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...

The Basics of Monitoring Heart Rate when Exercisin...

By Krista A. Schultz, MEd, CSCS, Director of Total Performance, Inc. 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...

Understanding VO2 Max: What Does It Tell You? (Par...

Universal Sports web producer Jason Devaney recently visited Krista Schultz of Total Performance, Inc. 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...

Understanding 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...