Lactate is a byproduct of anaerobic glycolysis (forming ATP in the absence of oxygen). Lactate is ALWAYS being produced by the body but it is removed just as quickly, and therefore does not build up. In untrained individuals, lactate beings to accumulate (meaning it is produced faster than it is removed) at about 55% of BPM. In trained individuals, lactate does not accumulate until about 75% of BPM (beats per minute…relative to maximum).
When lactate accumulates, it causes fatigue and you are forced to slow down. However, the lactate threshold (LT) can be increased with specific training…this will allow you to go faster and harder before fatiguing and without going above the LT. In well trained individuals, LT can be as high as 92% of max heart rate! To raise your LT, you must work at or slightly above LT. This is intense work…LT pace is often described as as hard as someone can go and maintain for one hour. One way to do this is to do longer intervals (10 or 20 minutes in length) with one or two minutes in between. The key here is pacing- you should not start out at a high intensity and slow down over the interval (biking or running). Instead, you should start below your expected pace and build up to the higher, harder-to-hold pace.
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i’m such a nerd so i love these science-y posts