Triathlon

How do you determin the lactate thresholds (LT1/LT2)? By fixed 2/4 mmol thresholds or by the 1./2. raise?

Determining lactate thresholds: Fixed or raised values?

How would I decide what is the lactate threshold, LD1 and LD2, based on lactate? In some of the protocols when we are talking about polarized models of training, it is quite common to use fixed lactate values in millimole, like LD1 has 2 millimole and LD2 has 4 millimole, and we found that to be quite inaccurate and too high values. So we look at the curve and see whether we have the first change in the curves and whether the curves start increasing for the first time and also the same for the LD2 anaerobic threshold. It is a little bit difficult to explain how you analyze it, but it is a little bit based on experience. You can also put it in some data protocols, models, who decided for you. But based on the experience we have, when you have seen many thousands of lactate curves from step tests, that we see that LD1 should be around 1.0-1.2 millimole. I would say that LD2 should be around 2.2-2.78. It is a little bit different from person to person of course, but if you are within that value, you are quite okay. But of course, you should take the test, you need to have a step test, a good proper step test, 6-8 steps of 6 minutes, you have long enough steps, many enough steps, so you can be accurate enough, so you have a good many data points to determine the curve and get a good curve, and then you should be quite easy to decide LD1 and LD2 based on that. Good luck.

It is difficult to give a definitive answer for what the treasure of Delta 1 and Delta 2 should be when it comes to polarized training. The best solution would be to conduct a step test with proper steps (6 minutes, 68 steps) in order to accurately determine the curve. Once the curve is determined, you can decide on the values that are appropriate for you.

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How do I determine lactate thresholds (LD1/LD2) based on lactate levels? While some protocols use fixed millimole values like 2 mmol for LD1 and 4 mmol for LD2, I find these to be inaccurate and too high. Instead, I analyze the lactate curve to identify the first change and when the curve starts increasing for the first time, indicating LD1. The same approach is used for determining LD2, the anaerobic threshold. It's difficult to explain the analysis process, but it's based on experience. There are also data protocols or models that can assist with this determination. Based on my experience with thousands of lactate curves from step tests, LD1 is typically around 1.0-1.2 millimole, while LD2 is around 2.2-2.78 millimole. These values may vary slightly between individuals, but falling within this range is generally considered acceptable. To accurately determine the thresholds, it's important to conduct a proper step test with 6-8 steps of 6 minutes each, providing enough data points to establish a reliable curve. With a well-performed test and sufficient data, determining LD1 and LD2 should be relatively straightforward. Good luck with your testing!

What type of training do you consider to be the most important for endurance athletes?

The Most Important Training for Endurance Athletes: Long, Easy Sessions

As an endurance athlete doing endurance sport, I would say that the most important training you can do is the long easy session, low intensity below LT1, like the threshold one. If you take a look at the polarized model which is quite common used today, they say that 80% of all the training you should do is below that. Also if you look at what you need to do to perform at the endurance sport, even down to short distance like 1500m running, it's still like mostly aerobic impact. So low intensity training below LT1 is the single most important factor because if you don't do that, if you don't train, you can never really succeed in an endurance sport. So that would I would say the most important type of training you need to do if you are into endurance sport. There are of course a lot of other training you should do, but if you should pick one, 80% of your total training time should be low aerobic impact on your body. Good luck.

For endurance athletes, the most important type of training is low-intensity aerobic exercise below the lactate threshold. This should make up 80% of all training time. This will help athletes succeed in an endurance sport.

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For endurance athletes, the most important type of training is the long and easy session with low intensity below LT1 (threshold one). According to the polarized model commonly used today, around 80% of training should be below this threshold. Even for shorter distance events like the 1500m run, aerobic impact plays a significant role. Therefore, low intensity training below LT1 is crucial for success in endurance sports. While there are other types of training that should be incorporated, if you had to choose one, dedicating 80% of your total training time to low aerobic impact exercises would be paramount. Best of luck in your endurance pursuits!

