Procedure of the lactate level test
A lactate level test is carried out on a rower ergometer, bicycle ergometer or treadmill, depending on the athlete’s discipline. Depending on the measuring method, different load levels are defined. During the course of the examination, the load is increased step by step in order to determine the lactate value in the capillary blood after each step.
To do this, the examiner takes a minimal amount of blood from the subject’s earlobe or finger. The results are entered into a diagram and describe the lactate curve which is evaluated. In many cases, the increase in heart rate is also measured parallel to the lactate value.
Evaluation of the lactate level test
Using the lactate curve, the examiner can now determine the Individual Anaerobic Threshold and thus determine up to which load the training intensity can be maintained without increasing acidity of the organism. Lactate accumulation is responsible for fatigue during training. The “Lactate Treshold” is identified, the point at which a significant increase in lactate was measured.
The Anaerobic Threshold describes the performance under whose long-term stress there is just a balance of lactate formation and lactate breakdown and no overacidification occurs. In the analysis of the lactate threshold test the points in the coordinate system are evaluated. In the figure it is clearly visible that the lactate curve of a trained athlete rises only later.
This means that the lactate concentration only rises at higher loads. As shown in the figure above, 2 lactate curves are drawn. An untrained athlete reaches the anaerobic threshold, which is crucial for training design, at a lower load.This means that the trained athlete can run at a higher speed without any problems, while the untrained athlete has long since overacidified at the same load. The load is the same for both athletes, but the stresses and strains are different.
Treadmills and ergometers
Whether a lactate level test is performed on a treadmill or an ergometer depends on the profile of the test person. Endurance athletes, who mainly do a lot of running training, should also have their performance tested on the treadmill. Depending on the device, the levels of the test are defined differently. On the treadmill you start with a speed of 4-6 km/h and an increase of 1-2 km/h, on the bike you start with 25 watts and an increase of 25 watts. The stages take 3 to 5 minutes to reach full capacity.
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