A post shared by Michael Tromello (@mtromello)

A post shared by Michael Tromello (@mtromello)

Let’s start with the simple things first, lactic acid build up and the lactate threshold are not the same thing. The real term for what is euphemistically called lactic acid build up, what’s supposed to make it hard to push through an intense workout becuase of “the burn,” is lactic acidosis.

Lactic acid is always produced in some quantity, along with another intermediate by-product called pyruvate, in the long sequence of reactions that take place in the breakdown of glucose during exercise.

If you are not working out too intensely the lactic acid will break down and get released as energy in the presence of oxygen. If you work out really intensely, you body looks to use more glycogen for fuel because it can get a hold of it quickly but you then get a build of lactic acid, you breathe heavier to get more air to oxidize the pyruvate.

At some point, you can’t get enough oxygen in to meet the demand and lactic acid builds up, which is when you can get the proverbial burn as the concentration of acid ions goes up.

The rise in intensity of activity correlates to a rise in blood lactate levels and the lactate threshold is the point at which you move from the efficient oxygen in, burning fuel, aerobic capacity for work to the gulping for air, change in energy creation, air be damned just keep me going anaerobic capacity part of your workout.

In general terms, the concentration point for blood lactate of 4 mmol/L is used as a threshold transition point, the point at which it becomes difficult to maintain a steady heart rate and amount of power output.

As Coach Mike Tromello says in his Instagram post above, CrossFit athletes need to be training their lactic acid to achieve peak performance, too. Runners need to work on their threshold in a single domain whereas CrossFit athletes need to work across multiple domains, maybe within the same workout.

All that just means that an athlete, or just someone looking to get better performance, be fitter in their activity, has to push that threshold point out so that their steady state of activity – the point at which they are solidly moving along and maintain a healthy level of activity consistently – is occurring at higher intensities.

You can see how that makes sense in endurance events like running; you want to maintain the fastest consistent pace over time to get the best times.

Same with CrossFit, you want to be able to maintain high workloads at higher intensities while getting the energy your muscles need in the most optimal manner possible.

Don’t Forget Your VO2max Capacity

As an aside, it’s worth noting that to get a feel for how tolerant we are of consistent hard work we need to look at two measures. One is your lactate threshold and the other one is your VO2max number. The VO2max equates to the maximum amount of oxygen consumed by someone working at maximum intensity.

In simple terms, the more oxygen you consume, the greater your capacity for intensity and the greater the workload you can handle in a workout because, like we said, you need oxygen to burn fuel for your muscles efficiently and as intensity increases you need more of it.

Therefore, athletes with higher VO2max capacity are likely to run, swim, or bike longer and faster because they can use more oxygen more efficiently.

Monitoring Intensity with the Talk Test

All this stuff a massive oversimplification of energy systems and the glycolytic system but carrying a chemistry book and lab kit into the gym seems a bit pretentious. And, you can’t accurately get your VO2max or lactic threshold without invasive testing under controlled conditions.

It makes a lot of sense to let yourself be used as a lab rat if your whole life and career depends on improving your performance, like going for gold at the Olympics, but it’s not remotely necessary even for the one percenters in the gym. You can train your lactate threshold by self-monitoring with two measurements: heart rate and your breathing.

Heart rate is easy enough and there are a plenty of affordable gadgets and devices you can get to help you track that across the most grueling and varied of workouts.

Breathing is even simpler and it is the talk test. It starts with the ventilatory threshold, that’s the point at which you start gulping for air, your breathing drastically changes. Bad news is you are suffering but good news because it typically occurs shortly after the lactate threshold has been reached and it is an obvious marker that shows increased intensity.

The talk test is an effective way to measure yourself in exercise programs because, as you may have heard in many training instructions, you want to maintain a pace where you can still talk, even if it is a little labored.

Beginners always benefit from that advice as they built up their capacities and their endurance. More seasoned athletes can use the talk test to mark how far they have pushed that lactic threshold by comparing to previous points in their workouts.

It may seem counterintuitive, especially at the top tiers of athletic performance, but you don’t want to be straining with effort. In effect, you don’t want to burn out and be unable to give sustained effort.

You can watch great athletes, even in moments of great stress and fatigue, they don’t strain but continue to maintain the highest levels of performance that they can manage.

They have the capacity to keep burning bright in the game, but that doesn’t mean they don’t collapse at the end when they’re at the finish line. For the average trainee, being able to do an Energizer Bunny thing is a sign of how efficiently you are managing your workload.

Learning to train the lactate threshold is a great way of raising your game. And it’s as simple as listening to yourself talk.

The references to research papers below are pretty good places to get a read on all that I have written about here. You can go as deep as you like, or not, as the case may be.

