Your appointment
One visit. Your complete baseline.
Three tests in a single visit: DEXA, RMR and VO2 Max, in around two hours. Measured data, not estimates. Here is exactly how the visit runs and how to arrive ready.
Don't forget your medical questionnaire. Your link is in the booking email we sent you, and it is unique to your appointment. Please complete it before you come.
01 / Do this first
Your medical questionnaire
- Your questionnaire is unique to your booking. It was emailed to you when you booked, so please complete that one.
- Check your inbox, and your spam or junk folder, as it can land there.
- We are unable to carry out your tests until it is complete, so please do it in good time.
- Cannot find it? Contact us and we will resend your link.
02 / What we measure
Three tests, the full picture.
Most tools use algorithms and population averages. We measure directly.
DEXA body composition
A clinical-grade scan that separates your body into fat, lean muscle and bone, region by region. It measures bone density, visceral fat around your organs, and muscle in each arm and each leg.
You lie still on a flatbed scanner. A non-invasive ten minute scan.
Resting metabolic rate
A breathing test that measures how many calories your body actually burns at rest, and which fuel you use to do it. Most calorie targets come from a formula. This one comes from you.
You lie back and breathe normally through a tube for ten to fifteen minutes.
VO2 Max
The gold-standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness and a leading marker of longevity. It gives you your VO2 max, your personal training zones, and your fat max zone.
A guided, incremental effort up to your maximum, fully supervised. You are in control of this test, and it ends when you need to stop or when you reach your limit.
03 / The visit
How your testing is structured.
The order is deliberate. Both the DEXA and the RMR have to happen before any exertion, so the VO2 Max test always comes last.
Watch: what to expect at your DEXA scan.
Arrival and welcome
We sit down with you first to understand your goals and your reasons for testing. That conversation is what lets us get the most out of all three tests for you.
Consent form
We take you through your consent form and answer anything you want to ask before we start.
Your DEXA scan
You lie still on a flatbed scanner while the arm passes over you. A non-invasive scan, and nothing touches you at any point.
RMR test
You rest quietly and breathe through a tube while we measure your resting calorie burn. Lying still for the DEXA first is part of this, as it settles you into a true resting state. You are welcome to bring a book, and some water, as your mouth can dry out during the breathing test.
VO2 Max test
We take you through your safety briefing, then fit your heart-rate strap. A warm-up, then a treadmill protocol built for your profile: you walk, then run, to your limit. You are in control of this test, and it ends when you need to stop or when you reach your limit. We capture your recovery data in the minutes afterwards too.
Final questions and departure
We share your preliminary VO2 max figure, answer anything left over, and confirm when your results will land, which is within 2 working days.
If you want to bring a light snack to have between your RMR test and your VO2 Max test, feel free. Keep it light.
04 / On site
Where each test happens.
Your visit runs across two spaces at the same venue.
DEXA and RMR
Inside the TELOMYX mobile clinic
Our mobile clinic is parked at your venue, usually just outside the partner location. It is private, and it is only you and your TELOMYX practitioner inside.
Both the scan and the metabolic test take place in there, back to back.
VO2 Max
Inside the partner location, on a treadmill
The maximal test needs a full-size treadmill, so it takes place inside the partner location. You are fully supervised from start to finish and in control the whole time.
Your practitioner walks you across from the clinic and sets everything up with you.
Arriving
Wait in the partner location's reception, just outside the mobile clinic, or in your vehicle, whichever feels most comfortable. There is no need to knock on the clinic door, as we may be testing another client. A member of the TELOMYX team will come out and greet you.
Your location and parking
These vary by venue, so your confirmation email carries your specific address, parking and check-in details. Please read it before you set off.
A note on privacy
Your VO2 Max test may take place in an open, working partner location rather than a private room. It is still fully supervised and your results stay completely confidential. You may simply be testing alongside other members. Prefer a quieter slot? Just let us know.
Arrive calm
Walk or drive in gently and give yourself a few spare minutes. Rushing in raises your heart rate and your metabolic rate, and both of those are things we are about to measure.
05 / Preparation
Small rules, better data.
Your body composition and your metabolism both shift with hydration, glycogen, food and recent training. Standardising your condition is what makes your baseline a true one, and what makes your next test a fair comparison.
Steady the week
The days before- Sleep and hydrate normally. Nothing extreme in either direction.
- Keep your carbohydrate intake consistent. Every gram of stored glycogen binds three to four grams of water, which can inflate a lean mass reading by kilograms.
- No calcium supplements for 24 hours beforehand, as they can interfere with bone density readings.
Back off
24 hours before- No hard or strenuous training, especially resistance work. Easy movement is fine.
