"Thanks to INSCYD, my trainer and I always know where I currently stand and where I can improve my performance"
Wout Van Aert, Professional Cyclist
Remote Performance Testing
For cyclists and runners
Put an end to stagnation and uncertainty.
Discover your limiting factors in 90 minutes,
from the comfort of your home, and beat all your records!
(even if you are a beginner in your field)
INSCYD is the most advanced tool for analyzing and planning athletic performance.
Here are the 7 main benefits you gain by seizing the INSCYD opportunity:
✅ No more uncertainty. You discover your athletic profile, your limiting factors, and your training zones. You know precisely what and how to train to achieve your goals.
✅ No more hunger pangs. You never experience hypoglycemia again; you know how many carbohydrates your body consumes during your races, and you can adapt your nutritional strategy accordingly.
✅ No more race mistakes. You can predict your pace/power with surgical precision.
✅ No more injuries. You can optimize your recovery and avoid overtraining.
✅ No more unknowns. You can anticipate your progression margin and know what you can aim for in the future.
✅ No more waste. You save time, money, and motivation.
✅ No more disappointments. You beat all your records and achieve you goals.
Discover in detail below how INSCYD revolutionizes your training and racing performances.
What is an INSCYD test ?
INSCYD is a "virtual lab" that captures all the performance data that a testing laboratory can measure, and even more, through a simple test that you can perform from the comfort of your home, in less than 90 minutes, using your own equipment (power meter or GPS watch)! The INSCYD test allows you to obtain scientific data about your energy metabolism during exercise. This helps you better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your body and design a personalized training program that maximizes your potential.
An INSCYD test provides data as precise as a laboratory and offers much more information about an athlete's individual characteristics.
It is indeed the only physiological test :
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measuring your aerobic AND anaerobic capacity
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provides data in real-life, on-the-field conditions
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takes into account the athlete's body composition for more accurate results
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can predict your future performance based on your potential progress
How INSCYD revolutionise your training ?
1
Discover your limiting factors
INSCYD calculates your metabolic profile through various metrics to determine the factors limiting your performance:
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Aerobic capacity (VO2max)
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Glycolytic capacity (VLaMax)*
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Anaerobic threshold (FTP)
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FatMax
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CarbMax
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Body carbohydrate stores
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Lactate production, combustion & accumulation
Your final report will include an analysis of your results highlighting your strengths, limiting factors, and specific recommendations to take your performance to the next level.
* more information below
2
Create the perfect training plan
Create the perfect training plan
Knowing your limiting factors and the characteristics of your race, you will be able to establish the perfect training program. In addition to that, INSCYD generates your personalized training zones with ultra-precise and scientific methods.
For your high-intensity interval sessions, you will also be able to determine the optimal intensities!
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At what intensity should I perform my 5x4' intervals?
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What intensity will allow me to recover best for the next interval?
INSCYD will provide you with the answers!
3
Anticipate your times and plan the perfect race plan
INSCYD allows you to predict your race times based on the limiting factors specific to your event.
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For a short-duration event (less than 60 minutes): Your performance will be dictated by your lactate accumulation and maximum tolerance.
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For a long-duration event (several hours): You will be limited by your carbohydrate reserve, determined by your initial stock and the rate of carbohydrate utilization at your race pace.
With this information, you can create a 100% personalized and effective pacing and nutrition strategy!
- VO2Max
- VLaMax
- Anaerobic Threshold
Why does it matter?
The INSCYD test precisely reveals three crucial performance indicators in endurance sports: VO2max, VLAmax, and anaerobic threshold (FTP). These terms are explained in detail below. Understanding these three indicators allows you to identify your main areas for performance improvement (increasing VO2max, decreasing VLAmax, reducing body weight, etc.) based on your goals. INSCYD even offers the possibility of conducting hypothesis tests to determine how variations in these parameters can impact your performance. (For example: What would be my marathon pace or FTP if I manage to decrease my VLAmax by 20% through my training?).
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VO2max is the maximum oxygen consumption that an individual can use during intense physical exercise. Measuring an athlete's VO2max can help assess their fitness, performance ability and aerobic endurance level. Increasing VO2max will always result in superior performance for an athlete at any level of intensity.
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VLamax, or glycolytic power, represents the maximum production of lactate that an athlete produces. A high VLamax allows high performance in short activities such as sprinting or attacking. On the other hand, a high VLamax results in a higher glycolytic flux rate (and therefore lactate rate) at submaximal intensities. So, unlike VO2max, an athlete will not necessarily want to increase their VLamax, as a higher VLamax will induce a lower anaerobic threshold (all other things being equal). Adjusting your VLamax will therefore depend on your current score compared to your future goals.
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The anaerobic threshold (or MLSS - Maximum Lactate Steady State) is the maximum intensity where the body is still able to use as much lactate as it produces. Above this threshold, the individual begins to produce lactate faster than the body can eliminate it, resulting in rapid muscle fatigue. In general, it corresponds to an intensity that an athlete can maintain between 40 and 60 minutes when fresh, but this varies greatly from one individual to another. This is a crucial parameter as it is the most correlated indicator of performance in endurance sports! As you can see below, your anaerobic threshold will be directly influenced by your VO2max and VLamax score.
