For cyclists aiming to push their performance, improving your lactate threshold (LT) is crucial. Whether you’re competing in road races, tackling time trials, or simply trying to improve your overall endurance, a higher lactate threshold can make a significant difference.
Lactate threshold is the point at which your body starts producing lactate faster than it can clear it from the bloodstream. When this happens, fatigue builds up quickly, and your power output drops. By raising your LT, you can ride harder for longer before reaching this point of fatigue.
Key Benefits of Improving Lactate Threshold:
- Increased Endurance
- With a higher lactate threshold, you can sustain higher intensities for longer periods, a crucial factor in road racing or long climbs. This helps you maintain speed without tiring too quickly.
- Reduced Fatigue
- Raising your LT means your muscles can handle lactate better, reducing the onset of fatigue. This allows you to stay in control and keep your legs fresh for a more extended part of the ride.
- Better Energy Efficiency
- As you improve your lactate threshold, your body becomes more efficient at using oxygen. This increased efficiency helps you maintain high speeds during sub-threshold efforts, like maintaining a strong tempo during a sportive or a long climb.
- Increased FTP (Functional Threshold Power)
- A higher lactate threshold directly boosts your FTP—the power you can sustain over an hour. An increased FTP is key for time trials, hilly terrain, and breakaways where you need sustained power.
- Faster Recovery Between Efforts
- A better LT not only helps with sustained efforts but also allows for quicker recovery between bursts of power. This is especially beneficial for interval training, criteriums, or races with frequent surges and climbs.
How to Test Your Lactate Threshold
There are several ways to test your lactate threshold, with lab testing being the most accurate. This typically involves a graded exercise test, where the intensity is increased progressively while blood lactate levels are measured at each stage. However, field tests can also give you a good estimate.
A common method for cyclists is the 20-minute FTP test. This involves riding as hard as you can for 20 minutes and calculating 95% of your average power to estimate your FTP, which correlates well with your LT.
Alternatively, if you have access to a sports lab, lactate threshold can be measured using two key markers:
- LT1 (Aerobic Threshold): This is the point at which lactate starts to accumulate slightly above baseline levels. It’s often considered your endurance pace, ideal for long, steady efforts.
- LT2 (Anaerobic Threshold): This is the more commonly known threshold, where lactate begins to accumulate rapidly, leading to fatigue. LT2 is often close to your FTP and reflects your ability to sustain high-intensity efforts.
The Scientific Research:
- Meyer et al.: Research on the impact of lactate threshold on endurance sports, highlighting how raising LT can improve cycling performance.
- Faude et al.: This study emphasises lactate threshold as a key indicator for setting optimal training zones and improving athletic endurance.
- PLOS ONE Study: This research examines lactate thresholds and their predictive value for endurance performance in cycling.
Training Plans
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