The Bespoke Sports Panel measures a full blood count, creatine kinase, urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium and calcium. Training, muscle mass, hydration and diet all influence these results, which is why they can be hard to read in active people without that context.
The panel does not measure fitness, recovery or readiness to train. Results are best interpreted alongside what you did in the days before the sample.
What is measured
- Full blood count: red cells, haemoglobin, white cells and platelets
- Creatine kinase (CK): an enzyme released from muscle
- Urea and creatinine: waste products cleared by the kidneys
- Sodium, potassium and calcium: electrolytes for fluid balance, nerves and muscle
Useful for
- A baseline during a settled training period, for later comparison
- Understanding how muscle mass or creatine supplements affect creatinine
- Results to discuss with a GP or sports medicine clinician
Sample: venous blood. Biomarkers: seven tests; the full blood count reports several values. Price includes: laboratory analysis and the laboratory's results report with reference ranges. Interpretation is optional and priced separately.
Bespoke Sports Panel
- Full blood count (measured by analyser): haemoglobin, red cell count, haematocrit, red cell indices, white cell count and types, and platelets. Exact parameters depend on the laboratory.
- Creatine kinase (measured): muscle enzyme; rises after strain or injury.
- Creatinine (measured): muscle-derived waste product used to estimate kidney filtration.
- Urea (measured): reflects protein intake, hydration and kidney function.
- Sodium (measured): reflects water balance.
- Potassium (measured): heart and muscle function; sensitive to sample handling.
- Calcium (measured): total calcium.
eGFR is calculated from creatinine, age and sex. It is not listed in this panel, though some laboratories report it automatically. Ferritin, liver enzymes and magnesium are not included.
Blood cells and plasma volume
Endurance training expands plasma volume more than red cell mass, so haemoglobin concentration can read slightly lower in trained athletes. A review in Frontiers in Physiology describes this "sports anaemia" as not a true anaemia. Running can also destroy some red cells through foot strike, while a hard session without enough fluid briefly concentrates the blood. Genuine iron deficiency still occurs in active people, so a low haemoglobin should not simply be put down to training.
Creatine kinase
CK helps muscle regenerate energy and leaks into the blood when fibres are strained. Clinical chemistry reviews call it one of the most useful markers of muscle injury, while noting wide variation in healthy people. Unaccustomed or eccentric exercise, such as downhill running, produces the largest rises, which can last several days. Age, sex, ethnicity, muscle mass and training history all affect CK.
Urea and creatinine
Creatinine comes from creatine in muscle and is cleared by the kidneys, making it the standard marker for estimating kidney filtration. More muscle means more creatinine, and recent meat and creatine supplements raise it further. Urea, formed when protein is broken down, rises with high protein intake and dehydration.
Electrolytes
Sodium governs where water sits in the body. Potassium is mainly inside cells, and small changes in blood levels can affect heart rhythm. Calcium is tightly regulated and needed for nerve and muscle function. An international consensus statement identifies drinking more than the body loses as the main cause of low sodium during endurance events, and recommends drinking to thirst.
Reference ranges come from the general population, not people in heavy training, so active people can fall outside them without illness. Comparison with your own earlier results, taken under similar conditions, is often more useful.
Blood count
A slightly low haemoglobin in an endurance athlete may reflect plasma expansion, and a high one may follow dehydration. A clearly low or falling haemoglobin needs medical review. Without ferritin, iron stores cannot be judged from this panel.
Creatine kinase
CK above the reference limit is common after hard training and usually settles with rest. There is no agreed athletic range, so the timing of your last session matters. A persistently raised CK at rest needs further assessment, and statins can also raise it.
Severe muscle pain or weakness with dark, tea-coloured urine after exercise can signal rhabdomyolysis and needs same-day care through NHS 111, an urgent treatment centre or A&E.
Creatinine and urea
NICE NG203 advises caution with creatinine-based eGFR at extremes of muscle mass, as high muscle mass makes kidney function look lower than it is. NICE also advises confirming a first eGFR below 60 with a repeat test within two weeks, and recommends a urine albumin to creatinine ratio (not included here) for fuller assessment. A raised urea with normal creatinine often reflects protein intake or dehydration.
Electrolytes
Sodium below about 135 mmol/L is hyponatraemia. Headache, vomiting, confusion or seizures during or after an endurance event need emergency care: call 999. A high potassium is often caused by red cells breaking down during collection or a processing delay, and is usually repeated before being acted on. Calcium is commonly adjusted for albumin, which is not listed in this panel.
If a result needs medical attention, we will advise you to see your GP and, with your consent, Juvenology can write to them. Do not change any prescribed medicine on the basis of these results.
Many people who train regularly have only had these tests when unwell. Results taken during a stable training period give a reference point that is often more informative than one value against a population range.
- Endurance training: plasma volume and red cell turnover change the blood count.
- Strength training: muscle mass and creatine use raise creatinine, and a known baseline can avoid worry over a later "raised" result.
- Heat and long events: sweating and fluid intake shift electrolytes.