"20% of the difference in performance between amateurs and professionals can be explained by VO2max. 75% of the performance differences in these two groups are explained by differences in VLamax."
The influence of VLamax on endurance performance
INSCYD has the unique feature of being a physiological test that can be conducted at your home or any location of your choice! Discover the necessary equipment in the following section.
The INSCYD testing procedure consists of 4 maximal efforts, following the specified time intervals:
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20 seconds (or between 15 and 25 seconds)
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3 minutes (or between 2:30 and 3:15)
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6 minutes (or between 5 and 8 minutes)
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12 minutes (or between 10 and 20 minutes)
The test can be conducted indoors (on a home trainer) or outdoors, ideally in your training and racing environment. Since the efforts slightly vary based on the time intervals mentioned above, it can be an opportunity to challenge yourself on some meaningful Strava segments, for example. Once you have completed these 4 intervals, you send us the recorded training files, which will be analyzed by the INSCYD platform to generate your test report.
The detailed procedure is provided to the athlete upon receiving the confirmation of the INSCYD test order.
What is the testing procedure ?
For which sports?
What material is required ?
INSCYD tests can be used for both running and cycling. Triathletes can also benefit from both types of tests. All the benefits and performance indicators mentioned above are available for these sports.
The INSCYD test for cyclists primarily focuses on power (watts) measured by a power meter. The INSCYD test for runners primarily focuses on speed (min/km) measured by a GPS or other sensor, but it can also include power if the runner has a suitable sensor (optional).
Discover below the required and recommended equipment for both types of tests:
RUNNING
Mandatory
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A GPS watch or speed/distance tracker
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A safe and flat outdoor location or a treadmill for performing the maximal efforts.
Recommended - non mandatory
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HR chest strap
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Power meter (like Stryd)
CYCLING
Mandatory
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A power meter
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A bike trainer or a safe outdoor road where you can perform maximal efforts.
Recommended - non mandatory
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HR chest strap
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Cadence tracker
Professional cyclists such as Primož Roglič, Wout Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Peter Sagan and triathletes Jan Frodeno and Lionel Sanders - all of them already train successfully on the basis of the innovative INSCYD performance tool.
In addition to a growing number of professional sports teams and international sports federations in sports such as cycling, swimming, triathlon and athletics. More than 200 coaches and institutes worldwide use INSCYD.
Find out below how Wout Van Aert uses INSCYD to adjust his training:
Find out below how Jan Frodeno's coach Dan Lorang uses INSCYD to maximise his performance:
Who is using INSCYD?
What's the best moment to do a test?
The INSCYD test is a valuable tool for athletes looking to improve their performance. But when is it best to do it? We have identified three key times when an INSCYD test can have the most impact on your training and performance.
At the start of your training programme
Once you have a goal, it's time to figure out what you need to improve in order to achieve it. This is exactly why you need to start by doing a metabolic test.
The first test will tell you and your coach where you are now. It will allow you to prepare an optimal training programme by identifying the physiological factors limiting your performance and determining your precise training zones.
During your preparation (for long or continuous preparations)
It may be wise to retest during a long preparation (more than 4 months) or continuously throughout the year (between 8 weeks and 4 months after the previous test).
This will allow you to see the effect of the training on your limiting factors, readjust your training zones in relation to your current level and readjust the training plan according to the new results obtained.
Just before your main sporting event
A third good reason to test is when your event is about to take place. Let's take the example of a triathlon, a marathon or a Gran Fondon. You have invested a lot of time, effort and money in getting in shape. You don't want to leave anything to chance on race day.
A physiology test before the event will allow you to prepare your race strategy perfectly (pace/race intensity strategy and feeding strategy).
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For a short event (less than 1 hour): INSCYD will reveal your lactate levels for each race intensity and your maximum tolerance. You will then be able to define an ideal race pace for your race.
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For a longer event (1h to several hours): INSCYD will reveal your carbohydrate consumption for each race intensity. You will then be able to adjust your pace and your nutritional strategy to avoid running out of energy!
After your INSCYD test, you will receive a detailed report including the following sections:
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Body composition
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Key performance indicators (VO2max, VLamax, FTP, FatMax, ...)
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Metabolic charts
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Precise training zones
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Progression chart
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Max power curve and table by duration
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Personalized recommendations based on your current level and upcoming goals.
For each section, you will find detailed yet simplified explanations, allowing you to analyze your report with ease!
Explore the specific content of the report in the following videos.
Test Inscyd - Cycling
Test Inscyd - Running
INSCYD Final Report in video
Pricing
We offer the possibility to all athletes, cyclists or runners, to test themselves.
Tests are available individually.
Discounts are offered to athletes coached by Level-up.
More information here.
Initial Price: 200€ / Test
Currently at -10% (you earn 20€ !)
Current Price :180€* / Test
*Limited-time offer