CPET at IAT Leipzig: one metabolic cart for lab and field

What is the IAT?

The Institut für angewandte Trainingswissenschaft (IAT, Institute for Applied Training Science) in Leipzig is a central research institution of German elite sports. "We conduct performance diagnostics and eligibility examinations for Olympic and Paralympic sports," says Peter Rüdrich, research associate at the IAT. These examinations take place in the institute's ergometry center.

Two devices in one

The IAT has worked with CORTEX systems for some time and was looking for a new device series it could use more flexibly. The C2in1 performance combines the strengths of two devices: the compact MetaMax® with its disposable turbine, quick to set up and ready to measure without a long warm-up, and the MetaLyzer®, which covers stationary use. "The biggest advance in this device really is that the high flexibility, the short warm-up time and the fast readiness to measure now come together in one device," says Rüdrich.

What changes in day-to-day testing

The IAT especially values the new ambient air measurement, which in Rüdrich's words gives the team "much more confidence in the stability and quality of the readings." The batteries hot-swap during operation, so longer test sessions run without an external power supply and the team can work more independently.

Above all, the institute values testing in the field. "We have the advantage that we can also measure directly in the field with the devices, and can therefore relate those results to the performances achieved in the lab," says Rüdrich.

The athletes notice the difference too. Rudolf, 20, is a cross-country skier studying in Leipzig who comes to the IAT for training and testing. "I think it's really cool that you can now move around outdoors with the spiro," he says. That lets him test on routes he already knows and has earlier values to compare against.

"For us, the C2in1 combines a laboratory measurement device and a mobile measurement unit in one device in an optimal way, without sacrificing measurement accuracy or compromising on handling." (Peter Rüdrich, IAT Leipzig)

For the IAT, that means lab and field testing with one device, without compromising measurement quality. See how elite sports teams test on the move in Elite sports.