Several weeks ago, I set a goal to do 500 Hindu Squats in 15 minutes.  I am down to 22 minutes, but I am struggling with getting under 20 minutes.  I have been following the Tour De France these past three weeks and it dawned on me what the problem is…I am pushing against my lactate threshold.  I have been watching these incredible athletes grind through thousands of miles and showing how importance of cardiovascular capacity.  The cyclists have highly efficient lactate removal and glycolysis which are components of lactate threshold.  I now realize that I need to spend effort on improving this parameter.

Traditionally lactate threshold training is associated with endurance related sports.  Lactate threshold refers to the point during intense exercise where the balance between production and removal of lactate in the blood is disrupted. Trainers generally describe lactic acid as the “burn” you feel after intense exercise.    This is not exactly true.  During intense exercise the muscle cells shift towards acidosis.  The lactate production doesn’t create the “burn”, it is the accumulating protons which impair muscle contraction and result in eventual muscle weariness.  The body’s energy source, ATP, splits causing protons to accumulate in the muscular filaments.   Scientists now suggest that lactate production neutralizes the acidic state in the muscles.  This would mean that lactate build up is the body’s way of combating the burn.  Thus, conditioning to make this physiological state more efficient is lactate threshold training.

Threshold training can be high volume training, maximal steady-state training, or high intensity interval training (HIIT).  You will need to use heart rate monitoring or Borg’s Rating of Perceived Exertion if you are like me and do not have access to fancy exercise monitoring equipment.  I am using two of the three training methods.  The weekly attempt at 500 Hindu squats falls under high volume training, which initially is the best way to increase cardiovascular performance.  Traditionally, high volume training means increasing amounts of time spent in some activity of increased cardio. However increasing my lactate threshold under this method over the long-term will require increasing time spent exercising.  That is counter to my goal since I am trying to hit 500 repetitions in 15 minutes.

High intensity interval training is the primary method I use.  It works better for me since I have limited time to exercise.   In a previous post I describe Tabata Intervals, which are four minutes in duration, but work the body above your lactate threshold.   You can design these intervals in a number of different ways (using cardio equipment, weights, doing burpees, etc.).  A word of warning… be careful with Tabata intervals because they will leave you fried the next day.

The third threshold training method requires a base level of fitness and is often referred to as tempo runs.  I used this method with great success in training for a half marathon.   Maximal steady-state training is highly effective, but requires a time commitment like high volume.  Which means this method also doesn’t fit my long-term goals since I do not normally train for long duration exercise.  I instead like my exercise to be quick and efficient.  One thing to note, this method should only account for 10% of your weekly training volume (this will help prevent over-training).

People used to talk about VO2 Max being the key to success in endurance activities, but that thinking is now shifting to lactate threshold.  Since I also believe lactate threshold is what is keeping me from my Hindu squat goal I am now going to focus on it in my training.  Incorporating lactate threshold training into your routine is not just for endurance athletes, but has numerous benefits for us average folks.  Namely it increases caloric expenditure which enhances weight management or weight loss.   If nothing else, it allows me to be creative in my workout routines.  Pick one of the three methods and start your own lactate threshold training program.