By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó Endurance athletes can pay thousands of dollars to consult experts and undergo tests to improve their performance.
But starting next month, athletes like marathoners, triathletes and cyclists can get a thorough workup at the N.C. Research Campus for less than 200 bucks.
As a community service, Appalachian State University will offer a battery of tests for bargain prices at the ASU Human Performance Lab in Kannapolis.
“We’re trying to give something to the community,” lab director Dr. David Nieman said.
For $100, athletes can get a treadmill EKG and find out their VO2 max, or maximal oxygen consumption. VO2 max is the best indicator of aerobic power.
“That price is unheard of,” Nieman said. “Usually, that’s multiple hundreds of dollars.”
For $25, people can learn their resting metabolic rate, or how many calories they burn at rest. This is helpful for athletes and anyone trying to lose weight.
The fee includes counseling from a dietician.
Also for $25, the lab will prepare a computerized dietary analysis.
Appalachian State offers the same community testing program at the ASU Human Performance Lab in Boone, where seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong underwent testing before he won his first tour.
On the verge of quitting the sport, Armstrong credits the lab for helping change his mind, Nieman said.
Nieman’s lab in Kannapolis will use human test subjects who run on treadmills or ride stationary bikes so researchers can determine if plant molecules like quercetin help them stay healthy under stress.
All research subjects will receive free testing for life. Athletes must demonstrate a certain level of fitness before they are accepted.
The lab will begin recruiting subjects soon, Nieman said.
The lab’s community testing program will begin in mid- to late March. The lab will publish a phone number to call for an appointment.