — just tell us what you’re experiencing or what you’d like to feel, change, or accomplish. We’ll use your selections to help guide you toward the training, testing, recovery, nutrition, or wellness options that may best fit your goals.
Multi-disciplinary recommendations across Lab Diagnostics, Medical Therapies, and Personal Coaching.
Select 1 to 4 Areas to Generate Your Protocol
Choose any combination of areas above (weight loss, recovery, joint stiffness, low energy, athletic performance, etc.) to see how Alpha 1 Performance Lab, Alpha 1 Labs, and Alpha 1 Personal Training coordinate your options.
What Does a PNOĒ Metabolic Report Look Like?
Preview the comprehensive 24+ page cardiopulmonary diagnostic packet delivered after your testing session. Includes cellular lung diagnostics, precise fat-burning heart rate zones, and customized nutrition macros.
What PNOĒ Reveals About Your Body
Comprehensive data points that transform cardiovascular training from random cardio into scientific protocol.
VO2 Max & Aerobic Capacity
The single strongest clinical predictor of cardiovascular longevity and all-cause mortality, quantified to medical precision via breath-by-breath gas exchange.
Metabolic Crossover & Fat Burn
Maps the precise heart rate thresholds where your mitochondria shift from burning stored fatty acids to glucose/glycogen, optimizing fat loss without muscle wasting.
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
Uncovers your true basal caloric burn at rest—taking the guesswork out of dietary deficits, surplus macros, and plateau breakthroughs.
Respiratory & Lung Mechanics
Measures tidal volume, breathing frequency, and carbon dioxide exhalation efficiency to uncover respiratory limitations restricting athletic output.
RMR vs. Active VO2 Max Protocols
1. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) Protocol
You relax comfortably in a reclined position for 15 minutes wearing the light PNOĒ facemask. We measure basal fuel consumption at complete rest to determine the exact calories and macro proportions your body utilizes daily without exercise.
2. Active VO2 Max Ramp Protocol
Performed on a lab treadmill or cycle ergometer. The intensity gradually increases in progressive 1-2 minute stages until maximal voluntary exertion. We track your aerobic threshold, lactate transition, and maximum oxygen consumption.
Actionable Takeaways You Receive
- Identify your accurate Anaerobic Threshold (AT) and Respiratory Compensation Point (RCP)
- Pinpoint exact heart rate training zones (Zone 1 through Zone 5) instead of formula approximations
- Calculate exact daily caloric expenditure to fine-tune nutrition for fat loss or lean hyper-trophy
- Detect hyperventilation syndromes, diaphragmatic breathing dysfunctions, or respiratory fatigue
- Directly program personalized cardio protocols with your Alpha 1 Personal Trainer
RMR vs. AMR: Side-by-Side Physiological Comparison
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and Active Metabolic Rate (AMR / VO2 Max) measure two fundamentally different physiological states. Together they form the complete picture of how your body burns fuel — at rest and at peak effort.
RMR — Resting Metabolic Rate
Quantifies the precise calories and fuel mixture your body consumes at complete rest. The foundation of any accurate nutrition plan — eliminates the guesswork from "how much should I eat?"
AMR — Active Metabolic Rate (VO2 Max)
Measures peak oxygen consumption and substrate oxidation under graded exercise. Reveals your cardiovascular ceiling, exact heart-rate training zones, and the crossover where fat-burn shifts to glycogen-burn.
| Physiological Marker | RMRResting | AMRActive VO2 Max |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Measurement | Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — calories burned at complete rest | VO2 Max — peak aerobic capacity & maximal oxygen uptake |
| Physiological State | Fully rested, fasted, reclined, autonomic baseline | Progressive graded exertion to maximal voluntary effort |
| Breath Analysis | Resting O2 consumption & CO2 production (VO2 / VCO2 at rest) | Breath-by-breath gas exchange across every intensity stage |
| Respiratory Quotient (RQ) | Resting substrate split — fat vs carbohydrate oxidation ratio | Crossover point where fat-burning shifts to glycogen-burning |
| Fat Oxidation Rate | Grams of fatty acids burned per hour at baseline | FatMax — peak fat-burn heart rate & gram/hour ceiling |
| Daily Caloric Need | Exact 24-hour resting energy expenditure (kcal/day) | Active + total energy expenditure (kcal/day w/ exercise) |
| Metabolic Efficiency | How efficiently mitochondria conserve fuel at rest | Ventilatory Thresholds (VT1 / VT2) & biological age score |
| Protocol Duration | ~15 minutes reclined with PNOĒ metabolic mask | ~10-15 minutes graded ramp on treadmill or Wattbike |
| Best For | Nutrition planning, caloric deficit / surplus, plateau diagnosis | Heart rate zones, cardio programming, endurance & VO2 longevity |
RMR Alone
Tells you exactly how many calories to eat for fat loss, maintenance, or lean gain — with zero formula estimation.
AMR Alone
Gives you personalized heart-rate zones and a cardio ceiling — the blueprint for endurance and Zone 2 longevity training.
Dual Test (RMR + AMR)
The complete metabolic profile: resting fuel burn + peak capacity + exact training zones. The gold-standard Alpha 1 metabolic blueprint.
Shared methodology: Both tests use the same PNOĒ metabolic analyzer and breath-by-breath gas exchange technology. The difference is physiological state — rest versus graded maximal exertion — which exposes different mitochondrial and cardiopulmonary markers from the same breath data.
What this service is
Metabolic testing is a clinical breath-by-breath analysis that measures how much oxygen your body consumes and how much carbon dioxide it produces — at rest and during graded exercise — to quantify your resting metabolic rate (RMR), VO2 max, fat and carbohydrate oxidation, and personalized heart rate training zones. Calculators estimate these values from population formulas; PNOĒ measures yours directly.
