Canada’s Largest Advanced Health Tracking Service

I booked a VO₂max test with BodyStats in Gastown and prepared carefully, including avoiding strenuous exercise for two days beforehand as recommended. I arrived 15 minutes early for my Saturday 1 p.m. appointment, but the door was locked. After knocking and waiting outside for several minutes, I was eventually admitted.

The technician informed me that it was his first day on the job. I expected that, even as a new employee, he would have been properly trained and comfortable with the equipment and testing protocol. Unfortunately, that was not my experience.

The face mask harness had to be adjusted five or six times before it was properly fitted. The technician also had difficulty operating the chest monitoring strap and had to call someone for assistance. During the test, while I was actively exercising and trying to match the required watt output, he reached between the moving handles and turned off the monitor that displayed the wattage information I needed to pace my effort.

At that point, the test was effectively compromised. I could no longer see the information required to perform the test correctly. The technician acknowledged that it was his mistake and offered to let me restart immediately or reschedule.

However, restarting immediately was not a realistic option. A VO₂max test is a demanding maximal effort test, and I had already completed more than half of a compromised test. My body was already under significant exertional stress, and the preparation required beforehand meant I could not simply repeat the test properly on the spot.

My concern is not that a new employee made a mistake — mistakes can happen. My concern is that a technician performing a specialized physiological assessment was not adequately supervised during his first day, and the result was an invalid test and a significant inconvenience for the customer.

I now have to wait several weeks for another appointment that fits the required preparation schedule. I hope BodyStats reviews its training and supervision procedures so that future clients receive the level of service and quality control expected for this type of assessment.