Determining Training Zones for Three Recreational Endurances Athletes and the Physiological Values t

Introduction

Determining an individual athletes training zone is an integral aspect to their progression. In order to identify these zones a test is required to see how participants physically respond to increasing workloads. The training zones are: moderate, heavy, very heavy and severe. Three recreational endurance athletes have been maximally tested and were pushed to the end of their physical capabilities. This test was designed to discover where the three athletes respective Lactate threshold (LT), Lactate turnpoint (LTP) and the velocity associated for maximal aerobic speed (MAS) occur. This report is designed to give a clear understanding as to what a training zone is and how to define them. It has been written to benefit and improve the understanding of an athlete, regarding human physiology.

Method

To discover a training zone, first a baseline test is required. This was done with an incremental treadmill test. This test consists of progressive increments in graded exercise where the treadmill speed is increased upon each stage. For this study the test began at 8kmph and is increased by 0.5kmph every 2minutes until athlete exhaustion. At the end of each stage, as well as a resting sample prior to the test, a blood sample was taken from one finger from the non-dominant hand; from this sample the blood lactate values are determined. In addition, the participants’ heart rate is taken through a heart rate monitor. This is used in connection with the blood lactate sample so we can find a close link to one another. Taking a persons heart rate during maximal testing is also used as a risk management tool as a too high reading too early can be harmful to the participant.

Results

Discussion

About Lactate

Lactate is an energy source utilised when under anaerobic conditions. It provides energy for when an athlete speeds up at the beginning of a race and whenever they choose to increase their speed mid/end-race. It can be sustained for up to 90 seconds. Lactate is used to supply our muscles with the energy required for contractions. It produces the waste product lactic acid, which has links to but not necessarily the cause of fatigue. If lactic acid builds up then the onset of fatigue can appear (Wasserman, Hansen, Sue, Stringer & Whipp, 2005).

Training Zones

Training zones are used to determine how hard an individual is working and for how long they can continue in those zones. The zones are; moderate, heavy, very heavy and severe. Discovering training zones enables sports scientists and coaches to design programs to facilitate and track progression. The boundaries between the zones are specific to the athlete and allow individualisation of training. In this study we have used heart rate to identify where each athletes training zones are in connection with blood lactate. Along with blood lactate samples we can see what each athletes heart rate was at any point during the test and at what intensity the blood lactate reading occurred at. Blood lactate determines the training zone, but through heart rate values we can assume how hard an athlete is working because we can link heart rate to the corresponding blood lactate value. The relationship is known as the HR-lactate curve (Janssen, 2001).

Moderate Training Zone (Green in graph)

This zone occurs before the Lactate Threshold (LT in graph). The Lactate Threshold is the first and sudden increase in blood lactate near resting conditions. At this point blood lactate is not building up and occurs as an athlete warms up and cools down. A cool down is important as it enables the build up of blood lactate to be cleared, delaying fatigue. The time to exhaustion is very high and can be sustained for around 3 hours.

Heavy Training Zone (Yellow in graph)

This zone occurs after the Lactate Threshold and before the Lactate Turnpoint (LTP in graph). The Lactate Turnpoint is the second and sudden increase in blood lactate. Once at the Lactate Turnpoint, an athlete is now working at a higher intensity but may feel more comfortable as they are now ‘tempo’ running. This is where blood lactate is increasing and fatigue starts to appear, the runner is now entering the ‘heavy’ training zone (Wasserman, Hansen, Sue, Stringer & Whipp, 2005). This is where Continuous training falls. This type of training refers to a near constant speed throughout and can be maintained for between 1 and 2 hours.

Very Heavy Training Zone (Orange in graph)

This zone occurs after the Lactate Turnpoint and before the Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS in graph). Maximal Aerobic Speed is simply; the fastest speed, in km/h for this instance, which can be sustained when an athlete is running or sprinting at their full capacity. It cannot be sustained for long, a matter of seconds until the athlete has stopped through exhaustion and slowed down. The type of training performed in this stage is intermittent interval training. This requires the participant to perform repeated bouts of extensive all out work (up to MAS) without a full recovery phase. For instance: a 400m sprint followed by full recovery active rest where the heart rate reduces to near resting. This can be repeated, in one session, multiple times at a frequency of 2/week (Joyce & Lewindon, 2014). Due to the increased work rate, time to fatigue becomes shorter, intensity sustainable for 5-60 minutes.

