Lactate Threshold and Blood Lactate Testing
Last Friday, I was fill in for one of Krista Schultz’s blood lactate tests after her client canceled because he was sick. She needed a test subject and I was curious what my power output at Lactate Threshold (LT) was. What is lactate? First, let’s start with pyruvate. Pyruvate is a byproduct of anaerobic glycolysis, which is the breakdown of glycogen (or carbohydrate) for energy by the muscles without requiring oxygen during the process. Pyruvate then either: Enters the mitrochondria in a muscle’s cells for conversion to Acetyl-CoA and entry into the Kreb’s cycle...
Read MoreThe Basics of Monitoring Heart Rate when Exercising
If your goal is weight loss or improved fitness monitoring your heart rate can help you achieve success. How fast or how hard should I go? I frequently start working with women who have been going too fast or too slow during their workouts to get the most benefit from each session. Furthermore, there are many popular formulas for determining exercise intensity that will not work well for most individuals. An easy way to determine your proper pace and intensity during exercise is to use a heart rate monitor, which can be a powerful tool for helping you with your fitness goals. This...
Read MoreUnderstanding VO2 Max: What Does It Tell You? (Part 2)
Universal Sports web producer Jason Devaney recently visited Krista Schultz, MEd, CSCS to have his VO2 max tested. He learned he has a VO2 max of 55.3 ml/kg/min, which is well above his age predicted value of 44. So what does that number tell him? (Note: you can read more about Jason’s testing experience on Jason’s blog). As discussed in my previous article: “Understanding VO2 Max: What Exactly Is It?” VO2 max can be defined as “the maximal rate at which an individual can process oxygen.” By itself, an individual’s VO2 max number is simply a good...
Read MoreUnderstanding VO2 Max: What Exactly Is It? (Part 1)
What exactly is VO2 max? I’m taking a Graduate level course in Exercise Physiology this fall semester through Eastern Michigan University. We’ve been reading and discussing VO2 Max so I thought I would share some of what I learned and hopefully clear up some misconceptions about what VO2 max is and isn’t. Remember when you learned in elementary school that plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and release Oxygen (O2) while humans take in O2 and produce CO2? On a cellular level, our body processes some of the O2 we breathe in through our lungs and release CO2 out through our...
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