Lactate Assessments

Zoning Endurance:

  • Roughly 60+ min long, increasing 10-20 watts every 8-10 min. Looking for a general blood lactate profile. Included with the full metabolic assessment. Good for zoning.

Maximum lactate steady state (MLSS)

  • 15 min warm up 80-90% of estimated MLSS

  • Increasing 10 watts per zone, 10 min per zone. Take samples at min 3 and min 9.

  • Once blood lactate increases >1 mmol per zone you have reached MLSS

  • Your LT2 or Maximal Lactate Steady State (MLSS) is the point at which lactate production equals your maximal rate of lactate clearance.

Lactate Clearing test protocol

  • 15 min of steady state activity at the beginning of MFO or zone 2

  • Blood lactate should be below 2 mmol to start the test.

  • Get the bike or treadmill set up for a 20 second all out sprint. Sprint for 20 seconds then stop exercising (do not peddle or walk as this will lower lactate levels faster)

  • Take samples at 3 min, 5 min and 7 min post bout all while resting

  • Rest till 20 min and take last sample

One can calculate mmol lactate clearance by subtracting the highest Lactate measurement with the mmols at 20 min and dividing by the amount of time in between.

Example: 14 mmols at min 5 down to 7 mmol at 20 min = %50 drop

Or 7 mmol over 15 min = .46mmols/min clearance rate