RDL

I'm 42 yrs. old with a max heart rate of 184. In what range should my lactate threshold be in? What can I do to find out for sure?
Thanks
Richard

Sprocket Man

Here's a link to a test that you can do to help you determine your lactate threshold (same thing as your anaerobic threshold):
https://www.bikeforums.net/training-nutrition/43102-2x20-anaerobic-threshold-test.html

palesaint

It's a really interesting test and article, and I followed it. I did the test 3 times, starting at 160 and working up. 3rd time was an exact 170. Barely held it for 20 minutes, but did hold it. There is a reference to 80% of MHR being close to lactic threshold. But according to that, my MHR would be 212. Uh, I don't think so. Highest I've ever recorded my MHR was 198.

Makes me wonder if 170 is on the high side for LT.

Snicklefritz

Some people have a lactate threshold (I'm talking about OBLA here) that is closer to max HR compared with other people. Some of this can be due to training and some to genetics.

foomonkey

are you not producing enough milk?

waterrockets 

Yeah, it's interesting. I've had a higher LTHR than I do now, but I've never been faster than I am right now. I don't have the numbers, but that tells me that power is much much more important than LTHR. The big fitness leap I've made this season is being able to leap way past LTHR, to w/in a couple beats of MHR, then recover and do it again. This has helped me tremendously in races, and my ability to suffer must have quadrupled now that I know I'll always recover and be fine. I'm not nearly as protective of my HR as I used to be, so I take a lot more risks.

FWIW, I'm 36, LTHR=170, MHR=192, RHR=42. I can play around at 186-190 and come back from it. I've recoverd from MHR a couple times as well, but that's pretty rough -- maybe if I was paid for it...

Campag4life

I guess I would ask what it really matters? Do you guys focus your training to move your lactate threshold? If so how? My body type is conducive to good lung capacity but don't have really stump pulling power. As a result, I try to save my legs and generate torque with higher cadence. This seems to work well against my mashing friends who simply push hard on their pedals and lactate out their legs.
Further thoughts?

Mach42

Yea, longer length intervals help focus on increasing the power that you can put out at LT.

Look up 2x20 intervals. They're the bomb.

Psimet2001 

My thoughts exactly. My wife made it about 6 months. That was the extent of her Lactate threshold.

palesaint

I've heard that, once you're mostly fit and been riding for awhile, it's difficult to move your LT. People train at or just below LT to increase power at that heart rate. Staying just shy of LT (like even a beat or two) is where you are just below the point of lactate being rapidly accumulated in the blood; When that happens, it's a bad thing - because your metabolism shifts from dependence on the combustion of fat and O2 in the production of energy to a dependence on glycogen. Once you're at that point, it's just a matter of time (usually quite short) until you have to decrease your effort- to clear the lactate from your blood. 90% of my time on the trainer is spent right at LT, in an attempt to be able to crank out more power. I think it's working, as I am down a cog or two at the same cadence and % MHR from a year ago. I REALLY need a powertap though. Maybe when I win the lottery.

merlinextraligh

It's not as much about raising your LTHR as it is raising the power you can sustain at LT, and how long you can sustain it.

Most modern training programs focus on doing work right at LT as the core of the program.

When Armstrong first started woking with Chris Carmichael post cancer, they found Armstrong did too much of his training and racing above LT, and it cost him at the end of races. So they focused onmore traing at LT, so he could raise the pwoer he could produce at or below LT, which gave him more reserve at the end of races.

Also your various training levels are a function of your LT in a lot of programs. So knowing either your LTHR ( or your 1 hour functional threshold power, if your trianing by power ) is very important.

FatguyRacer

Good quality training can get it as close as 93-94% of MHR. I've been detrained for few years now, but im catching up as i lose massive amounts of weight. My last 3 mile TT test was only good for 172 bpm and it hurt like hell. Like the OP I am in my 40's with a max HR of 184. Using the Friel zones (i use Training Peaks right now to self coach) my breakdown for training is something like this

Zone 1 (Recovery) - <139
Zone 2 (Extensive endurance) - 140-152
Zone 3 (Intensive endurance/muscular endurance-Tempo) - 153-160
Zone 4 (Sub-threshold) - 161-170
Zone 5a (Super-threshold) - 171-174
Zone 5b (Anaerobic endurance) - 175-180
Zone 5c (Power) - 181 +

I have this chart (sans descriptions) written on a small piece of paper taped to my bike's stem. It helps alot. No guessing.

I'm testing again next Saturday and hope to see some good results for all the work i've done since May.

ericgu

Most training programs do work focused on specific energy systems. Some time spent training the aerobic system (below LT), intervals (way above LT but recovery to below LT), and then tempo work (and specific over/under intervals) that are done very near LT.

To get the most benefit from workouts, you need to know your LT. This is dependent on your body and your current fitness level.

For me, my slightly trained LT is around 142 BPM, and my more-highly trained is more like 147 BPM. If I'm doing tempo work this week, I should be doing it at perhaps 145BPM. But if I do that heart rate when I'm not well trained, it's far too hard and it's not a tempo workout - it's a bad TT workout.

I think it's most useful to know where you should be on base miles.

RDL

I think mine is between 150 -160. I'm trying to pinpoint it. I don't have a trainer or exercise bike.
Thanks for the help
Richard

Campag4life

Yes, thanks to all that responded about LT...appreciate the insight.