A question about the anaerobic threshold
Discussion
Last year I did a fitness test. One result is a little confusing. My heart rate at my anaerobic threshold is 157bpm or so. How come I can run or ride my bike for hours at way above that heart rate? Is is simply that above 157bpm I am getting most of my energy from sugar rather than fat burning?
If you can run or ride above your determined threshold then your threshold must have been calculated incorrectly. Yes in anaerobic state you are burning almost exclusively carbohydrates but lactate will be be building and you will not be able to sustain it for long.
If the test was last year its possible you have raised your threshold.
You should be able to sustain a decent effort at under your threshold but once you go over (way over you say) you be in the hurt locker and wont last long
If the test was last year its possible you have raised your threshold.
You should be able to sustain a decent effort at under your threshold but once you go over (way over you say) you be in the hurt locker and wont last long
A well trained athlete should be able to run for an hour at their (AT) lactate threshold. An easy test for you is strap on a heart monitor and run/cycle as fast as you can for 20 minutes then subtract 5% from your average heartrate. This should be near enough your lactate threshold hr. Think you'll find 157 a bit low 
How was your test done? If it's running then that's a threshold for running. Cycling should be higher because without the impact on your legs your bloodflow is higher in the leg muscles on a bike, so you clear lactic acid much better.
You can see this effect quite easily if you go to the track and do 10 x 200m flat-out and see how long it takes you to recover. Days. If you do the same on a bike, flat out for 30s, 10 times, you'll be fine by the time you get to the next hill.
You can see this effect quite easily if you go to the track and do 10 x 200m flat-out and see how long it takes you to recover. Days. If you do the same on a bike, flat out for 30s, 10 times, you'll be fine by the time you get to the next hill.
paulrockliffe said:
How was your test done? If it's running then that's a threshold for running. Cycling should be higher because without the impact on your legs your bloodflow is higher in the leg muscles on a bike, so you clear lactic acid much better.
You can see this effect quite easily if you go to the track and do 10 x 200m flat-out and see how long it takes you to recover. Days. If you do the same on a bike, flat out for 30s, 10 times, you'll be fine by the time you get to the next hill.
Test was done on my bike...last year I did a one hour time trial on the same bike, it was frigging horrible, average HR was 176 bpm and it only went up or down by 5 bpm during the hour, so there was no break in that time.You can see this effect quite easily if you go to the track and do 10 x 200m flat-out and see how long it takes you to recover. Days. If you do the same on a bike, flat out for 30s, 10 times, you'll be fine by the time you get to the next hill.
popeyewhite said:
A well trained athlete should be able to run for an hour at their (AT) lactate threshold. An easy test for you is strap on a heart monitor and run/cycle as fast as you can for 20 minutes then subtract 5% from your average heartrate. This should be near enough your lactate threshold hr. Think you'll find 157 a bit low
Thanks for taking an interest! One question though, can't I just ignore the pain and keep my heartrate at any point I like for 20 minutes? I agree that one HR will be faster than all the others though...but I would imagine that will be very close to my max HR. So what is the anaerobic threshold?Not being a smart arse...I am just a bit confused.
paulrockliffe said:
Cycling should be higher because without the impact on your legs your bloodflow is higher in the leg muscles on a bike, so you clear lactic acid much better.
Are you quite sure of that? paulrockliffe said:
.You can see this effect quite easily if you go to the track and do 10 x 200m flat-out and see how long it takes you to recover. Days. If you do the same on a bike, flat out for 30s, 10 times, you'll be fine by the time you get to the next hill.
Running is a bodyweight exercise, cycling is not. Not surprising the same time test on a bike will be easier!Kawasicki said:
So what is the anaerobic threshold?
https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/ti...popeyewhite said:
Kawasicki said:
So what is the anaerobic threshold?
https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/ti...I was told to do a fitness test...I did one and now I am even more confused. How can my lab tested anaerobic threshold be 157bpm yet I can compete at fairly close to my max HR for a full hour?
Kawasicki said:
popeyewhite said:
A well trained athlete should be able to run for an hour at their (AT) lactate threshold. An easy test for you is strap on a heart monitor and run/cycle as fast as you can for 20 minutes then subtract 5% from your average heartrate. This should be near enough your lactate threshold hr. Think you'll find 157 a bit low
Thanks for taking an interest! One question though, can't I just ignore the pain and keep my heartrate at any point I like for 20 minutes? I agree that one HR will be faster than all the others though...but I would imagine that will be very close to my max HR. So what is the anaerobic threshold?Not being a smart arse...I am just a bit confused.
Its the point just before the point that your breathing becomes extremely laboured. Once you go in to anaerobic state you will be breathing very heavily and your muscles will start to burn (usually) from the lacate. When you stop you will be breathing very heavily for awhile after while you pay back the debt.
Training below the threshold is a good way to increase that threshold. That's what a lot of endurance training is about, increasing the threshold.
Doing tests like 20 min all out and taking 95% of that are good at estimating it. Or you can use 85% of the MHR as a guide. The only proper way of getting it is with gas exchange or blood work. Having your ear or finger pricked for blood while you are destroying yourself should be fun eh?
If you can smash a 1 hour TT at 176, then there is no way your threshold is 157.
Exige46 said:
So being able to do 1h TT at 176bpm is pretty much your lactate threshold HR, which sounds about right if your max HR is 196. Don't know how the 157 was arrived at, but clearly wrong.
Cheers, I suspect you are correct and the test result is wrong. The 157 was arrived at automatically by looking at the rate of lactate buildup.Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff