Improving Lactate Threshold
Predicting Endurance Performance - Part 3
Few cyclists have not experienced the heavy, burning sensation in the quads if we go too hard on a hill or sprint flat out for a town sign. For a short while we feel like;
· Our legs are “thick” and “cement-like”
· Breathing is becoming uncontrollably hard
· Effort is escalating faster than pace
· We cannot hold the intensity for long
In short, we all ride above our lactate clearance capacity, sometimes.
Last week I looked at the second of the three aspects of endurance performance that matter when it comes to predicting how fast, or the ease with which, we can ride our bikes.
Based on recent research, I looked at what makes the difference between elite and pro-athletes and the rest of us. These are the Three Key Elements of Endurance Performance
· Our VO2 Max: Also called maximal oxygen consumption or maximal aerobic capacity, is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption attainable during physical exertion, this is our aerobic ceiling.
· Oxygen Economy: How much oxygen we are using to produce a given amount of power or to ride at a particular speed, sometimes referred to as the Oxygen cost.
· Threshold: This is how much of that ceiling we can use and how long we can sustain that effort, in effect, the fractional usage of our VO2 Max at our lactate threshold
Here is a link to the first article in case you missed it. Performance
The new research indicated that Vo2 Max is the best predictor of endurance performance by some distance. Simply, the people with the biggest aerobic engine perform better.
VO2 Max and Oxygen Economy when taken together account for around 88 to 90% of our endurance performance. Our Lactate Threshold is the remaining 10 to 12%.
Improving our lactate threshold means increasing the highest pace or power we can sustain before lactate accumulates faster than our body can clear it.
Your threshold improves when your body gets better at:
· Clearing and recycling lactate
· Using oxygen efficiently in working muscles
· Recruiting more slow-twitch muscle fibres
· Producing energy aerobically at higher intensities
It is a common misnomer that the pain we feel as we cross our threshold and can no longer clear the lactate is due the build-up of Lactic Acid in the muscles.
In fact, it is the build-up of hydrogen ions as a byproduct of burning the fuel in our muscles that causes our quads to burn.
But lactate can be a valuable source of energy, rather than an annoying waste product that slows us down. This happens via something called the lactate shuttle.
The lactate shuttle is the process by which lactate is transported and reused as fuel
For years, lactate was blamed for fatigue. Now we know that lactate is actually an energy source that helps move energy around the body.
The best endurance athletes are not the ones who produce the least lactate, but the ones who recycle and use it most effectively.
The lactate shuttle is the body’s system for transporting lactate from where it is produced to where it can be used as fuel,
This allows energy to be recycled and helps athletes sustain higher intensities for longer.
When lactate production starts exceeding our ability to clear and reuse it (via the lactate shuttle), we are essentially crossing our lactate threshold
A well-trained endurance athlete becomes better at:
Producing lactate when needed
Transporting lactate efficiently
Oxidising (burning) lactate as fuel
Clearing lactate from the blood
This means they can sustain higher power or pace before lactate accumulates.
How do we train our bodies to deal better with the metabolic by-products that limit performance?
The research shows that the most effective training programs include:
1. Threshold Intervals (The ‘Gold Standard’)
Work slightly below to slightly above threshold. For example, 3 × 10 minutes of hard but controlled effort at threshold with 2–3 min recovery
2. Tempo Training
At an effort level that is a little easier than threshold, a 30–60 minutes continuous tempo ride will build aerobic durability
3. Long Endurance Sessions
Many athletes underestimate how much threshold depends on aerobic fitness generated by repeated longer, zone 2 efforts.
4. VO₂ Max Intervals
Working above threshold can help raise the ceiling. A higher VO₂ max often allows threshold to rise as well.
5. Strength Training Helps
Two sessions per week can improve threshold indirectly by improving muscular endurance and helping to delay fatigue
Nutrition Matters
Threshold sessions are fuelled primarily by carbohydrates. So before key threshold workouts make sure you have good glycogen stores and consider higher carbohydrate intake before and during longer efforts
How Long Does It Take to boost lactic threshold?
Most athletes notice Initial gains in 4–6 weeks and significant improvements in 8–12 weeks with consistent training.
For many endurance athletes, a simple weekly training formula that has been proven to work well would include:
80–90% easy aerobic training + 1 threshold workout/week + 1 VO₂ max workout/week + strength training = steady threshold improvement.
The final piece of the jigsaw of endurance performance is in place.
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While I have you, my new book - The Longer Road - The Rise of Long-Distance Cycling is now available to buy in both digital and paperback formats. Here is a link:
In addition, it is now possible to buy the e-book version at several other places including Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Fable and Bookshop.org. More coming soon.
Here is a link to the book at all the retailers who are currently stocking:
I hope you have a great weekend.
Best wishes
Mike