- Who it is for
- Anyone trying to lose weight or break a plateau, athletes who want exact heart rate zones, people who suspect a slow metabolism, and anyone who wants to know how many calories their body actually burns at rest.
- What it measures
- Resting metabolic rate (RMR) in calories/day, VO2 max (aerobic capacity), fat vs. carbohydrate oxidation rates, aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, 23+ cardiopulmonary biomarkers per breath, and personalized Zone 1–5 heart rate training zones.
- How it works
- For RMR you relax in a reclined position for about 15 minutes wearing the light PNOĒ facemask. For VO2 max you perform a graded ramp test on a treadmill or cycle ergometer while breathing through the mask until maximal exertion. Both are non-invasive breath tests.
- How long it takes
- RMR ~15 minutes · VO2 max ramp ~10–15 minutes · full dual session 90–100 minutes
- Price
- $175–$299 (RMR, VO2 max, or dual + InBody bundle)
- Where it is available
- Administered in-club at Alpha 1 Performance Lab locations serving Rosemount and Lakeville, Dakota County, Minnesota.
- Who provides it
- Alpha 1 Performance Lab staff using the medical-grade PNOĒ metabolic analyzer, with results handed off to your Alpha 1 Personal Trainer for targeted Zone 2 and conditioning programming.
- Measured resting metabolic rate (RMR) in calories/day
- VO2 max and aerobic capacity score
- Fat vs. carbohydrate oxidation mapping
- Personalized Zone 1–5 heart rate training zones
- Aerobic and anaerobic threshold identification
- Integrated training & nutrition roadmap
Frequently Asked Questions
What is resting metabolic rate (RMR)?
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest just to stay alive — powering your heart, lungs, brain, and cells. PNOĒ measures it directly through breath-by-breath gas analysis rather than estimating it from a population formula, so your calorie targets reflect your actual metabolism, not a guess.
What is VO2 max and why does it matter?
VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise — the single strongest clinical predictor of cardiovascular fitness and longevity. A higher VO2 max means greater aerobic capacity and endurance. PNOĒ measures it directly during a graded ramp test rather than estimating it from a smartwatch or age formula.
Is RMR different from BMR?
They are very close. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is measured under strict lab fasting conditions; resting metabolic rate (RMR) is measured at rest in a more practical setting and is typically slightly higher. For nutrition and training planning, RMR is the more useful real-world number, and PNOĒ measures it directly.
How many calories does my body actually burn at rest?
It varies widely by individual. Online calculators estimate it from age, sex, height, and weight, but those formulas can be off by hundreds of calories per day. PNOĒ RMR testing measures your true resting energy expenditure directly through breath analysis, so your calorie targets for weight loss or muscle gain are based on your body, not an average.
What are heart rate training zones and how are they measured?
Heart rate training zones are personalized intensity ranges (Zone 1 through Zone 5) that determine whether you burn mostly fat or carbohydrates and what fitness system you train. Age-based formulas (like 220 minus your age) only estimate these zones. PNOĒ measures your actual aerobic and anaerobic thresholds from your breath to set zones that match your physiology.
What is Zone 2 training?
Zone 2 is a low-to-moderate intensity where your body burns the highest proportion of fat for fuel and builds mitochondrial efficiency. It is widely used for endurance and metabolic health. PNOĒ identifies your exact Zone 2 heart rate from your fat-oxidation crossover rather than guessing it from an age formula.
Where can I get metabolic and VO2 max testing in Minnesota?
PNOĒ metabolic and VO2 max testing is administered in-club at Alpha 1 Performance Lab locations serving Rosemount and Lakeville in Dakota County, Minnesota. No gym membership is required to book a session.
PNOĒ ASSESSMENT PRICING
Clinical breath-by-breath cardiopulmonary testing tailored to your metabolic and athletic goals.
Resting (RMR) Only Test
Fasted morning metabolic test measuring exact basal caloric expenditure and substrate burn.
- Fasted breath-by-breath analysis
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculation
- Fat vs Carbohydrate oxidation at rest
- Cellular metabolic efficiency score
- Targeted daily caloric target blueprint
Active (AMR) VO2 Max Test
Graded exercise treadmill or Wattbike test measuring cardiopulmonary capacity and heart rate zones.
- Clinical VO2 Max & biological age score
- Ventilatory Threshold 1 & 2 (VT1 / VT2)
- Exact 5 Heart Rate Training Zones
- FatMax & peak carbohydrate burn zones
- Respiratory compensation & breath pacing
Dual Test (RMR + AMR)
Complete rest-to-peak-exertion metabolic profiling for nutrition and conditioning precision.
- Full Resting (RMR) + Active (AMR) testing
- Complete 24-hour total energy expenditure
- Resting substrate split + VO2 max zones
- Cardiorespiratory fitness benchmarking
- Integrated training & nutrition roadmap
Dual Test + InBody Scan
The complete Alpha 1 Gold Standard: full cardiopulmonary breath analysis paired with clinical body composition.
- Full Resting (RMR) + Active (AMR) testing
- InBody 270 Segmental Body Composition
- Visceral fat area & extracellular water ratio
- Mitochondrial fuel utilization mapping
- Direct translation into Alpha 1 training plan
All tests conducted by certified exercise physiologists using gold-standard PNOĒ diagnostic hardware.
Ready to Book Your PNOĒ Metabolic & VO2 Max Assessment?
Clinical breath-by-breath cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) analyzing 23+ biomarkers in every breath.
- Full Resting (RMR) + Active (AMR) VO2 Max testing
- InBody 270 segmental body composition scan
- Visceral fat area & extracellular water ratio
- Mitochondrial fuel utilization & fat oxidation mapping
- Exact 5 heart rate training zones + biological age
- Integrated Alpha 1 training & nutrition roadmap