Resting Metabolic Rate Test

Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - What is it and why should I test?

Accurate measuring of Resting Metabolic Rate (also known as the amount of calories you burn while at rest) is critical in determining the exact caloric intake your body requires to optimise your health goals. People who are trying to lose fat for example, tend to starve themselves. However, this can be counterproductive and trigger the body into famine response mode, leading it to hold onto fat at the expense of metabolism boosting muscle.

Increasing your training load to pack on muscle, while not eating enough calories to meet your RMR and training needs can lead to exhaustion and also to the loss of lean muscle mass. So getting an accurate measurement of how many calories your body needs in a day will be vital to achieve your body composition goals and maintain good health and wellbeing.

Get an individual measurement, rather than a prediction

A number of prediction formulas exist to estimate resting metabolic rate. These formulas are often used in gyms since indirect calorimetry may be impractical and require special training and expensive equipment. While prediction equations might be statistically valid across a large number of subjects in a scientific study, they may not necessarily be accurate when applied to an individual.

For example, if your estimated resting metabolic rate is 10% higher (2200 calories) than an actual measurement of 2000 calories, the extra 200 calories per day could translate to 9.5 kilograms of weight gain over one year.

How does the RMR testing technology work?

To burn 1 calorie 208.06 millilitres of oxygen is required. Our CardioCoach Metabolic Rate Analysis System by KORR™ can precisely measure the difference in concentration of oxygen in the inspired and expired air during a resting breathing cycle. It also accounts for factors such as temperature, pressure, and humidity in order to get the most accurate results possible. Generating a complete report including calories burnt at rest as well as your daily energy requirements.

What happens on the day of the test?

After following the test preparation instructions below, on the day of your appointment all you will have to do is lying back on a comfortable position and rest for 15-20 minutes, during this time you will be asked to breathe in a disposable mouthpiece connected to the RMR Analysis System. Your results will be ready as soon as the test finishes will be explained in detail.