How to Boost VO2max: Training Tips and Intensity

Hvordan kan jeg forbedre min Viotomax? Først og fremst vet vi at i en enduranssport, jo mer du træner, desto høyere vil Viotomax bli. Det er en stor korrelasjon mellom høy volum og Viotomax. Du må huske det. På toppen av det kan du selvsagt forbedre Viotomax med høy intensivitet. Det vi kaller Viotomax intensivitet, som er høy intensivitet, men ikke maxintensivitet. Rundt 90-95% av maksimale utfordring. Du kan gjøre intervaller på det. I svømme, blander vi det med 50 meter med kort rest. Vi gjør 100 meter med høy intensivitet, også med kort rest. Noen ganger opp til 200 meter, som er to minutter og 30 sekunder utfordring. Det er ganske normalt for oss. På bilen gjør vi det ofte oppi. Vi kan gå ned til 30 sekunder maksimalt, 30 sekunder lett, 40 sekunder hårdt, 20 sekunder lett, en minutt. Men ofte vil jeg gjerne gjøre to, tre eller fire minutter utfordring på bilen. Særlig på bilen. På runde er det mer eller mindre det samme. Noen ganger gjør vi kort utfordring, 30 sekunder, 30 sekunder rest. Men mer ofte vil jeg preferere en eller to minutter, og selv om vi runder opp til fire minutter, men det er ikke så ofte. Gjør det. Du kan forbedre ditt biltomax, men du må også runde og trene på en høyere volum.

To improve VO2 max, you should train with high intensity at around 90-95% of maximum effort. You can do this by doing intervals of 50m to 200m in swimming, 30s to 2 minutes on the bike, and 30s to 4 minutes on the run.

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How can I improve my VO2max? First and foremost, we know that in endurance sports, the more you train, the higher your VO2max will be. There is a strong correlation between high volume training and VO2max. You must remember that. Additionally, you can certainly improve your VO2max with high intensity training. We refer to it as VO2max intensity, which is high intensity but not maximum intensity. Around 90-95% of your maximum effort. You can do intervals for this. In swimming, we mix it up with 50-meter sprints and short rests. We do 100-meter sprints with high intensity followed by short rests. Sometimes we go up to 200 meters, which is a two-minute and thirty-second challenge. It's quite normal for us. In running, we follow a similar approach. Sometimes we do short sprints like 30 seconds maximum effort followed by 30 seconds easy, or 40 seconds hard followed by 20 seconds easy, and repeat for a minute. But I often prefer doing challenging intervals for two, three, or four minutes in running. Especially on the bike, we frequently do intervals. We may go down to 30 seconds maximum effort and 30 seconds easy or do challenging intervals for one or two minutes. Occasionally, we even go up to four minutes, although not as frequently. Give it a try! You can improve your VO2max, but it's also important to incorporate volume training into your routine.

What is your opinion on over/unders for threshold work?

Opinion on Over/Under Threshold Work: A Unique Approach

Min mening om over- og under-treffslekt er at under-treffslekt, vi tror at for en lenger interval sesjon er det bra å gjøre det. Veldig konservativt, litt under. Vi gjør selvfølgelig sesjoner over treffslekt 2. Vi har også en max-sesjon, men vi gjør ikke over-eller under-treffslekt på den måten jeg vet mange gjør. Du rører over treffslekt, og så går du litt over, og så høyere igjen. Over treffslekt, og så under. Vi gjør ikke det. Vi gjør også over-treffslekt, og så under-treffslekt. Det er ikke som om vi blir sammen med en over- eller under-treffslekt. Om det er det rette å gjøre eller ikke, vet jeg ikke. For oss er det mer om å bygge en god lengd på treffslekt-intensiteten. Det er en slags treffslekt vi ikke gjør i treffslekt, for vi tror ikke det er bra i alle fall. I forhold til andre slags treffslekt. For oss gjør vi ikke det.

We don't do over-under treasure work because we believe it is not as beneficial as other kinds of training. Instead, we focus on building endurance at the threshold intensity.