May be useful if
- you train regularly and want baseline results for comparison
- you take creatine or eat a high-protein diet and want context for creatinine and urea
- a clinician has suggested these tests
May not be the right choice if
- you have severe muscle pain, weakness or dark urine after exercise: seek same-day care
- you have chest pain, palpitations or fainting on exertion: stop training and see a doctor promptly
- you have known kidney or heart disease, where monitoring belongs with your care team
- you want to know whether you are overtraining: no blood panel can answer that alone
This is not an anti-doping test.
Established: creatinine and eGFR are standard kidney function tests at any age. Because creatinine depends on muscle, its meaning shifts as muscle mass changes, which is why the eGFR equation includes age and sex. Statins, more often used in later life, can raise CK or cause muscle symptoms.
Limits: most research on CK in exercise involves young, trained adults, and there are no validated "healthy ageing" targets for these markers. The panel does not measure fitness, muscle quality or biological age.
- Training: avoid hard or unfamiliar exercise for a few days beforehand, unless you want post-exercise values, and note what you did that week.
- Meat: NICE advises no meat in the 12 hours before a creatinine-based kidney test.
- Supplements and medicines: tell us about creatine, protein products, statins, diuretics or blood pressure tablets. Keep taking anything prescribed.
- Fluids: drink normally; avoid both dehydration and large extra volumes before the sample.
- Fasting: not required.
- Injury or illness: a recent muscle injury, fall, intramuscular injection or infection can affect CK or the blood count.
Choose how your sample is taken when you book. We confirm the collection option, any collection fee and the expected turnaround time before you book.
- Juvenology Clinic, Maidstone (82 King Street, Maidstone ME14 1BH): Available.
- Partner collection location, including London: Available on request. We confirm availability for your postcode before you book.
- Postal home finger-prick kit: Ask before ordering. We offer a home kit only where the laboratory confirms this test is suitable for a finger-prick sample.
Sample: Venous blood sample (whole blood for the full blood count; serum or plasma for the chemistry tests, as confirmed by the laboratory)
Collection notes: Avoid hard or unfamiliar training for a few days beforehand and meat for 12 hours (creatinine). No fasting needed. Potassium is prone to false elevation from haemolysis and transit delay, so a promptly processed venous sample is preferred; a postal finger-prick kit is offered only if the laboratory confirms every test is suitable.
The price of this test covers laboratory analysis and the laboratory's results report. The report lists each result beside the laboratory's reference range.
Beyond the blood test: optional support, priced separately
- Personalised written interpretation report: £50
- General consultation: £50
- Results consultation (results discussion and follow-up advice): £100
- Personalised programme: from £150, after we assess whether a programme suits you
Consultations are with Marina, an NMC-registered nurse with an Executive MSc in Longevity from the Geneva College of Longevity Science. She explains what your results show and how they relate to lifestyle. No prescription service is offered with these tests.
If a result suggests you need medical follow-up, we will recommend that you see your GP and, with your consent, can provide a letter to take with you. A blood test cannot rule out every condition. If you have symptoms, speak to your GP or NHS 111, and call 999 in an emergency.
Will this tell me if I am overtraining?
No single blood marker reliably diagnoses overtraining or measures recovery. These results show whether values have moved from your baseline, which can inform a conversation with a coach or clinician.
My CK was high. Should I worry?
A raised CK is common after intense or unfamiliar exercise and often settles with a few days' rest; a clinician may suggest a repeat. Severe muscle pain, weakness or dark urine needs same-day care.
Does creatine affect my results?
Yes. Creatine supplements raise creatinine and can make eGFR look lower than true kidney function. Please tell us if you take them.
Is interpretation included in the price?
The price covers analysis and the laboratory's report. You can add an optional personalised written interpretation report (£50) or a results consultation (£100).
Can I use a home finger-prick kit?
Only if the laboratory confirms every test is suitable. Potassium is easily raised falsely by finger-prick collection and transit delays, so a promptly processed venous sample is usually more reliable.
- Mairbäurl H. Red blood cells in sports: effects of exercise and training on oxygen supply by red blood cells. Frontiers in Physiology, 2013;4:332. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2013.00332
- Brancaccio P, Lippi G, Maffulli N. Biochemical markers of muscular damage. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 2010;48(6):757–767. https://doi.org/10.1515/CCLM.2010.179
- Baird MF, Graham SM, Baker JS, Bickerstaff GF. Creatine-kinase- and exercise-related muscle damage implications for muscle performance and recovery. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2012;2012:960363. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/960363
- Hew-Butler T, Rosner MH, et al. Statement of the 3rd International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, Carlsbad, California, 2015. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015;49(22):1432. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/22/1432
- Chronic kidney disease: assessment and management (NG203). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2021. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203
- eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate). Lab Tests Online UK (Association for Laboratory Medicine), accessed 2026. https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/egfr-calc-creatinine-clearance
- Electrolytes. Lab Tests Online UK (Association for Laboratory Medicine), accessed 2026. https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/electrolytes
