(RMR)Resting Metabolic rate testing, Cheshire
What is resting metabolic rate testing?
Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the amount of energy your body uses at rest to fuel vital functions like breathing, circulation, and repairing cells. It makes up the largest share of your daily calorie needs, and knowing it is the foundation of effective fuelling, recovery, and training.
With RMR testing using our VO₂ Master system, we measure your oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide output while you’re completely at rest. This not only gives you an accurate daily calorie requirement but also provides insights into your metabolism, showing how efficiently your body uses energy and whether you rely more on fats or carbohydrates at rest.
Unlike generic calculators or estimates, this test gives you a clear, personalised picture of your metabolism and energy needs, allowing you to fuel smarter, recover better, and adapt training and nutrition to your goals.
How RMR Testing Works — and What You’ll Gain
At The Injury & Performance Clinic, RMR testing is simple, non-invasive, and highly accurate. The testing process takes around 20 minutes and is designed to give you clarity you can actually use.
Step 1 – Consultation
We start with a short discussion about your goals, whether that’s performance, body composition, weight management, or overall health. We do this in order to ensure that the the results are applied in the right context and you get the most out of your session.
Step 2 – The Test
You’ll sit or lie down in a relaxed state while wearing a lightweight mask connected to our VO₂ Master analyser. Over the course of the test, the system measures the oxygen you consume and the carbon dioxide you exhale. From this, we calculate your true Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - the exact number of calories your body burns at rest.
But it goes further than that. The test also provides:
Substrate utilisation – the percentage of energy you’re deriving from fats vs. carbohydrates.
Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER) – a marker of your metabolic flexibility and fuel efficiency.
Breathing efficiency – including tidal volume (air per breath), breathing frequency, and total ventilation.
Cardiac and recovery markers – resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), which give insight into cardiovascular fitness and stress balance.
Together, these measurements provide a detailed snapshot of your metabolism, recovery state, and overall physiological health, far beyond what standard prediction equations or wearable devices can offer.
Step 3 – Results & Feedback
As soon as the test is complete, you’ll receive a clear breakdown of your daily energy requirements and metabolic profile. We’ll explain what it means for your nutrition and training, and how you can apply it straight away.
What you get out of it:
🔥 Accurate daily calorie needs – far more precise than online calculators.
⚖️ Metabolic insights – see how your body uses fats and carbs at rest.
🍎 Smarter fuelling strategies – align nutrition with training and recovery demands.
🛡️ Health & injury protection – reduce the risk of under-fuelling (RED-S) and its impact on health and performance.
📈 Progress tracking – repeat testing shows how your metabolism adapts as your training or body composition changes.
RMR testing gives you more than numbers, it gives you a blueprint for health, fuelling and training in a way that matches your body’s unique needs.
Click here to find out more in depth information about our testing procedure
Contact us.
Ready to take the next step toward a pain-free, high-performance life? Contact The Injury & Performance Clinic today to book your consultation with our specialists. Let us help you get back to doing what you love with confidence and strength.
Learn about our other Performance testing services
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Complete performance profiling
Our Athlete Performance Profiling is a sports specific and comprehensive way to understand your body and unlock peak performance. Combining VO₂ max testing for aerobic capacity, Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) for fuelling and recovery, and VALD Force Decks strength and biomechanics analysis for power and injury risk, we connect the dots between endurance, strength, and metabolism. The result is a clear, data-driven roadmap that helps you train smarter, recover better, and perform at your best.
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VO2 Max Testing
Our VO2 Max Testing gives you the gold standard measure of aerobic fitness, showing exactly how much oxygen your body can use during exercise. Using VO₂ Master technology, we identify your aerobic capacity, ventilatory thresholds, and personalised training zones, helping you fuel smarter, pace accurately, and unlock faster, more efficient cardiovascular performance
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Power and strength testing
Our ForcePlate & Dynamometry Testing with VALD technology provides precise insights into your strength, power, balance, and movement mechanics. By measuring asymmetries, force production, and control, we can identify weaknesses, reduce injury risk, and track progress over time. Whether you’re returning from injury or chasing peak performance, this data-driven approach takes the guesswork out of training and rehabilitation.