When it comes to measuring athletic performance and determining training strategies, the debate between lactate threshold (LT) and VO2 max has been ongoing. To shed light on this topic, let’s delve into the dynamics of each metric by examining graphs depicting the LT and VO2 max of different runners and cyclists.
Lactate Threshold Case Study
To better understand the dynamics for each of these metrics, consider the graphs below. The graphs depict two different runners and two different cyclists in relation to their LT and VO2 max. Note: for the purposes of this article, LT-2 is the same as LT. In reality, your body has multiple lactate thresholds (e.g., LT-1 corresponds to the initial presence of lactate in your blood during low-intensity exercise, while LT-2 corresponds to the excessive presence of lactate in your blood during high-intensity exercise. The latter is the more important of the two LTs for endurance athletes).
In the lefthand graph, Runner A’s VO2 max is 19km/h while his Lactate Threshold-2 is 13km/h, which corresponds to 68% of his VO2 max. Runner B’s VO2 max is 17km/h and his LT-2 is 14km/h, which corresponds to 82% of his VO2 max. Cyclist A and Cyclist B have very similar metrics compared to their respective runners.
If each set of these four athletes were to race each other, it appears very likely that Runner A and Cyclist A would be stronger in workouts related to VO2 max that last under 10 minutes. But in longer efforts, Runner B and Cyclist B would probably be stronger because their LT surpassed that of Runner A and Cyclist A.
The question is, if Runner A and Cyclist A were to specifically focus on LT development, would that change the outcome?
In the righthand graph, we can observe a new reality. Assuming that both runners and cyclists continue with the same VO2 max, the improved LT for Runner A and Cyclist A will not only make them stronger in shorter efforts, but also in longer workouts or races. As previously mentioned, LT is highly trainable, but it is limited by VO2 max.
How to Develop Your VO2 Max
As previously mentioned, genetics has a large impact on VO2 max, but with the right training, Due to the high-intensity workouts that athletes need to face at VO2 max — which is close to the maximum heart rate for some — good aerobic and muscular adaptations need to be secured before starting to work at this level.
Typical VO2 max workouts are built using repetitions that are sustained from 1 to 5 minutes, with active recovery between 50% to 100% of the duration of the repetition (with a total volume of 10 to 20 minutes at VO2 max). The pace is very similar to the 2-3 km race pace for runners.
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