North Lactate Dynamics
Lactate Testing for Improved Sports Performance.
Every athlete needs a space to explore their physiology - reach peak performance and gain insight into their individual training response.
The North Human Performance Lab is a facility focused on enhancing athletes' training and competition experiences through the use of advanced physiological testing and data analysis. We provide invaluable insights into an athlete's performance potential using state-of-the-art lactate testing. This information can then be used to develop personalised strategies for improving training and racing outcomes.
Designed with professional athletes and dedicated amateurs in mind, you’ll get a precise insight into how your body responds to different forms of training, environmental conditions or fatigue.
The North Human Performance Lab is a facility focused on enhancing athletes' training and competition experiences through the use of advanced physiological testing and data analysis. We provide invaluable insights into an athlete's performance potential using state-of-the-art lactate testing. This information can then be used to develop personalised strategies for improving training and racing outcomes.
Designed with professional athletes and dedicated amateurs in mind, you’ll get a precise insight into how your body responds to different forms of training, environmental conditions or fatigue.
The first step to the North Lactate Dynamics Protocol is for the athlete to perform a series of critical power tests in their training environment at home.
The critical power testing allows the coaches at North to accurately evaluate a cyclist's maximum sustainable power, energetic system contributions, aerobic and anaerobic capacities, and other physiological data from the test results.
This information is then used to build highly effective and individual training zones based on the athlete’s current unique physiology.
Once the athlete has performed the series of critical power tests and the team at North has analysed the data. The next step is for the athlete to visit The North Human Performance Lab, where we can delve deeper into understanding the composition of your power production.
Testing for the aerobic system
Lactate production is used as an indicator to test and measure a person’s aerobic capacity. By gradually increasing the effort level during exercise and analysing the amount of lactate formed, one can assess how well their aerobic system can produce energy. Higher effort levels with lower amounts of lactate produced indicate more advanced aerobic capacities. However, anaerobic capacity must also be considered when making these determinations.
The critical power testing allows the coaches at North to accurately evaluate a cyclist's maximum sustainable power, energetic system contributions, aerobic and anaerobic capacities, and other physiological data from the test results.
This information is then used to build highly effective and individual training zones based on the athlete’s current unique physiology.
Once the athlete has performed the series of critical power tests and the team at North has analysed the data. The next step is for the athlete to visit The North Human Performance Lab, where we can delve deeper into understanding the composition of your power production.
Testing for the aerobic system
Lactate production is used as an indicator to test and measure a person’s aerobic capacity. By gradually increasing the effort level during exercise and analysing the amount of lactate formed, one can assess how well their aerobic system can produce energy. Higher effort levels with lower amounts of lactate produced indicate more advanced aerobic capacities. However, anaerobic capacity must also be considered when making these determinations.
Testing for the anaerobic system
Evaluating anaerobic capacity requires testing the amount of lactate in the athlete’s blood after a brief, all-out effort. The length of this all-out effort depends on the shape of the individual’s power duration curve and the unique characteristics of that curve.
The higher the lactate concentration, the better the subject’s anaerobic system developed.
However, if the length of the effort was not individualised, it ended up being too long. In that case, factors such as aerobic processing of pyruvate, removing lactate through its shuttle to other muscles and organs, buffering capacity and pain tolerance start influencing results.
These components are essential in competition but complicate measuring anaerobic capacity, which describes a rate of output rather than total production. Maximum glycolytic rate is frequently used to describe this capacity as it represents the maximum lactate output per unit of time.
Evaluating anaerobic capacity requires testing the amount of lactate in the athlete’s blood after a brief, all-out effort. The length of this all-out effort depends on the shape of the individual’s power duration curve and the unique characteristics of that curve.
The higher the lactate concentration, the better the subject’s anaerobic system developed.
However, if the length of the effort was not individualised, it ended up being too long. In that case, factors such as aerobic processing of pyruvate, removing lactate through its shuttle to other muscles and organs, buffering capacity and pain tolerance start influencing results.
These components are essential in competition but complicate measuring anaerobic capacity, which describes a rate of output rather than total production. Maximum glycolytic rate is frequently used to describe this capacity as it represents the maximum lactate output per unit of time.
The importance of testing the anaerobic capacity
Anaerobic capacity directly affects the amount of pyruvate generated during exercise. Generally, athletes with higher anaerobic capacity will generate more lactate regardless of the strength of their aerobic system.
When assessing aerobic capacity, it is also essential to consider an athlete’s anaerobic capacity.
Let’s say in the scenario of two athletes having a lactate level of 4.0 mmol/l for a six-minute steady state effort of 250w, the one with a higher anaerobic capacity will also have a higher aerobic capacity. This is because the more pyruvate generated, the stronger the aerobic system must consume the extra lactate.
However, if their respective aerobic systems were the same strength, then much more lactate would be present in the bloodstream for the athlete with higher anaerobic capacity, and their power production at 4.0 mmol/l would be lower.
Balancing the body's three energy systems - ATP-PCr, glycolytic and aerobic - is essential for peak performance. Each of these three energy systems has unique benefits, but all must be optimally developed in order to reach a top performance. The amount of energy generated from each system will depend on its level of development.
Coaches need to find the optimal proportion between these systems for both training and competition, as these proportions may differ depending on the event or athlete's conditioning level. Finding this balance between the energy systems is one of the primary roles of coaching.
The North team are incredibly passionate about mastering this process, as we believe it's the key to reaching your full potential.
Anaerobic capacity directly affects the amount of pyruvate generated during exercise. Generally, athletes with higher anaerobic capacity will generate more lactate regardless of the strength of their aerobic system.
When assessing aerobic capacity, it is also essential to consider an athlete’s anaerobic capacity.
Let’s say in the scenario of two athletes having a lactate level of 4.0 mmol/l for a six-minute steady state effort of 250w, the one with a higher anaerobic capacity will also have a higher aerobic capacity. This is because the more pyruvate generated, the stronger the aerobic system must consume the extra lactate.
However, if their respective aerobic systems were the same strength, then much more lactate would be present in the bloodstream for the athlete with higher anaerobic capacity, and their power production at 4.0 mmol/l would be lower.
Balancing the body's three energy systems - ATP-PCr, glycolytic and aerobic - is essential for peak performance. Each of these three energy systems has unique benefits, but all must be optimally developed in order to reach a top performance. The amount of energy generated from each system will depend on its level of development.
Coaches need to find the optimal proportion between these systems for both training and competition, as these proportions may differ depending on the event or athlete's conditioning level. Finding this balance between the energy systems is one of the primary roles of coaching.
The North team are incredibly passionate about mastering this process, as we believe it's the key to reaching your full potential.
The complete Lactate Dynamics Service
