LT / VO2 test..
 

UF has a pretty top notch sports institute, with several programs geared towards endurance athletics. A few weeks ago I came to the conclusion that the end of the season would be the perfect time to get my LT / VO2 tested..

That test was today.

For those of you who haven't had this done, they basically strap you to a few machines, have you ride your bike on a "computrainer" with ever increasing loads, and prick your finger every few minutes to check your blood lactate. The idea is to get you to blow-up at some point, and then they can extrapolate your numbers.

Well, I've been dieting for the past 10 days in an effort to shed 15lbs before Christmas, so my power numbers were a bit low (which I expected), but I was mostly interested in getting my LT numbers to get my proper training zones. I had some interesting results though.. Like for one, I don't produce a lot of lactic acid, and another is that my max-HR is a little higher than I thought it was (I thought 203, more like 205).

And boy, doesn't this look like a lot of fun?

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1811.JPG

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1812.JPG

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1813.JPG

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1814.JPG

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1815.JPG

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1816.JPG

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1817.JPG

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/LT/IMG_1818.JPG

What is your VO2 max?

Yeah, you can't put a post up about getting tested without giving us the numbers :)

The coach I work with is big on these tests and has all her athletes do them 2 or 3 x each year. Except that no finger pricks, she uses data generated by inhlatations/exhalations and fat burning vs. carb burning to determine LTHR, VO2Max, etc. Ea. test takes about 15 - 18 minutes, and hurts alot.

I've got to admit that the more of these tests I do, the more useless I think they are. My LTHR, zones, VO2MAx etc. have varied considerably, to the point that I've thougth there were calibration problems withe the testing but didnt have the juice to do another. The only thing that seems to remain constant is my Max HR.

Bottom line - know your body and use common sense with these test results. If something from the testing doesnt correlate with what you have observed during your training and/or racing, in terms of HR vs. power vs. perceived exertion, there's probably a disconnect somewhere.

I appreciate the science that goes into these tests and understand that there is a positive correlation between VO2 max and athletic performance.

However, if I were tested and came back with a big ol' 50 for my VO2 (it's significantly higher), or saying that I'm hitting 4mmol at only 250w, I wouldn't care either way. All that matters to me is that I can produce the power for the durations that I want. They can't measure your pain threshold, and I know that I can push well above the defined "LT" for quite some time.

Oh yeah, to the OP: Your sedentary, fat, Tyler Hamilton-esque imaginary chimera twin wants his jersey back.

cough :: get a size smaller, you can pull it off :: cough

I did this last week.

LT 295, VO2 max 61. I know my form is down, so I am not suprised. Probably repeat just before the season starts.

If you haven't read about the pronghorn antelope, it's pretty amazing.

VO2max of 300 mL/kg and can run a 10K in about 10 mins and that's without doping.

what statistics is the primary sign of genetic potential, or is it just incorporated and not clear cut like everything in physiology when you get down to it heh :\

The last time I had mine tested, I had the same VO2 as Miguel Indurain, but I wasn't winning any tours... or national championships... or states. It's a combination of things I'm sure.

Did you pay for it? What does a test like that cost?

does the pronhorn do threshold or long steady distance over the winter?

How do you know that?

I think it's normally around $150 at the UF facility. We get a discounted rate because they're sponsoring us.

Ken

No finger pricks/blood analyization would mean that LT is not truly being determined. Despite that I don't know that you would need to know that anyways. As DukeofK said, those numbers don't do much for you. The important thing is how those numbers translate to race performance. It seems to me that the best test in terms of cycling would be something along the lines of a MAP test as that would give you the real world applicability that you would want. At the same time, you could probably do a VO2max test that would have a similar protocol along with that if for some reason you were dying to know your numbers. Bottom line is that you are better served saving the money and putting it toward a power device and conducting useful tests by yourself or with the help of a friend or computrainer.
~Nick