I like to think that the more complicated you try and make your training, the harder it is to make progress, that’s why I stick with the talk test.

At the end of the day, you need to listen to your body, recognize its signals, and be able to push out the breakpoints in your endurance over time. If you’re just beginning, think of it this way: you take a flight of stairs quickly, and you’re gasping for air at the top.

You train for a few weeks and the next time you take the same flight of stairs, you get to the top and your breathing seems pretty normal, you can talk and you move on.

Now keep adding stairs, and keep getting to the top able to carry on a conversation. That’s progress.

References:

De Lucca, L., de Oliveira, F. R., Foster, C., & Carminatti, L. J. (2021). Talk test: A simple alternative to identify lactate thresholds during progressive cycling exercise. Kinesiology, 53(1), 20–27.

Fell, J. W. (2008). The modified D-max is a valid lactate threshold measurement in veteran cyclists. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(5), 460–463.

Hogg, J. S., Hopker, J. G., & Mauger, A. R. (2015). The self-paced VO2max test to assess maximal oxygen uptake in highly trained runners. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 10(2), 172–177.

Moreno-Cabañas, A., Ortega, J. F., Morales-Palomo, F., Ramirez-Jimenez, M., & Mora-Rodriguez, R. (2020). Importance of a verification test to accurately assess V?O2max in unfit individuals with obesity. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 30(3), 583–590.

Quinn, T. J., & Coons, B. A. (2011). The talk test and its relationship with the ventilatory and lactate thresholds. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(11), 1175–1182.

The post The Talk Test and the Lactate Threshold appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

A Growing Research Field

Exercise dramatically increases an athlete’s demand for vitamin D, as your muscle, heart, and vascular tissue all contain key vitamin D receptors. Today, studies show more than 50 percent of athletes are low in vitamin D.¹ While the direct cause isn’t clear, it’s most likely a combination of things like inflammatory processes, muscular damage, increased protein synthesis requirements, increased immune activity, lack of sun exposure, race, and genetics.²

A clear vitamin D deficiency occurs at blood levels less than 20ng/mL (< 50 nmol/L), while insufficiency for athletes is generally defined at blood levels between 20-32 ng/mL (50-80 nmol/L). Insufficiency simply means you’re not getting enough to meet the demands of your activity. Intense training is demanding. New research suggests that 40-50ng/mL (100-125 nmol/L) seems to be the “sweet spot” for supporting optimal athletic performance, and experts agree the body needs daily replenishment to meet that requirement.^3,4

Achieving your ideal vitamin D intake may upgrade six key areas of performance:

1. VO2 max
2. Muscular power production
3. Testosterone levels
4. Inflammation
5. Susceptibility to colds and flu
6. Mood

Let’s take a closer look at each.

Can adding more vitamin D to your diet make you a sprinting powerhouse like Dan Bailey?

1. VO2 Max

You likely spend a lot of time planning and periodizing your training to maximize your efforts, but did you know that not having enough vitamin D could compromise your maximal oxygen uptake, or VO2 max, a classic marker for assessing aerobic fitness? New research in professional hockey and soccer players found a strong correlation between low vitamin D status and VO2 max. If you’re a weekend warrior, this relationship may be even stronger.

Experts will tell you just because there is an association doesn’t mean that increasing the amount of vitamin D in your diet will improve performance. However, a new study in vitamin D deficient rowers found that 8 weeks of supplementation (6,000IU per day) resulted in more than a 10 percent improvement of VO2 max. For elite athletes, improving performance by 2-3 percent is the difference between a podium finish and being in the middle of the pack.^5,6,7 Remember, more is not always better. Talk to your doctor and get tested before supplementing with high doses of vitamin D.

2. Power Production

Your muscle tissues have many key receptor sites for vitamin D, and they seem to play a key role in supporting power production. For athletes, increasing power production translates to improved performance on the playing field. Recently, the Canadian Women’s National Hockey strength and conditioning team found athletes with higher power production were more likely to make the final selection for the national team.

Additionally, a study in soccer players found increasing baseline vitamin D status over an 8-week period resulted in an increase in 10-meter sprint times and vertical jump.⁸ While not all studies found this relationship, it’s important to ensure you meet the minimal baseline requirements to ensure maximum training benefit.

3. Testosterone Levels

Low testosterone is a common symptom in athletes who are over-reaching and overtraining. Unfortunately, too many people look for a quick fix rather than address why their testosterone levels are low in the first place. Vitamin D is a precursor to testosterone production and may increase the binding efficiency of testosterone to its receptors.⁴ Low levels are linked to increased protein breakdown, reduced strength, and increased body fat.

