Ep. 34 - Heart Rate Recovery, METs, and Efficiency: The Metrics That Predict Performance
Description
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In this episode of Metabolic Mastery, Dr. Marc Humbert and Dr. Cameron Garber are joined by Daniel Crumback (Director of International Sales at Core Medical Technologies, and Director of Strategic Health & Performance) to break down how physiological testing can uncover the real reason someone stalls in fitness, performance, and health.
Most people think VO2 max and RMR testing ends with a score and a set of training zones. Daniel makes the case that's just the surface. By analyzing oxygen and carbon dioxide data (not O2 alone), you can differentiate whether a person is primarily limited by cardiovascular capacity, respiratory mechanics, metabolic flexibility, neuromuscular function, or efficiency—and then build training and nutrition prescriptions around the true limiter instead of guessing.
The team also walks through practical interpretations: heart rate recovery, VO2 peak vs VO2 max, tidal volume vs breathing frequency, fat/carbohydrate crossover, peak fat oxidation, and "efficiency" markers like VO2 per breath and VO2 pulse. They emphasize why protocol design matters, how bad assumptions (like mis-set warmups or mislabeled "fat max") lead to wrong prescriptions, and why retesting every 8–12 weeks is the difference between "working out" and actually improving physiology.
What you will learn
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How to identify whether a person's primary limiter is cardio, respiratory, metabolic, neuromuscular, or efficiency
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The difference between VO2 peak vs VO2 max, and why it matters for prescribing training
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Why O2 + CO2 measurement unlocks a deeper analysis (fat oxidation, crossover, metabolic flexibility)
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How to interpret heart rate recovery and what it can indicate about stress and cardiovascular fitness
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What tidal volume vs breathing frequency can reveal about respiratory limitations and hyper/hypoventilation
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How to use fat/carbohydrate crossover and peak fat oxidation to spot metabolic dysfunction (and training mistakes)
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Why "zone 2" prescriptions often fail without correct protocol setup and correct interpretation
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How METs relate to real-world function and why very low METs can signal broader limitations
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Two powerful efficiency lenses: VO2 pulse (oxygen per heartbeat) and VO2 per breath (oxygen per breath)
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A practical retesting cadence: why 8–12 weeks after consistent implementation is the sweet spot
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