Fitness Laboratory

The science and support you need to set and reach your fitness goals

The Fitness Laboratory offers the most advanced science available today to evaluate body composition, cardiovascular health, biomechanical motion, metabolism and nutrition. It is located in Buffalo Hospital's Sister Kenny® Sports & Physical Therapy Center connected to Gold's Gym. There's also a mobile fitness lab to conduct assessments in the community.

Your daily caloric needs. With the metabolic rate assessment, we measure your resting metabolic rate and determine the balance between your daily caloric intake and the calories you burn. We also provide sample meal plans to help ensure you are eating a balanced diet and can successfully attain your weight goal in a healthy manner.

Your aerobic capacity. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂) determines the optimal intensity and duration for an exercise program. By evaluating your body's ability to carry oxygen to your muscles and to remove carbon dioxide, VO₂ measures your cardiovascular endurance and defines maximal fitness level and ideal heart-rate training zones. VO₂ max allows you to monitor changes in your level of aerobic fitness by measuring your cardiovascular endurance and defining:

• Ideal heart rate training zones.
• An ideal starting duration and level of intensity for exercising.
• Anaerobic training threshold and maximal fitness level.

Your athletic form. Biomechanical motion analysis evaluates your motions while performing your sport of choice to identify problems that may lead to injuries as well as improve repetitive patterns to increase performance. You will receive a copy of your analysis on CD and typical applications include:

• Running gait analysis.
• Weight lifting mechanics.
• Throwing analysis.
• Golf/tennis swing analysis.

Your body fat and muscle composition. Body composition analysis is performed using a DEXA scan (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) to screen your whole body and provide a breakdown of fat and muscle within each body part.

Your nutrition. Consult with a licensed dietitian who will assess your daily caloric intake and recommend dietary and nutritional changes to help ensure a balanced, healthy diet. An initial consult will include an analysis of your nutrition habits, including fat, protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals, eating patterns and supplements.

The Fitness Laboratory and the King Wellness Center are part of DAAN™ Buffalo Hospital Foundation's healthy living initiative.