In recent years, advanced sports science has seen a growing trend regarding blood lactate tests for amateur athletes.
The blood sample obtained helps us to appreciate the concentration of lactate produced at different exercise intensities, indicating how we are obtaining energy at each applied speed. What many wonder is if they are really needed to improve the athlete’s performance, so it is still a matter of discussion.
Find out everything you need to know about this test and draw your own conclusions.
How does our body produce energy when we are active?
When we move, our body activates a number of different energy pathways. Through these pathways, the body’s supply of energy will depend on the rate of energy demanded and the amount of time the activity is performed.
Such roads are capable of producing energy at different speeds and have different fuel requirements.
Initially, a short-term energy system is used, called the phosphate system , which uses phosphocreatine that is stored in the muscles, supplying us with energy immediately. However, its supply capacity is quite small.
Longer-duration activities require energy from the breakdown of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in the body.
How do blood lactate tests work?
Lactate blood tests work by measuring the amount of lactic acid present in the blood. Lactic acid is always produced in a certain amount, along with another intermediate by-product called pyruvate , in a long sequence of reactions that take place in the breakdown of glucose during exercise.
When we exercise at moderate intensities, lactic acid normally breaks down and re-enters the energy pathways to release energy in the presence of oxygen.
As the demand for energy increases, your body begins to shift its energy production to use more glycogen for fuel , since it is a faster process. Consequently, the amount of lactic acid and pyruvate produced rises and your respiration becomes faster to supply more oxygen and thus oxidize the pyruvate.
Finally, the amount of oxygen can plateau and can no longer keep up with the demand for it. When this happens, the lactic acid begins to accumulate and if the intensity of the activity increases, it will continue to increase even more.
The accumulation of lactic acid is usually accompanied by a burning sensation, due to the increase in the concentration of acid ions. We must bear in mind that acid can also impede energy production, thus preventing us from increasing the intensity of our activity even more.
Therefore, the total amount of energy you can produce will depend on the capacity of the initial reactions that take place with and without oxygen. These are called aerobic and anaerobic capacities, respectively.
Is this test useful?
For a lactate test to be useful, these issues must first be addressed:
- Decide what type of athlete you are or aspire to be. This is important because the times are not the same for a track sprinter, a runner who competes against the clock or a sports pilot, for example.
- It would be very helpful if you already have an idea of your current performance, as this puts the test results in context.
- The test must be repeatable and you must use an accurate baseline as well as the energy expended on your own bike. The heart rate produced on a general purpose gym bike has too many variables that can affect results.
Advantages and disadvantages of the blood lactate test
Advantage
- It can be more mentally stimulating than 20 minutes of an FTP test (Functional Power Threshold, a test used in cycling that serves to obtain the average power threshold of a cyclist).
- May provide additional information – useful if you are looking to tailor your training to your racing specialty.
Disadvantages
- Specialized equipment is required to measure and manage blood waste.
- It can be expensive to take the necessary series of measurements in successive months, and thus see a greater benefit from tracking the results.
- It must be done in the context of your current performance. If you need some initial approximation of your training zones , there are other less invasive ways to do this.
conclusion
Knowing how the energy systems of our body work is key to optimizing our performance in any sport. Lactation tests can be a useful indicator of what is happening in some parts of our energy system when we exercise, as long as we know what to look for in them and how to apply them.
Therefore, it will depend on the form of use that we give it to be useful to us.
References
- Simon Kidd, Blood Lactate Tests: Do You Really Need One? For Breaking Muscle [reviewed January 2016].