Severe Training Zone (Red in graph)

Time spent above the MAS the athlete is now working supra-maximally, meaning they are working above their maximal state. The speed associated with all out work (Maximal Aerobic Speed) is indication to their full capacity, only if it is sustained. If it cannot be sustained, this is referred to as their peak associated speed. An athlete’s capacity for work is a test of its own and is performed in similar circumstances (VO2max test). As previously mentioned, this cannot be sustained for very long. Training at this intensity is short and like heavy training is best performed with intermittent intervals but with full recovery. For example: 100m sprints followed by 1-minute rest. Again, these can be performed multiple times in one session and at a frequency of 2/week (Janssen, 2001).

With the appropriate training, as described above, an athlete can increase the intensity (km/h) at which these values occur.

Of the three recreational runners tested, athlete 2 is considered the ‘best’ runner. This is due to: the delayed occurrence of the blood lactate values (LT at 11km/h, LTP at 15.5km/h), the highest Maximal Aerobic Speed (19.5km/h) and the lowest heart rate range in each training zone (moderate 63-103b/m, heavy 110-145b/m, very heavy 153-177b/m and severe 191b/m). As mentioned previously, the accumulation of lactate initiates the onset of fatigue. Although each participant reached their Lactate Threshold at the same speed of 11km/h, the difference between the Lactate Threshold and the Lactate Threshold (Athlete 1 – 15km/h, Athlete 2 – 15.5, Athlete 3 14km/h) is of greater importance. So if an athlete can delay this from happening as much as possible, fatigue occur later and they will be able to run at a higher intensity. Athletes 2 and 3 have comparable speeds associated with maximal aerobic speed, meaning their potential capacity for work is similar. The lower heart rate values in each training zone of Athlete 2 is of benefit to the runner as they can work less to perform the same intensity and are therefore more efficient than their peers as they are able to perform at higher intensities. Having near identical capacity for work means they can both match distance but when intensity increases, Athlete 2 has the possibility to maintain it for longer or even increase it.

Athlete 1 and athlete 2 are also closely linked. They both have identical intensities at the Lactate Threshold, occurring at 11km/h and at the Lactate Turnpoint there is only difference of 0.5km/h, so both still fairly similar. However, as mentioned previously Athlete 2 has the greater speed at Maximal Aerobic Speed. The capacity is much greater.

As regards to Athlete 1 and 3, they both start in fairly similar circumstances in terms of blood lactate with Athlete 1’s occurrence of the Lactate Threshold at 15km/h, whereas Athlete 3 has their at 14km/h. However Athlete 1 has their Maximal Aerobic Speed at 17km/h and with Athlete 3 it is at 19km/h, which would mean that like the relationship between Athletes 2 and 3, Athlete 1 is capable of delaying the onset of fatigue more so than Athlete 3, whereas Athlete 3 may have the higher capacity due to their Maximal Aerobic speed.

Summary

The purpose of this study was to determine training zones for three recreational runners. To maintain and track progression periodised training in the discovered zones of; moderate, heavy, very heavy and severe, for each athlete is suggested. In addition regular testing is advocated for improvements through training. Training zones are specific and personalised for individuals and require testing to discover them. Through the incremental test used the results discovered that Athlete 2 was the better performer of the three because they are able to withstand higher intensities with the lowest physical cost and that their capacity for work is potentially higher than Athlete 1 or 3. When fatigue appears an athlete must slow down. However, if they can delay this occurrence they have a greater chance of maintaining or increasing the intensity.

References

1. Janssen, P., & Peter G. J. M. Janssen (2001). Lactate threshold training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers.

2. Joyce, D., & Lewindon, D. (2014). High-performance training for sports. United States: Human Kinetics Publishers.

3. Wasserman, K., Hansen, J. E., Sue, D. Y., Stringer, W. W., & Whipp, B. J. (2004). Principles of exercise testing and interpretation: Including Pathophysiology and clinical applications 4e (4th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

4. lactate-threshold-testing-01.jpg. Obatained 10/2/16