How do you find your lactic acid threshold?

Question

I'm a runner and would like a better understanding of how your lactic acid threshold can improve training. Also, is there a formula to find out what it is?

Answer 1

First some background information to help you understand what is going on. Our bodies are pretty robust. As such, depending on the conditions our bodies experience, our cells are able to produce energy through two different respiration processes: aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen). When your body has plenty of oxygen, it undergoes an aerobic process where lots of energy is produced. When your oxygen levels are depleted or just low, you can still get energy through an anaerobic process by making lactic acid, but not as much as the aerobic approach. During anaerobic respiration, if too much lactic acid is produced, then some of it gets leaked out into your muscles and impairs their function by making you fatigued and sore. Clearly, this is a condition you want to avoid.

As an athlete, you want to work as hard as possible without your body having lactic acid buildup. The lactic acid threshold is the point where your body has greater production of lactic acid than it can remove, resulting in accumulation of lactic acid. The lactic acid (or anaerobic) threshold is arguably a good indication of the highest sustainable work rate.

Accurately measuring the anaerobic threshold involves taking blood samples, normally involving a prick to the finger, during an exercise routine and measuring the concentration of lactic acid in your blood. Other non-invasive approaches are out there, but they are still very involved. For most people, even the non-invasive approaches are too much for an accurate reading, so they will settle for an estimate. The lactic acid threshold is normally somewhere between 80% and 90% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) in trained athletes. To figure out the optimal heart rate (more or less), you have to just go out and run at a specific heart rate and see whether you feel sore afterwards.

So how does all of this information help you become a better athlete? Training between 80% and 90% of your MHR will raise your lactic acid threshold. Also, repeated training sessions working at or near your lactic acid threshold increases the production of enzymes that buffer and remove lactic acid from the blood and tissues. Finally, raising your lactic acid threshold will permit you to perform higher intensity exercise without fatigue and soreness.

Now that I have told you everything I know about the lactic acid threshold, I have to tell you that I know of very few sports enthusiasts who pay much attention to all of these details. For me, it's something that I just like to keep in the back of my mind. Even if you're a professional athlete, I imagine that all of this is not as important as just going out there and working hard at what you love to do. However, if you're interested, there is the information, and I hope it is helpful. Good luck on improving your performance.

Answer 2

While I didn't see how those other answers helped very much, (I didn't really read them through either) but it seems as if they didn't know what you were talking about? Unless I interpreted your question wrong... BUT what I know about L.T. threshold is that it is the point where lactic acid production is equal to lactic acid removal. So basically no lactic acid builds up. I should probably read up on it some more, but if you want to read a lot about it, just click the link in my sources thing. You can really learn a lot there if you click on the "Training" link.

Answer 3

Get a heart rate monitor. I recommend the nike triax 8. (I am sure there are other ones just as good out there, but this is the one i use) Keep increasing the intensity until you start to feel unsustainable pain in the legs that will prevent you from continuing that pace for an extended period of time. Whatever your heart rate is at that point, that is your threshold. You need to train at this level gradually once a week, try to go for as long as possible 1 or 2 beats above your previously calculated threshold hr. I am not an expert but this is the way I have been training recently. As an example, over the last two months I have increased my LA threshold hr from 178 to 184.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 4

If you're strolling sixty one, then a fifty seven does not consider too dangerous till someplace later within the race. That is a tremendous drop in time. Why no longer check out a fifty nine or 60 and notice if you'll be able to come again with a sixty one. It is larger to run even instead than move out too quick and wish you do not gradual down an excessive amount of the moment lap. Some workout routines might be strain staying power periods. You can run repeat 400s at race speed with three mins rests, do three to four. Run 2x500 at race speed with five mins leisure. Run 2x1000 coming by way of the 800 approximately five seconds slower than your race speed, with 10 to fifteen mins leisure. A well time trial is to run six hundred take one million minute leisure at that spot then dash the 2 hundred. The whole time is what you will have to be in a position to race within the 800. If you wish to race one million:fifty eight move out in fifty nine, run the 3rd 2 hundred at speed after which conclude. If you'll be able to do the fourth 2 hundred in 29 it's going to seem like you're kicking in due to the fact everybody else is slowing.

Answer 5

eh... well all runners who get really serious into their sport start to try to focus on things that are overly detailed.

lactic acid as I'm sure you know is built up on your muscles by working out and so on and so forth,

i am not sure really what specific you are looking for with finding your lactic acid "threshold"

why lactic acid is bad:
lactic acid makes it harder to move oxygen to your muscles, this causes fatigue and pain. fatigue causes you to loose coordination, which causes you to slow down, and exponentially increases the chance of injury.

in addressing fatigue: longer work outs, sustained pace. etc.
what events are you running? basically put in work; you get out what you put in.
in addressing pain: well, you just have to suck it up.

to help with lactic build up, drink lots of water, stretch stretch STRETCH! plus electrolyte drinks.
careful of Gatorade thought, it is loaded with unnecessary sugars and such. I use and recommend GU2O. it is a sports drink mix that is highly efficient and effective. (if you do decide to go with Gatorade, i strongly recommending "cutting" it, that is 50% water 50% Gatorade)