The Four Fitness Tests That Pushed Joe Holder to His Limits
Jacob Harris
Arriving at the LeBron James building on the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Oregon, which houses the massive Nike Sports Research Lab (NSRL), I’m reminded that Nike has always been a bit of a tech company, scheming up ways to improve and push the limits of what the human body can do in sports. As an athlete, I work closely with Nike and test gear that’s a result of the tests happening at the NSRL. So, heading up to the Paris Olympics, I was invited to see how the innovation happens and test new Nike products coming out for the 2024 Olympics.
I chatted briefly with John Hoke, Nike’s Chief Innovation Officer, before heading into the NSRL. He corrected me when I raised my insight about Nike being a tech company, calling the brand an “imagination company." To him, that’s the company's magic, and the Olympics is an opportunity to show that.
Historically, the Swoosh has a knack for crafting a little magic when it comes to the Olympics. They connect the athlete with an innovation, which somehow seems to trickle into culture. Flyknit, which changed how sneakers were made, created a huge splash at the 2012 London Olympics, appearing everywhere from bras to the Kobes, and got an additional boost when Ye wore the Nike Flyknit Trainer. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio the internet was buzzing when Ashton Eaton, arguably one of the greatest and most underrated athletes to ever live, donned a custom cooling helmet that made him look like a superhero as he completed in the decathlon.
The Vaporfly 4% was secretly soft-launched as a prototype at the 2016 Olympics, which caused “super shoes” to burst on the scene. The shoes helped Eliud Kipchoge push human potential in his attempt to break two hours in the marathon, win gold in the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, and has set off a whole influx into recreational running in no doubt helped by Virgil Abloh making the ZoomFly part of his iconic Ten series and providing a signed pair to Kipchoge himself. As such, marathons are now being called the new “fashion weeks.” The organic combination of athlete, plus product innovation, plus cultural maven seems to always end up making sport and fitness a little bit more “cool.”
Speaking of cool, when I walked into the NSRL, I low-key got chills. The place is crazy. It's 84,000 square feet, with climate control chambers, a basketball court and soccer fields with sensors to measure athlete movement, a 200-meter track, 400-plus sensor cameras, and robots testing out shoes. The list goes on. “There's an infinite number of combinations [of metrics you can track]. The tools are finite. What you do with the tools is basically infinite,” says Matthew Nurse, vice president of the NSRL at Nike.
With so many tools at the brand’s disposal, it can be tricky to know which approach to product innovation to take. For example, Nurse says the scientists weren’t actually looking to make people faster with the Vaporfly 4%. They were trying to make them fatigue slower and improve efficiency. “We started working on fatigue for running, which became the Vaporfly and all the work that led to Breaking2—[an initiative to break a sub-two-hour marathon]—because we thought we knew we had cracked something.”
Always down to be the guinea pig, I signed myself up to go through the wringer, putting on various gadgets as the team of sports scientists took note. From jumping on specialized plates to running in a climate-controlled chamber with a heat source meant to mimic an artificial sun, here are a few insights you can take away from the tests I did in the NSRL and apply to become a better version of yourself.
VO2 Max Test
What it is: VO2 max measures the maximum amount of oxygen you can deliver to your muscles and use during cardiovascular exercise. For this test, I put on a mask that looks straight out of a sci-fi film (it has to fit tightly so all the gasses you breathe in and out are able to be measured) and was instructed to pick up speed every minute or so until I couldn’t run any longer. The test usually takes between 10 to 15 minutes—and while lots of wearables give you an idea of your VO2 Max, for the most accurate reading you need to visit a place where you can be hooked up to this sci-fi equipment, too.
Why is it important: VO2 max is strongly correlated with running performance and because of this, elite runners often use this measurement, coupled with others, such as lactate threshold and their body composition, to create a training plan to help improve their times.
Key takeaway: While it doesn’t hurt to know your VO2 max, the point here is to accept that our fitness level has a strong connection to our performance and well-being. In a time when everyone wants to focus on metrics, what you need to focus on is doing the work. If you improve your fitness, you’re likely to improve your VO2 max. After maxing out in the NSRL, I was told mine is pretty good. I focus on a mix of low-intensity cardio and higher-intensity running intervals between 2 and 4 minutes. You can find one of my favorite workouts here.
Force Plate Test
What it is: A force plate is a sensor that measures the force you put into the ground during specific movements such as jumping, running, or balancing. We did a few movements, including vertical jumps and single-leg balance.
Why it is important: This test can provide insight into everything from your dynamic strength to your body's symmetry. Utilizing the data from this test, a coach can devise a more robust training program to help target any weak links that might increase the chance of injury or, in the case of Nike, specific footwear that might improve outcomes.
Key Takeaway: Most of us will never need to test on a force plate, but it’s part of why we should focus on balance, an overlooked athleticism component. As we get older, we tend to lose our ability to balance and work through full ranges of motion–something force plates told me I needed to improve 5 years ago when I first tested on them, and I have been diligently working to improve since. Research suggests that the inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in mid to later life is linked to an increased chance of death. One of my old coaches suggested brushing my teeth and adding the challenge of just doing it on one leg to improve my balance. Guess he was on to something.
Climate Control Chambers
What it is: These chambers are steel-enclosed structures where the environment can be altered by changing everything from the temperature to humidity and having the athlete exercise accordingly in these conditions. This one, I have to admit, was trippy! Nothing like heat fans and solar panels to transport me from Oregon to Paris where athletes will soon compete for Olympic gold. It felt similar to a hot and humid NYC summer day, so I started to sweat very quickly.
Why it is Important: Sweat is a fascinating adaptation, and humans do it exceptionally well, which is why it is so key to stay hydrated. Sweat cools us down through evaporative cooling, which means that if sweat doesn’t actually dissipate from the surface of our skin, we won’t cool down. This is the point of technical fibers, such as Nike Dri-fit, to help the body evaporate sweat faster and provide their athletes with an advantage.
Key Takeaway: Sweat does not just cool us down but also feeds the healthy bacteria on our skin. It can almost act as an antibiotic-adjacent agent, which might help improve the health of your skin. Exposing yourself to certain conditions can actually improve your ability to sweat and the size of your sweat glands. Pro runners competing in hot climates will often choose to do so in a climate equivalent to the one in which their race is being held.
The Bottom Line
The human body's capability is beyond our wildest dreams, and the innate innovation that our body has built is something to behold. If you’re willing to put in a little effort your body will adapt in wonderful ways. What better payoff than living longer and feeling better as you do? As much as the shoes and everything else might help, nothing will work unless the athlete—that’s you—is willing to push their capabilities. Perhaps Nike’s next great innovation coming out of the NSRL will convince more people of that notion so we all care of ourselves a little better. Until then, we’ll just have to try out their next progeny in the super shoe family tree, the Pegasus Premium, and watch the excitement that comes out of Paris this summer for the 2024 Olympics.
Originally Appeared on GQ
