Exercise prior to testingUpdated 9 months ago
In general, we recommend avoiding strenuous exercise for 48 hours prior to testing. This is because strenuous exercise can temporarily impact some markers, and we want your results to accurately reflect your body's typical state.
What is strenuous exercise?
Strenuous exercise is anything that may cause considerable strain on your body. If you feel particularly sore the day after exercise, it is best to wait for a day in your training schedule that you would feel most recovered to schedule your blood draw. For example, it would be best to test the day after a recovery day if you have 1-2 days of recovery per week.
What markers are impacted by exercise?
Markers that are impacted by exercise include:
- Liver enzymes (CK, ALT, and AST)
- hsCRP
- Cortisol
Research has shown that strenuous exercise may elevate these markers, with them returning to their normal state within 24-48 hours of recovery. If you're regularly participating in strenuous exercise, then it's likely that these markers are constantly elevated. In this case, you should test at any time that is convenient as we will offer an accurate analysis of your markers based on your regular state.
I regularly participate in endurance exercise
If you typically run, cycle, or participate in endurance exercise you should test at the time that is most convenient for you in your exercise schedule. Avoid testing after excessive or strenuous workouts if you can.
I follow a strict exercise schedule and am training for a competitive event
If you're training for something and want to understand how InsideTracker can help, we recommend avoiding testing the day after your most intense training day if possible. However, any time within your training schedule should still yield results consistent with your daily training load.
I'm a professional athlete- when is the best time for me to test?
If you're a professional athlete and follow a training schedule, we recommend avoiding testing the day after a strenuous effort or competitive event. For example, if you have an event on Saturday, avoid testing on Sunday. It would be best to test on a lighter training day where you feel most recovered, but whatever time is most convenient for you should still yield results consistent with your daily training load.
You can find more information about how markers are impacted by exercise in our InsideGuide: