So yesterday, I had a friend and MD/PhD candidate) perform some lactate testing on me while i was on my bike trainer. The protocol: after a 15’ warmup, I did 3’ at each step, using a KK cyclocomputer-calculated (not measured) power as a guide for increasing effort–not for getting target power numbers, since the number is calculated and not measured.
A few data points were dropped, as I was not bleeding easily, but for the most part, it seems that useable data was collected.
Here is the question: how does one interpret multiple lactate spikes? Which deflection point is LT (or AT if by HR)?
Time(m) HR(bpm) BL(mmol)
0 78 3.6
3 96 3.8
6 109 1.7
9 112 1.0
12 118 1.9
15 128 no sample
18 134 1.5
21 141 4.6
24 145 2.1
27 153 5.0
30 157 6.3
(data presented is not full set; data presented is only about where i have the question posed)
I have BOLDED that data about which I am asking: “why the twin lactate peaks?”
Also, please don’t harangue me for not using power as a training guide. I will get there, and buy a PM, eventually.
I will probably get slammed for putting this out there, but, I think the test was improperly administered. It is pretty normal for lactate levels to bottom out around the work load where you spend most of your time training, however, once it starts going up, it ‘usually’ progresses pretty evenly until there is a large deflection upwards. In my opinion (my opinion and $5 will get you a cup of coffee at a convenience store), every sample after 9 minutes is suspect so if it were me I would ask for a retest, which, also in my opinion, should be done at no charge (the first test i had done had pretty much the same results - a subsequent test three days later was much more ‘normal’ - many subsequent tests were pretty much identical to the second one ).
I will probably get really slammed for this, but, you are either in the midst of some very heavy training or you did not warm up properly for the test. Here is a typical curve that most of the 200+ tests I have administered follows.
The above test was on a late 20s female.
Finally, before anyone slams me for the above protocol, I have tried many different time periods (from 3 to 6 minutes) and many different starting wattages (from 100 to 175 for men and from 50 to 125 for women) and, for the most part, the curves all look the same (with minor fluctuations per individual athlete).
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