Lactate Threshold (L4) Workouts by John Josephs
Filed under: Exercise Science
Lactate Threshold (L4) Workouts by John Josephs, MS
5/18/2007
Once your aerobic base is developed, it is time to take your training to the next level. If your goal is go get faster, stronger, and/or push the pace during your favorite group ride, then lactate threshold (LT) training is the next most important training component It becomes the "anchor" in every serious cyclist's training plan. The definition of LT is the point at increasing exercise intensity where the body begins to produce more lactic acid in the working muscles than it can remove. There are several ways to measure LT, but in simple terms a cyclist will recognize it as the point where the muscles start to burn, breathing begins to get faster and heavier, and that voice in our head begins to tell us to slow down. However, if we ignore these signs and push the pace even more, fatigue is inevitable and we will eventually slow down and end up getting "popped" off the back of the pack.
The Good News!! LT is trainable. We can specifically do workouts that will delay the onset of lactic acid accumulation and improve our LT. If we can push back the time until we reach our LT, then we can ride longer, faster, harder and at a higher heart rate (HR) and power output or watts (W) than before our training. In addition to delaying fatigue, we will be able to burn more fat as fuel and preserve our important limited glycogen stores. Therefore, LT training will give you the biggest bang for your buck in enhanced performance after your endurance has been established.
To determine your LTHR, use a HR monitor and determine you average HR for a 30 minute hard group or solo ride. Generally, riding 95% to 105% of the HR will be intense enough to improve your LT. Running a 10k race will give you similar HR information to use for your running workouts.
To use power as your guide, do a test of similar duration. Your average wattage is reduced by 5% and your LT power training zone range will be 91% - 105% of this threshold power.
Examples of LT workouts:
Warm Up (WU) 20 minutes easy @ 85-95 rpms with 3 X 1 minute cadence accelerations to 95-105 rpms.
Start with and progress to:
2-4 X 10 minutes at LTHR or power zone @ 85-95 rpms with 5 minute recovery interval between each.
2-3 X 15 minutes at LTHR or power zone @ 85-95 rpms with 10-5 minutes recovery interval between each.
*1-2 X 20 minutes at LTHR or power zone @ 85-95 rpms with 10-5 minutes recovery interval between each.
Cool Down (CD) 20 minutes easy, light pedaling.
*2 X 20 minutes is the most effective LT training workout.
NOTE: terminate interval session when you cannot maintain specific workout effort parameters (e.g. HR zone, power output (<5%) and/or cadence range).
Remember to stay properly hydrated when you are training with HR. Dehydration causes HR to increase and drift higher causing inaccuracies in HR zone training.
For more information on training, contact John Josephs @ 904-472-3804 or visit KONA Multisport Training's website @ www.konamultisport.com.