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Cardio training activities (such as running, skating, cycling, etc.) are ways to improve your cardiovascular endurance. This type of training produces many physiological benefits such as:
- Improvement in the function of the heart
- Positive blood vessel and blood chemistry changes -- this means reduced blood pressure, increased blood supply to the muscles and heart, improved blood lipid (fat) profile, more efficient exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide and increased blood volume
- Improved respiratory function
- Increased neural, endocrine, and metabolic functioning
What is VO2max?
VO2max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen the body can consume and use in one minute of aerobic exercise.
The VO2max test entails incremental increases in exercise effort until the participant is unable to continue increasing his or her workload. The test can be performed using any number of exercises: running, cycling, rowing, and even swimming. But because VO2max will vary between sports, individuals will generally perform the test in his or her preferred sport.
What is Lactate Threshold?
Lactate threshold is the level of physical performance at which the muscles produce more lactic acid than can be removed. At rest and under steady-state exercise conditions, there is a balance between blood lactate production and blood lactate removal.
The lactate threshold refers to the intensity of exercise at which there is an abrupt increase in blood lactate levels. This point is the beginning of the end of high intensity exercise. Excessive blood lactate and hydrogen ion concentrations combine to interfere with efficient and proper muscle contraction, and as a result, power output drops, suffering increases and you are forced to slow down.
Is VO2max or Lactate Threshold the stronger predictor of endurance performance?
Lactate threshold represents the highest steady-state exercising intensity an athlete can maintain for prolonged periods of time. Most coaches and sport scientists today recognize lactate threshold is the strongest predictor of endurance performance.
Can you improve Lactate Threshold?
Yes. Lactate threshold is not as fixed as VO2max. Through proper training and commitment, an individual can improve the point at which the lactate threshold occurs. Research has indicated that training programs that are a combination of high volume, maximal steady-state, and interval workouts have the most pronounced effect on lactate threshold improvement
What is Interval Training?
Interval training workouts are high-intensity training sessions performed for short durations of time at workloads above the lactate threshold. Although there are many ways to design the workout, I recommend a 30 second sprint with a 90 second recovery period.
Each workout begins with a 10 minute warm-up. Then sprint as fast as you can for 30 seconds and alternate each sprint with a 90 second low-intensity aerobic recovery bout. This program works best if performed for 20 minutes every other day with at least one day of rest a week.
Are high intensity intervals or longer periods of low intensity cardio better for fat loss?
The most common recommendation for fat loss is low intensity, long duration exercise based on the fact that the body uses more fat as a source of fuel at lower intensities and more carbohydrate as a source of fuel at higher intensities of exercise.
While it is true that a higher percentage of energy comes from fat during lower intensity activity, the "total" energy expended is less at lower intensities. As the intensity increases, the amount of energy expended increases; at higher intensities, the amount of energy expended, from fat, is a smaller percentage of a much larger "total."
Also, numerous studies have shown that high intensity intervals result in significantly greater post exercise energy expenditure and fat utilization than lower intensity exercise. Therefore, considering the total energy expended may be more important than the predominant fuel used for fat loss.
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