Performance Testing Marc Silberman, M.D. Gillette, NJ

Training Measurements Perceived level of exertion Time – measures duration only Speed – poor indicator of intensity Distance – does not measure intensity Heart Rate – correlates with intensity, 30 second lag, reflects strain Power Output – direct and immediate answer to exercise intensity

Tests Conconi Test – heart rate deflection Lactate Threshold Test VO2 Max Test Wingate anaerobic test (WANT) Maximum Aerobic Power Test (MAP) Maximum Aerobic Power Test with Lactate and VO2

Lactate or Anaerobic Threshold No consensus definition Incorrect hypothesis: point of exertion where body goes anaerobic or into “oxygen debt” rapidly producing lactic acid causing legs to burn The truth: lactate is a useable fuel

Lactic Acid and Blood Lactate Lactic acid is produced in muscle as a metabolic byproduct of carbohydrate metabolism As a molecule of lactic acid diffuses out of muscle it dissociates and appears in the blood as lactate and a hydrogen ion The concentration of lactate that appears in the blood is the sum of lactate production and removal If production exceeds removal, lactate accumulates in the blood, which occurs during high intensity exercise Training helps the body become more efficient at shuttling lactate, for utilization to other parts of the body

Definition of Lactate Threshold OBLA, onset of blood lactate, blood lactate level of 4 mmol/L or effort where lactate begins to rise exponentially LT refers to effort (watts) that can be maintained without a rise in lactate USOTC : the point at which a minimum increase of 1.0 mmol/L above baseline values is followed by another increase greater than 1.0 mmol/L

Lactate Threshold

Power Output Power at LT is the most important physiological determinant of endurance cycling performance Integrates VO2 max, the percentage of VO2 max that can be sustained for a given duration, and cycling efficiency Coyle EF. Exerc. Sports Sci. Rev. 23:25-63, 1995

Functional Threshold Power FTP Average power during a 40km time trial Power for 60 minutes correlates very highly with, but slightly greater than, power at LT, defined as 1 mmol/L increase in blood lactate over exercise baseline

Estimate Threshold Power Measure the power that can routinely be produced in training during long intervals aimed at raising LT, such as 2 X 20 minutes This will be very close, within 5%, to what can be sustained during a 40km TT

Determining Power at LT The most precise way of determining an athlete’s power at LT is the MAP test

MAP – Lactate - VO2 Test Ramp protocol of increasing load of 30 watts at 3 minute intervals until failure Measure VO2, HR, Watts, Lactate Maximum aerobic power - highest power output maintained during the test Power at LT is used to define training levels

The Test Your bicycle will be mounted to a trainer You must remain seated No drinking You will be breathing through a tube Maintain a cadence of 90 rpm You may not change gears Load will be increased every 3 minutes Every 3 minutes your finger will be stuck for blood lactate Test is over when you quit, or fail to maintain 90 rpm and VO2 drops

At Lactate Threshold %VO2Max81% Watts225 VO2 ml/kg57 HR163 Max Lactate15.3 VO2 ml/kg70.6 HR190 Watts400 Rec. HLA 1 min 14.7 WattsLactateHeart Rate

Goal Work at a higher percentage of VO2 max without large increases in blood lactate levels “Shift the curve to the right”

Shift curve to the right

Coggan Training Zones L Level Name Average Power (% threshold power) Average HR (% threshold HR) Perceived Exertion 1Active Recovery< 56%< 69%< 2 2Endurance56 – 75%69 – 83%2 –3 3Tempo76 – 90%84 – 94%3 –4 4LT91 – 105%95 –105%4 – 5 5VO2Max106 – 120%> 106%6 –7 6Anaerobic Capacity > 120%N/A> 7 7Neuromuscular Power N/A Maximal [1] [1] May not be achieved during initial phases of effort [2] [2] May not be achieved due to slowness of heart rate response and/or ceiling imposed by maximum heart rate Coggan AR.

Training Zone Description 1Easy spinning, light pedal pressure, minimal sensation of leg effort, active recovery after hard training or races 2“All day” pace or classic long slow distance training, sensation of leg effort low but may rise when climbing, frequent days in a row possible but complete recovery may take more than 24 hours for very long rides 3“Spirited group ride” or brisk paceline, requires concentration to maintain alone, consecutive days still possible if duration is not excessive and carbohydrate intake is adequate 4Just below to just above TT effort, mentally very taxing, usually done in multiple repeats of 10-30minute duration, consecutive days possible if completely recovered from prior training 5Intensity of long 3 – 8 minute intervals designed to increase VO2max, completion of 30 – 40 minute total training difficult, consecutive days not necessary 6Short 30 sec to 3 min intervals designed to increase anaerobic capacity, HR not useful due to non-steady state nature of effort, consecutive days not necessary 7Very short, high intensity efforts (jumps, standing starts, sprints) stressing musculoskeletal system versus metabolic systems, power useful as guide to compare versus prior efforts Coggan AR.

Sample for an athlete who time trials at 300W and HR 160 LevelAvg. WattAvg. HRWorkout 1< 166< 111Ride 1 hour 2166 – Ride 3 hour 3226 – – 152Warm up 30 min. at L1-2, then 1.5hour at L3, 30 min cool down 4271 – – 170Warm up 30 min. as if for race, perform 2 X 20 minutes at level 4 with 5 minute at level 1 between efforts, warm down 5316 – 360> 171Warm up as above, then 6 X 5 min at L5, with 5 min at L1 between efforts, warm down 6> 360N/AWarm up as above, then 10 X 1 min at L6 with 3 min at L1 between, warm down 7N/A Warm up thoroughly, then do 6 – 10 all out 10sec sprints with complete recovery between efforts Coggan AR.

Professional Numbers* Mean power for five mass start stages: 220 ± 22, range 190 W to 310 W, average HR: 142 ± 5 beats per minute (bpm). Mean power for uphill 13-km TT: 392 ± 60 W (5.5 ± 0.4 W/kg), average HR: 169 ± 3 bpm. Indirect measurement, 3-week stage races: 246 ± 44 W for high mountain stages, 234 ± 43 W for semi-mountainous stages, 192 ± 45 W for flat stages * asterik

References Allen H. Coggan AR. Training and racing with a power meter, 2 nd edition. Coggan AR. Manuscript. Training and racing using a power meter: an introduction. Lactate Threshold Application to Training and Performance, Presented by Sport Science and Technology Division of the United States Olympic Committee, Revised March Silberman MR. Road Bicycling. Chapter in Netter’s Sports Medicine, 2 nd edition, in print.

Marc Silberman, M.D.