Lactate threshold training?

[staceysue]

This is a question for those of you who do lactate threshold training. Can you tell, by how your body feels, if you're at the lactate threshold?

I've read about it, and I hear it's a good way to improve performance. I hope that's what I've been doing intuitively. I do my best to stay right on that fine line between "feeling the burn" and just barely not feeling it. I keep pushing until I feel it and then barely backing off. It keeps me breathing hard but not too hard, so I can maintain that pace for over an hour. I'm not sore after a long ride this way, but I couldn't ride like that every day because I just get too run down.

Do you think I'm doing it?

[maillotpois]

I dont think I could hit LT by "feel". there are too many variables that go into how I feel in a given ride.

[staceysue]

I dont think I could hit LT by "feel". there are too many variables that go into how I feel in a given ride.

How do you do it?

[maillotpois]

How do you do it?

Using a power meter (preferred) or heart rate. (With regular lactate or gas exchange testing to set the target level). The variables affect the heart rate, so that is not as reliable as the power. The power meter I use for interval training 2 times a week and then I don't really worry so much about the long rides, because that is just lower threshold endurance training.

[chicagogal]

I use a power meter only when training indoors, but have done a fair bit of LT testing over the winter to know how it "feels" to ride at my LT.

That being said, even if you haven't done the indoor riding/testing that I have done, you can probably still train at your LT outdoors. Go for some 20min intervals at an effort that is as hard as you can maintain for the duration. This should be pretty close to your LT. It might take some trial and error as you don't want to start you interval too hard and fade, but you don't want to have too much left at the end either (it's like riding a TT, which would also be done at your LT).

[staceysue]

I use a power meter only when training indoors, but have done a fair bit of LT testing over the winter to know how it "feels" to ride at my LT.

That being said, even if you haven't done the indoor riding/testing that I have done, you can probably still train at your LT outdoors. Go for some 20min intervals at an effort that is as hard as you can maintain for the duration. This should be pretty close to your LT. It might take some trial and error as you don't want to start you interval too hard and fade, but you don't want to have too much left at the end either (it's like riding a TT, which would also be done at your LT).

Alrighty! I'll give it a whirl - or several whirls until I get it figured out! Thanks, both of you, for the advice.

[WindingRoad]

I'm reviving this thread as this is something I know many of you know about and I would like to hear exactly how you do this without the power meter. I can try the 20 minute intervals with my HR monitor. I'm finding that I have excellent cardio fitness but I need to probably work on the "burn" factor a bit more.

[Susan Otcenas]

This is only partly related to your question, but I wanted to mention that I think that testing can produce results that are fairly accurate. My experience:

I take a coached, power-based (with PowerTap) cycling class 2 times per week. We've had our threshold power tested roughly every 2 months, since September. My last one was Tuesday.

I also did an outdoor 12.1 mile time trial 2 weeks ago. This was a race, not just me out testing myself. My TT bike has a Powertap as well. Here's the results.

2/20 JFTT Avg watts = 191 avg hr = 165 time 35:38 Avg cadence 90
3/1 TP Test Avg watts = 193 avg hr = 168 time 20:00 Avg cadence 89

I would have expected the average on the JFTT to be a little bit lower given that it was nearly twice the time period. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Maybe it's that no matter how hard you push yourself in a test, you just can't simulate how hard you really push in race conditions.

[maillotpois]

That's really close - interesting.

I have a similar class/testing protocol. I have been doing this for 2 years now. Like anything, you get out of it what you put in. In the last 6 months I have been putting a lot of effort into my cycling and that class has made a tremendous difference in my ability to hold higher power levels in sustain climbs, etc. I test every 2 - 3 months.