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My opinion on over/unders for threshold work is that for longer interval sessions, it can be beneficial to include unders. We tend to be conservative and go slightly under the threshold. We do incorporate sessions that go over the threshold as well, including a max session. However, we don't follow the traditional approach of going over, then a bit higher, and then even higher again, or going over and then under the threshold. Instead, we focus on both over- and under-threshold work separately. It's not like we stick strictly to either over or under the threshold. Whether this is the right approach or not, I'm not sure. For us, it's more about building a solid base of threshold intensity. There's a specific type of threshold work that we don't include because we believe it may not be beneficial compared to other types of threshold work. That's our approach when it comes to over/unders for threshold training.

Lactate Testing: Unlocking Peak Performance Potential

I've got a question about how important is electric testing. First, there's a lot of athletes over the years who have won a lot of Olympic golds and world championships without ever taking an electric test. But for us and for most athletes, I think it's quite beneficial to do lab tests, to do field tests, that you do like the testing out on training session to really start to control intensity. For us, we use it a lot, very often and mostly at the NRO threshold, LT2 kind of session, where we are very focused on being on the right lactate, not going too high, not going too low. And how the lactate responds during that session also says a little bit about how fatigued you are, how you respond to training. It could also say something about how well you have recovered from the day before. It could say something about the nutrition. Have you eaten well and good enough before a session like this or not? So it gives us, who use it, a lot of extra information which we use to individualize the training for athletes. So for us, it's really important. But again, there still will be world champions winning championships without taking lactate. But for most athletes, getting the best out of every training session, lactate testing is really important. So start using it if you can.

Electric testing can be beneficial for athletes in order to control intensity, recovery, nutrition, and individualize their training. It can help them get the best out of every training session, so it is highly recommended.

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The importance of lactate testing is a question that comes up. While many successful athletes have achieved Olympic golds and world championships without undergoing lactate testing, it can be highly beneficial for most athletes. Conducting lab tests and field tests during training sessions can help control intensity and optimize performance. At our organization, we use lactate testing frequently, particularly during NRO threshold sessions, to ensure we maintain the right lactate levels without going too high or too low. Monitoring lactate response during these sessions provides insights into fatigue levels, training response, recovery status, and even nutrition adequacy. This information allows us to tailor training programs to individual athletes. While it's possible for world champions to succeed without lactate testing, for most athletes aiming to maximize their training sessions' effectiveness, lactate testing proves to be valuable. If possible, incorporating lactate testing into your training routine can be a worthwhile approach.

Unlocking Your Aerobic Potential: Training Tips Revealed!

How do you improve your aerobic capacity? Well, the very easy answer is train more. The more you train, the more you will improve it. But besides that, it's also a little bit about how to distribute your training. Aerobic capacity is all training up to anaerobic threshold. So all you do is aerobic will help you to improve your aerobic capacity. The way we do it in Norway is quite simple. It's a lot of volume at the low intensity with the lactate below 1.0. And then you have a certain amount of threshold training at altitude and aerobic threshold. Step 2.3, 2.7, 8, depends a little bit of course on the athlete and the disciplines. And that is the big things you do to try to improve the aerobic capacity. Of course, on top of that, you have the anaerobic capacity, working with the VO2max and so on. But for the aerobic capacity, stay below anaerobic threshold, the altitude. And do it a lot. Good luck.

To improve your aerobic capacity, focus on doing a lot of low intensity training at anaerobic threshold and some threshold training at altitude. Additionally, include some high intensity training to work on your VO2 max.

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To improve your aerobic capacity, the key is to train more. Increasing training volume leads to improvement in aerobic capacity. Additionally, it's important to consider how you distribute your training. Focus on aerobic training up to the anaerobic threshold. In Norway, a common approach is to incorporate a lot of low-intensity training with lactate levels below 1.0. Additionally, including threshold training at various intensities specific to the athlete and their disciplines can be beneficial. This helps target and enhance aerobic capacity. It's worth noting that anaerobic capacity and working on VO2max are also important factors, but for specifically improving aerobic capacity, focus on staying below the anaerobic threshold and consider incorporating altitude training. Remember to train consistently and good luck with your efforts!

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Arild Tveiten is a Sports Director and Head Coach at the Norwegian Triathlon Federation with 25+ yrs of elite athlete coaching experience. He emphasizes long-term development and self-motivation, creating a positive environment for athletes to learn, grow, and challenge themselves. He advocates a "train smarter not harder" approach, resulting in consistent success.