- No alcohol.
- No high-salt food, which encourages fluid retention.
Arrive ready
On the day- Fasted for 5 to 6 hours before your appointment. Water is fine throughout.
- No caffeine or stimulants: coffee, energy drinks, pre-workout. Where you safely can, skip cold and flu remedies too, as they raise your heart rate.
- Do not drink a large amount of water immediately beforehand.
- Empty your bladder shortly before you arrive.
- If you are feeling ill on the day, please let us know and we will reschedule your testing. Being unwell affects the accuracy of both your RMR and your VO2 Max results.
Planning around the fast
The fast and the caffeine are the two points to plan around. For a late morning slot, it is easiest to run your overnight fast straight through. For an early afternoon slot, have a light early breakfast and then water only. Later slots suit some people better, just bear in mind the longer stretch without caffeine.
Your last test is a maximal effort, so you might prefer a light snack between your RMR test and your VO2 Max test. This is entirely up to you. A five to six hour fast does not empty your muscles, so your VO2 max figure is not affected either way. If you do want something, twenty to thirty grams of fast carbohydrate, low in fat and fibre, is plenty: a banana, dates, a cereal bar or a gel.
06 / Kit
What to wear and bring.
The tests want different clothing, so bring both and change before your VO2 Max test. There is time built in, and the mobile clinic gives you somewhere private to do it.
For your scan and RMR
Loose, comfortable, no metal
Loose clothing with no metal in it. No zips, buttons or underwired bras, and avoid heavily elasticated fabric, which distorts the DEXA image.
Metal in clothing produces scan artifacts and can increase your bone density readings, so jewellery and watches off too, please.
Metal inside your body is not a problem. The scan will not heat an implant and carries no risk. Just tell us it is there.
For your VO2 Max test
Proper sports kit and trainers
Change into the kit you would normally train in, with the support you would normally wear. A sports bra is fine here, and you will be more comfortable for a maximal effort in proper kit than in whatever you wore for the scan.
Running trainers rather than casual shoes, as you will be on a treadmill at full effort.
Tie long hair up so the mask can seal properly.
Changing between tests
Just say the word. We will give you the time and the space, and it is a much better experience than trying to find one outfit that suits everything.
Also bring
A water bottle, a small towel, a book if you would like something to read during your RMR test, a light snack, and your inhaler if you use one.
07 / Safety
Please tell us if.
Your safety comes first, and the VO2 Max test is a maximal effort. Let us know before or on the day if any of these apply to you.
- You feel unwell or have any infection. If you wake up ill, contact us to reschedule rather than push through.
- You are carrying an injury.
- You take beta-blockers or any heart or blood-pressure medication. Never stop taking medication, just tell us, as it affects your heart-rate response.
- You have a heart condition or any history of chest pain.
- You are pregnant, or think you might be.
- You have any metal implants or breast implants, as both can affect your bone density readings. We can still scan you, we simply need to know.
- Anything else has changed since you completed your questionnaire.
08 / Afterwards
What you walk away with.
Before you leave
Your preliminary VO2 max figure and a first look at your data, talked through with your practitioner.
Within 2 working days
Your full reports for all three tests by email, with every metric explained and personalised recommendations written for your goals.
- Body composition and body fat percentage. Clinically measured, not estimated from a handheld device or a set of scales.
- DEXA. Bone density, visceral fat and muscle mass, mapped region by region. What your bathroom scale cannot tell you.
- RMR. Your measured resting calorie burn, and accurate targets for fat loss or muscle gain with the guesswork removed.
- VO2 Max. Your aerobic engine measured, an established longevity marker, plus training zones and a fat max zone you can put straight to work.
Testing again in future? Book a similar time of day, and keep your nutrition, hydration and training in the 2 working days beforehand as close as you can to this first visit. Consistency is what makes the second set of numbers a fair comparison.
09 / Repeat testing
Tracking over time? Consistency is everything.
These tests measure your body exactly as it is presented on the day. Lean mass and total weight are sensitive to hydration, glycogen and stomach contents, your metabolic rate moves with food, caffeine and recent training, and your VO2 result moves with sleep and fatigue. Ensuring consistency is key to accurate longitudinal monitoring.
Make your next visit comparable
Book a similar time of day, and keep the same fasting window. Repeat your nutrition, hydration, training and sleep in the 2 working days beforehand as closely as you can.
Follow the same protocol every time and a change in your numbers means a real change in you, rather than a difference in how you arrived.
Questions before the day?
Reply to your confirmation email. Your confirmation email also carries your specific location, address and arrival details, along with your medical questionnaire link.
TELOMYX / Data, not guesswork