Stress test: assess your fitness and maximise your performance
September 17, 2021

Ascires Grupo Biomédico, our official Health sponsor, tells us what ergo-spirometry, a cardiorespiratory stress test of utmost importance for runners like you, can do for you.

For the next two editions of the 10K Valencia Ibercaja, the biomedical group Ascires has a first-rate health ally: the biomedical group Ascires. And to let you know everything we are learning with them, we leave you this interesting article about the importance of the well-known complete stress test (ergo-spirometry).

Lowering blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol, maintaining bone density, improving joint mobility, increasing flexibility and boosting mood... The benefits of physical exercise are innumerable. But just as important as doing sport regularly is doing it safely. To do this, we have what are known as stress tests, one of the most complete of which is the ergospirometry or stress test with gas analysis.

Ergospirometry studies in a global and non-invasive way the whole body's response to exercise through an analysis of the cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic systems.

Firstly, this stress test has a clinical objective, as it assesses the heart's response when we subject it to intense, even maximum, stress. The test therefore serves to confirm that everything is working correctly and that there are no alterations at the cardiovascular level that could condition sports practice or pose a risk to the athlete.

In addition to this clinical purpose, the test also has a physiological objective, as it allows the functional capacity of the athlete to be measured objectively and to establish what maximum intensity he or she can reach. This information is essential to improve their training and optimise their sporting performance through a series of parameters, such as the anaerobic threshold or maximum oxygen consumption. With this, the athlete can adjust the level, intensity and training load to maximise his or her sporting performance.

"It gives us indicators to get the most out of sport, to know our limits and not to take unnecessary risks," says Dr. Pilar García, cardiologist at Ascires. All this makes it the most popular test among athletes who want to see progress in their training and improve themselves.


What does ergospirometry bring to the athlete?

  • It assesses our body's response to exercise.

Ergospirometry studies the response of the cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic systems to physical exercise. This clinical assessment allows the detection of heart problems or symptoms that are not apparent with a simple electrocardiogram or at rest. "With ergospirometry we can detect an arrhythmia during exercise, inappropriate hypertension during exercise or alterations that suggest that the patient has an ischaemic heart disease or respiratory pathology during exercise," explains Dr García. 

  • It studies functional capacity and guides training.

It provides an objective assessment of functional capacity to establish training orientation parameters. "With ergospirometry, the athlete has an objective and medically based knowledge of his physical fitness. If his goal is to maintain or improve his fitness, he cannot be guided by sensations alone. They need the objective information provided by ergospirometry to know how to design their training in the most efficient way and maximise their performance," says the Ascires specialist.

  • It establishes the person's maximum capacity for physical exertion.

This assessment is essential in order to practice sport safely, knowing your own limits and knowing how far you can go without exposing yourself to unnecessary risks.

How is ergospirometry performed?

  • It should be performed and managed by a medical specialist - usually a cardiologist, sports physician or pulmonologist - who will also interpret all the test data. The nursing staff prepares the athlete with the placement of electrodes and cables and collaborates in the execution of the test.
  • It is performed with medical equipment called ergo-spirometers and machines that simulate the effort made in a cycling race(cycle ergometers) or the effort made in a running race(treadmill).
  • Both cardiovascular and respiratory parameters are monitored. "We put a mask on the patient to analyse ventilation on a breath-by-breath basis. The mask does not provide oxygen to the patient, but allows us to extract key data such as oxygen or carbon dioxide consumption," says Dr Garcia.
  • The test starts by subjecting the athlete to a light exercise load and increases incrementally until the maximum level of exercise is reached.

Comprehensive care

From the 10K Valencia Ibercaja we are collaborating with Ascires for its extensive medical experience with elite athletes from all over Spain, providing comprehensive care to both professional and amateur athletes and people who want to start a physical activity. It also has a multidisciplinary team and the latest technology in Diagnostic Imaging, which offers maximum medical precision for all those who want to practice sport or improve their performance safely. 

Title sponsor
Ibercaja
Colaborador principal / Main Partner
Trinidad Alfonso Foundation
Marca deportiva / Sports Brand
Mizuno
Sponsor
Quiron Health
Official insurer
Divina Insurance
Official vehicle
Hyundai Autiber Motor
Sports nutrition
226ERS feed your dreams
Official brands
Coca Cola
Serrano Meat
Aedas Home
Partners
Aquarius
El Saler Shopping Center
Aquabona
Running CV Magazine
Bondia Artisan biscuits
Charity
Spanish Cancer Association
Institutional Partners
Valencia City Council. Fundacio sportiva munucipal
Valencia city of running
FACV
RFEA
IAAF
AIMS
Title sponsor
Ibercaja
Colaborador principal / Main Partner
Trinidad Alfonso Foundation
Marca deportiva / Sports Brand
Mizuno
Sponsor
Quiron Health
Official insurer
Divine Shepherdess
Official vehicle
Hyundai Autiber Motor
Sports nutrition
226ERS Feed your dreams
Official brands
Coca Cola
Serrano Meat
Aedas Home
Partners
Aquarius
El Saler Shopping Center
Aquabona
Running CV Magazine
Bondia Artisan biscuits
Charity
Spanish Association against Cancer
Institutional Partners
Valencia City Council. Fundacio sportiva munucipal
Valencia city of running
FACV
RFEA
IAAF
AIMS