Lactate Threshold Comparison in Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Athletes and Untrained Subjects

Authors

Matt Green, University of North Alabama
Jared Hornsby, University of Alabama
Robert Pritchett, Central Washington UniversityFollow
Kelly Pritchett, Central Washington UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Nutrition Exercise and Health Sciences

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

This study compared VO₂ max, lactate threshold (LT) and VO₂ at LT (VO_2LT) among aerobic athletes (ARA) (n=10), anaerobic athletes (ANA) (n=9) and untrained participants (UTS) (n=7). From a treadmill test to exhaustion, VO₂ max and LT (4 mmol·L^-1 blood lactate concentration) were assessed. Analysis of variance showed VO₂ max (ml·kg^-1·min^-1) was significantly greater for ARA (67.6 ± 9.4) than ANA (53.4 ± 6.4) and UTS (44.9 + 6.9), with ANA significantly greater than UTS. LT for ARA (82.9 + 6.4) was not significantly different than ANA (77.5 + 13.1). However, ARA and ANA were significantly greater than UTS (66.8 + 5.4). VO_2LT (ml·kg^-1·min^-1) was significantly greater for ARA (55.9 + 7.7) and ANA (41.5 + 8.6) than for UTS (29.9 + 4.1) with ANA significantly greater than UTS. Although used to establish groups, VO₂ max for ARA (vs. UTS) reflect aerobic training adaptations. Similarly high LT would be expected in ARA. Modest VO₂ max for ANA reflects only a mild stimulus to oxidative pathways (plausibly occurring during recovery from repeated high-intensity efforts). However, anaerobic training may provide a stimulus adequate to increase LT. Elevated LT with moderate changes in VO₂ max for ANA provide indirect evidence that differential mechanisms alter VO₂ max and LT. Still, VO₂ at LT would have the greatest implication with regards to aerobic performance. From a practical standpoint, training approaches may be enhanced with a greater understanding of the impact of anaerobic training on LT. Future research should more directly examine threshold-altering mechanisms between these groups of athletes.

Comments

This article was originally published in International Journal of Exercise Science. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Recommended Citation

Green, M., Hornsby, J., Pritchett, R., & Pritchett, K. (2014) Lactate Threshold Comparison in Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Athletes and Untrained Subjects. International Journal of Exercise Science, 7(4), 329-338.

Journal

International Journal of Exercise Science

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.