A blood lactate test is a reliable guide to safe and effective training for athletes. It helps the athlete to avoid under or overtraining, which can lead to exhaustion. This is a hugely beneficial marker in the success, or otherwise, of an individual’s sports performance. Lactate for an athlete is a source of fuel. The more an athlete trains, the higher their lactate threshold will be. Therefore,
the higher the intensity of training, the more the body produces blood lactate at higher intensities. This onset of rapid blood lactate accumulation is known as anaerobic threshold or lactate threshold. To determine an individual’s lactate threshold, the athlete will perform a set of tests. These involve taking the training intensity up in stages, such as on a treadmill or cycle ergometer. These tests indicate a rise in lactate when the athlete reaches a high level of effort. This is the point at which the athlete reaches their anaerobic/lactate threshold. It is the high level of effort and demand for high energy that produces lactate faster than the body’s tissues are able to remove it. Consequently, the lactate concentration in the blood rises. With such high concentrations of blood lactate, an individual will start to feel muscle aches and pains and even cramp. Furthermore, fatigue starts to set in, and the person feels they cannot carry on training or racing anymore. At LTZones we have the facility to perform such testing and providing you with the data which will help you and your coach set your individual training zones based on your Aerobic Threshold (LT1) and Anaerobic Threshold (LT2).
