Paper he is referring to seems to be the same one we discussed her earlier in the month.
No feedback yet. I’ll report back here when I get some.
1 Like
Thanks @Joseph_Lavelle.
Any sense on the fat metabolism during endurance training aspects that Alan is talking about above? He may be more interested in that part of Calibre than the VO2max aspects
1 Like
Fat max is all the rage these days. Zone 2 et al. The ability to produce high power using fat is a key for endurance sports as less lactate is produced at any given level of effort. It’s a long term training thing…you have to plan ahead and work to build the infrastructure needed. You need type 1 or slow twitch muscle fibers to burn fat (or lactate) but you need fast twitch (burn glucose with or without oxygen) to hit the peak power numbers needed in racing situations and vo2max. How to get both? Very carefully. But this sort of device can help you track if you are on the right path. And it can help you set your training zone accurately to make faster progress.
From a health point of view, fat max is all about mitochondrial health (amount and efficiency); more is better.
1 Like
Very helpful, and helped me pull together bits and pieces that is had partially started to understand. This may be one of my goals for 2024 (still thinking about how to prioritize).
1 Like
Can’t wait to hear more reports from the first users. If it’s almost as good as a metabolic cart for measuring VO2 max & fuel partitioning, would totally be worth it
1 Like
Some of his first early “verify” is in, see below.
Did anyone else get one and try it?
And
https://twitter.com/alan_couzens/status/1739700313408602355?s=46&t=zJMJ1xVdRJYEDYz-DHipTw
1 Like
@Joseph_Lavelle amd others - how do you think the Calibre can help target optimal zone 2 vs the lactate stick type of approach that Peter Attia uses and has discussed repeatedly?
—
Separately - anyone have a sense of how well one can one do Zone 2 on the row machines that have advanced a lot the last few years?
1 Like
I’d say you don’t need this level of information to build fat max, work on mito health or improve vo2max. But if you like data, then this device looks very good. I would think of the resulting data as approximate and directionally correct.
2 Likes
@Neo Calibre or similar as well as muscle oxygen sensors like the Moxy are both better than measuring lactate because they are in real time. The Moxy is even integrated into sport smart watches like Garmin so that you can use your oxygen level to stay in your target zone in real time while running/cycling.
In fact the lactate tests are mostly (not entirely) proxies to find your ventilatory thresholds so it’s better to measure them directly.
Both Calibre and Moxy will work with rowing machines.
BTW I have ordered a Calibre so I will report back when I get it.
2 Likes
@cl-user thanks, this is very helpful indeed.
Have you tried the Moxy? Seems to be less “invasive” easier to wear? Besides that advantage what would you say the pros / cons of Moxy vs Calibre are in the context of optimal Zone 2 and Zone 5/Max VO2 type of training?
@Neo I really do like the Moxy because it’s both usable to find your zones and thresholds with a power ramp test for instance but also as I mentioned it’s usable during runs while Calibre is indoor only.
That said Calibre will also measure VO2 and plenty of other parameters so both are useful.
The thing that surprised me the most with Moxy is the importance of a proper warmup both in quality and duration. Before I would warmup by running at low speed for 10 min then think I’m OK and continue. That does not work at all. When I do that the oxygen in the muscle is at 40~50% only and will mostly stay there for the whole run which is not optimal.
The optimal way do warmup for my N of 1 is walking 1min then running at slow pace 5min and repeating that 3 or 4 times with a 30s sprint after the second series. Doing that protocol will bring the oxygen in the muscle is to 70~80% and if I stay in Z2 it will go down slightly but still be much higher than without a proper warmup.
As I said I was really surprised to see that starting with a bad warmup would stay suboptimal and I used to think that running would complete the warmup and end at the same point.
I also tried a lot of things to try and shorten that warmup time but so far nothing has worked. Basically it always takes 20 ± 5 min whatever I try. Probably it’s the time needed to dilate the capillaries, bring up the nutrients and oxygen, start the mitochondria, etc.
There is plenty or scientific research that uses those sensors and there is a small Moxy conference every year.
BTW in addition to those sensors you also need to measure the power as those thresholds will be defined by some output power. You can’t rely on the heart rate which is not precise enough and lagging too much. I use Stryd for running.
2 Likes
Interesting… I’m just learning about this entire area:
2 Likes
It strikes me there is useful data to be obtained here. The question is what is the best mechanism.
1 Like
@John_Hemming It depends your primary focus.
If it’s sport performance then Moxy is better because it measure oxygen in the muscles where it matter most for exercise and as I mentioned you can use it in real time while exercising.
If it’s metabolism in general then Calibre is better as it will give you more direct measurements of your metabolic state like the carbs/fat burn rates, etc.
There is an overlap for finding the cardiovascular zones but otherwise they complement each others and you need both.
I’m not (by far!) one of those using the highest number of supplements and medications but I’m probably one of those with the highest number of sensors 
3 Likes
Could you please list them?
I am quite into testing. Sadly I have concluded that Aktiia is not worth persisting with. However, I would quite like something in this territory.
1 Like
Moxy sensor: Muscle oxygen, muscle hemoglobin
Stryd foot pod: Running power, critical power, various running dynamic parameters, VO2
RunScribe foot pods + sacral pod: tons of running dynamic parameters, VO2
Keto-Mojo: Blood glucose + blood ketones
BioSense: Breath ketones meter
Contour Next ONE: Blood glucose
Various GCM on and off: Dexcom G6/7 and/or Abbott Libre3
Muse: EEG (Brain waves, Neurofeedback meditation)
Mendy: NIRS like Moxy but for the brain (Neurofeedback training)
Eight Sleep Pod: Regulates bed temperature (sleep phases, HR, HRV, respiration)
Calibre: Ordered, Waiting for it
More mainstream:
Garmin EPIX pro: HR, HRV, ECG, temperature, altitude, blood oxygen, sleep phases, respiration, etc.
Garmin HRM pro: Heart rate band
Polar H10: Heart rate band + ECG
Oura ring: HR, HRV, temperature, blood oxygen, sleep phases, respiration.
Withings Body Scan scale: Weight, Bio impedance (segmental body composition, fat, visceral fat, lean tissue, water), 6-Lead ECG and Vascular Age, electrodermal activity assessment.
OMRON BP: blood pressure
4 Likes