Anaerobic or Lactate Threshold Training Mitch
Hauschildt, MA, ATC, CSCS – Scott
Moody - Centers for Athletic Performance, Inc To read this article in PDF format, click here When
conditioning our athletes we must take many factors into consideration.
We must look at the demands of the sport, more specifically the amount
of time spent in continuous movement, the speed and intensity of that
movement and the amount of recovery time between bouts of strenuous
movement. We also have to look at the contributions made from each of
the 3 energy systems during bouts of strenuous movement as well as
recovery. Nothing works in a vacuum. There is never a point where one
system is working independent of the other two. So
taking all this into consideration we see the need to develop (at least
partially) each of the three energy systems for most team sports.
First, let’s review the three energy systems: 1.
Short Term
– ATP/PC System: In simple
terms the body quickly breaks down the available ATP in the system to
use for quick explosive energy. When the
demand is too high (sprinting at max speed) the body can’t process the
byproducts of this reaction efficiently. Thus causing it to slow down
(usually after 5-8 seconds at maximal pace). 2.
Intermediate
– Lactic System or Anaerobic Glycolysis: This
system kicks in as the body is unable to process the byproducts of the
Short Term System’s reactions, thus causing a virtual traffic jam at
the mitochondria. This causes a protective, supplemental energy system
to kick in to get you the energy you need to go hard (but not as hard
as the Short Term) for 10 seconds to 2 minutes. The
harder you go the more backed up the system gets (as well as more
acidic) causing the “burn” that gave rise to the term Lactic Acid. 3.
Long Term
– Aerobic System: When you are exercising at a slower pace that
doesn’t fully tax the Short Term system the process you end up creating
a homeostasis where the system can keep up with the demands of the
exercise. This system is the most efficient. If you can develop the
Long Term Energy System you will reap the benefits as the other two
systems will operate much more efficiently. Now
remember all three of these systems are working together, but at any
given time 1 is usually out working the others. Therefore
training the Short Term Energy System (STES) will give you gains in
explosive power and speed. Training in the Intermediate Energy System
(IES) will develop a more efficient way of dealing with that “traffic
jam” as well as desensitizing the body to the burn resulting from the
acidosis associated with this back up at the mitochondria.
Training in the Long Term Energy System (LTES) will
result in increased recovery time, resistance to fatigue and the
ability to go at steady paces for longer periods of time. For the
purpose of this article we will focus on the IES and more specifically
training the Lactate or Anaerobic Threshold, or the point in strenuous
exercise where the amount of accumulation of blood lactate exceeds the
amount of removal of blood lactate. Due to the assumption that most
athletes fatigue due to increased amounts of lactate in the blood,
resulting in decreased muscle function, burning in the muscles,
increased breathing, etc, some might argue that if you can delay this
state (either by increasing the body’s tolerance to lactate, or by
removing the lactate more efficiently) you will be able to go harder
for longer periods of time with quicker recovery. Identifying
Anaerobic (Lactate) Threshold: Identifying
Anaerobic Threshold is the most important measure when assessing an
athlete’s conditioning level. We
traditionally hear a lot about VO2 Max and its important role in
athletics. The truth is, VO2 is an
important tool for talent identification, but doesn’t have a large
impact on daily training. This is because
VO2 is rather dependant upon genetics. It
can be trained to a certain degree, but at the end of the day, most
athletes aren’t going to have a VO2 Max above 65 ml/kg/min. That doesn’t mean that they can’t compete at a
high level of athletics when trained correctly. In
fact, Lance Armstrong did not have the highest VO2 in the Tour de
France, however he did have the best anaerobic fitness and lactate
tolerance. Most
formulas are inconsistent and do not provide accurate heart rates for
anaerobic threshold. There are now several
testing devices available, including the iMETT,
(a 6-10 minute graded test on a treadmill or bike using a face mask and
heart rate monitor) which provides a simple and effective way of
identifying anaerobic threshold. The iMETT
doesn’t use an O2/CO2 analyzer like its pricey and difficult
predecessors, rather, it analyzes ventilation, heart rate and power
simultaneously to allow the trainer to look and the big picture and
pinpoint the
anaerobic threshold. Anaerobic
threshold is highly trainable and will frequently vary
depending upon the athlete’s training status. The
better the athlete’s anaerobic fitness, the higher the anaerobic
threshold; the better the anaerobic fitness, the more intensity the
athlete can tolerate for long durations. Because
the LTES is the most efficient of the three energy systems, it only
makes sense that it is advantageous for athletes to utilize this energy
system as much as possible during competition. By
pushing the
Anaerobic Threshold to higher and higher limits, athletes will be
able to compete at high levels of intensity while staying aerobic and
not producing Lactic Acid, and thus not fatiguing.
