Been reading this article which has some interesting information
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/how-increasing-your-lactate-threshold-will-improve-your-fitness-and-performance-678
The most interesting is the below results of a study where two sets of individuals trained. One group At threshold. Another Group above Threshold.
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An amazing result
Which strategy was better for boosting LT - working at LT intensity or putting in the time above it? After eight weeks of workouts, both sets of athletes achieved similar increases in VO2max and LT. The actual gains in LT were absolutely tremendous, averaging 14 per cent in both groups! Advances in muscle-cell enzymes were also rather splendid - and nearly identical in the two groups. In an endurance test in which group members exercised for as long as possible at an intensity which corresponded to their pre-training LT, the above-LT trainees seemed to hold an edge, continuing for a total of 71 minutes, while the at-LT subjects could last for only 64 minutes. However, this difference was not statistically significant.
At first glance, these results seem to suggest that there's not much advantage to be gained by sweating through above-LT workouts, but wait! If you've been following carefully, you probably noticed that the above-LT athletes really logged only 60 minutes of quality work per week (4 x 15 minutes), while the at-LT subjects put in 120 weekly minutes of quality exertion (4 x 30 minutes). To put it another way, the above-LT athletes achieved the same gains in LT and VO2max as the at-LT folks (and perhaps enjoyed a slight advantage in endurance) - with only HALF the total training time. It's reasonable to assume that had the above-LT athletes stepped up their volume of above-LT work a little bit, they would have outdistanced the mundane at-LT trainees.
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I have a question for the experts. If this was cycling, what kind of power zones would we expect the above LT athletes to be at? Maybe 4.8-5.2?
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/how-increasing-your-lactate-threshold-will-improve-your-fitness-and-performance-678
The most interesting is the below results of a study where two sets of individuals trained. One group At threshold. Another Group above Threshold.
''
An amazing result
Which strategy was better for boosting LT - working at LT intensity or putting in the time above it? After eight weeks of workouts, both sets of athletes achieved similar increases in VO2max and LT. The actual gains in LT were absolutely tremendous, averaging 14 per cent in both groups! Advances in muscle-cell enzymes were also rather splendid - and nearly identical in the two groups. In an endurance test in which group members exercised for as long as possible at an intensity which corresponded to their pre-training LT, the above-LT trainees seemed to hold an edge, continuing for a total of 71 minutes, while the at-LT subjects could last for only 64 minutes. However, this difference was not statistically significant.
At first glance, these results seem to suggest that there's not much advantage to be gained by sweating through above-LT workouts, but wait! If you've been following carefully, you probably noticed that the above-LT athletes really logged only 60 minutes of quality work per week (4 x 15 minutes), while the at-LT subjects put in 120 weekly minutes of quality exertion (4 x 30 minutes). To put it another way, the above-LT athletes achieved the same gains in LT and VO2max as the at-LT folks (and perhaps enjoyed a slight advantage in endurance) - with only HALF the total training time. It's reasonable to assume that had the above-LT athletes stepped up their volume of above-LT work a little bit, they would have outdistanced the mundane at-LT trainees.
''
I have a question for the experts. If this was cycling, what kind of power zones would we expect the above LT athletes to be at? Maybe 4.8-5.2?