The iMETT
will identify max heart rate, anaerobic threshold heart hate, 2 minute
recovery heart rate, VO2, and caloric expenditure, among other things. As discussed, the anaerobic threshold heart
rate, max heart rate and the recovery heart rate are the most crucial
for training speed and power athletes. Ideally,
the anaerobic threshold heart rate will be very close to the max heart
rate, while the recovery heart rate will be much lower than that of the
anaerobic threshold. Training
for Anaerobic Capacity: Once the
numbers are determined, the exercise prescription can be made. In order to push the anaerobic threshold
higher and teach lactate tolerance, the athlete has to train at high
levels, utilizing the STES and IES, thus producing large amounts of
lactate. Research shows that the three
best means of training for anaerobic capacity are: 1.
Interval
sprint training: This is
done by performing short, very intense runs, followed by periods of
recovery. It is performed best when the
work to rest ratios simulate the sport. The
anaerobic capacity is trained by challenging the body’s lactate shuttle
system to clear the lactate during the rest intervals prior to
initiating the next run. 2.
Resisted
Running: Resisted running is done by performing
sprints with some form of outside force making it more difficult for
the athlete to reach top speeds. The vast
majority of research in the field supports the use of uphill running to
achieve this, but in recent years, devices such as the Woodway
Force treadmill has become another means of successfully performing
resisted running. The IES is challenged
because of the great number of total motor units that are recruited to
propel the body under load. The increased
muscle activity produces a greater amount of byproduct.
Whichever technique used, it should be stressed that
the loads are not so great that they slow the athlete more than 10% and
proper sprint mechanics should not be sacrificed. If
the resistance slows the athlete greater than 10%, it becomes a
strength exercise rather than a speed exercise. Here are two studies
that we have done at CAP using
Resisted Interval Sprint training: a.
http://www.capprogram.com/newsinfo/linearpowerlateralpower.html
b.
http://www.capprogram.com/newsinfo/resistedintervalstudy.html
3.
Overspeed
Training: Overspeed training is done by forcing the body
to run at speeds higher than they are accustomed to.
By doing this, the efficiency of the nervous system
is improved, thus making the athlete faster. It
affects anaerobic capacity by forcing the body to once again recruit
more motor units that normal and increasing the byproduct load. In this case, the motor units being recruited
are acting synergistically as stabilizers as the body adapts to new
stimulus. Performing
one or more of these training techniques will teach the body to handle
lactate and push their anaerobic fitness to new levels.
These high intensity workouts can be performed 1-2
times per week, along with workouts of medium and low intensity to
provide the metabolic systems with variation and allow them the
opportunity to recover. It should be noted
that there has been success with anaerobic fitness training on high
speed treadmill units. These workouts are able to combine all three
components of anaerobic conditioning simultaneously, thus creating an
environment which can not be duplicated on any field of play. For more information on high speed treadmill
training visit: 1.
http://www.maximumtrainingsolutions.com/EXSpeed.html By teaching the body to properly deal with Lactate and push the Anaerobic Threshold higher, your athletes will run faster and jump higher for longer durations, making fatigue a thing of the past.
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