If you’re an athlete over age sixty, the connection is even more compelling because low vitamin D levels at that age correlate strongly to low testosterone levels.⁹ A new study over a 12-month time span found that adding approximately 3,000 IU of vitamin D daily resulted in increased total, bioavailable, and free testosterone.¹⁰ For those training through the winter, low testosterone combined with intense training will lead to sub-optimal recovery and increased risk of symptoms of overtraining (i.e., increased muscle soreness, low mood, fatigue, low libido, etc.). This is especially true for athletes who compete in indoor sports year round that limit sun exposure.

4. Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural product of intense training. However, too much inflammation can impair muscular function and future performance. One study showed adding an extra 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily can offset the increased inflammatory reaction with a high-volume training load of 10 sets of 10 reps of compound exercises in men and women.¹¹

Interestingly, the group adding extra vitamin D also noted a mere 6 percent drop in power output over the course of the workout, while the group not supplementing had a 32 percent decrease in power. Amazingly, this deficit lasted for up to 48 hours. If you’re preparing for a competition or the CrossFit Games, maintaining power output during competition is critical to your performance.

5. Colds and Flu

There is nothing worse than catching a cold or flu in the days leading up to a competition. All those hard training days and dedication to be at the top of your game, only to be cut short by a nasty bug. If you’re low in vitamin D, the “foot soldier” immune cells that make up your innate immune system will also be low. If this first-line of immune defense is compromised, you’ll be at increased risk of infection.¹²

Vitamin D promotes hundreds of anti-microbial proteins in the body that fight off bacteria and viruses and helps keep your immune system robust in the build-up to competition. Research in athletic populations highlights that maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D can reduce common infectious illnesses.¹³ If your levels are low, your immunity and performance will likely be compromised.

6. Mood

Training intensely isn’t just tough on your muscles and joints. It also takes a toll on your mental game. If you’re an athlete, you regularly push that fine line between over-reaching (pushing beyond your limits to grow stronger) and overtraining (pushing too far beyond your limits). Therefore, it’s crucial to maintain a positive mood as you fight through the toughest weeks of your training.

Low levels of vitamin D are consistently associated with low mood and depression, and because many athletes train indoors through the winter months (and sometimes even summer, depending on your sport), deficient levels can impair you sense of well-being.¹⁴ Cognitive decline also impacts your decision-making abilities, which are crucial in the heat of competition, yet fatigue and pain make them very difficult.

The best source of vitamin D is free. Take advantage when the sun is shining and get outside.

Sources of Vitamin D

Now that you know vitamin D is key for optimal performance, where is the best place to get it? The sun is far and away your best source of vitamin D. Fifteen minutes of exposure on 5 percent of your skin leads to 10,000-20,000 IU of vitamin D production.⁴ If you live in a city with a true winter – north of the 42nd parallel – you’ll need more than sun exposure alone to meet your demands, as the sun isn’t high enough in the sky for an adequate dose.

Including vitamin D rich foods in your diet should always be your foundation, and the best dietary sources include egg yolks, pork (yes, bacon!), mushrooms, fortified milk, and yogurt (if you struggle to digest dairy effectively, discontinue).

Of course, if you live in a city with a true winter climate, food alone won’t meet your demands. The general recommendation for supplementing with vitamin D during winter is 1,000-2,000 IU per day. However, this is the case for the general population, not athletes. The research on athletes suggests between 4,000-6,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily is a good bet, however this should only be taken during your intense training phases (up to 8-12 weeks), or from November to March. If you decide to take vitamin D doses greater than 2,000 IU, you must get regular blood tests done with your doctor.

Give Yourself a Winning Edge

Whether your goal for 2016 is achieving a new personal best or finishing on top of the podium, make sure your vitamin D levels are adequate. Assess your vitamin D status, add more vitamin D-rich foods, and find the right supplement strategy to meet your needs.

Intense training requires a robust nutrition plan to meet your body’s demands, and failing to adequately replenish vitamin D can negatively impact too many key systems to ignore. Get your daily dose of vitamin D this winter. The research shows it can make all the difference.

Learn More About the Benefits of Vitamin D:

• Sports Supplements You Should Be Taking
• Are You Sure You’re Getting Enough Vitamin D?
• Vitamin D Insufficiency: A Surprising Trend in Athletic Adults
• New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

References

1. Farrokhyar F, et al., “Prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy in athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” Sport Medicine 5 (2014): 365–78.

2. Willis KS, Smith DT, Broughton KS, Larson-Meyer DE. “Vitamin D status and biomarkers of inflmmation in runners,” Journal of Sports Medicine, 3 (2012): 35-42.

3. Ogan D, Pritchett K. “Vitamin D and the athlete: Risks, recommendations, and benefits,” Nutrients 5 (2013): 1856–1868.

4. Dahlquist D et al. “Plausible ergogenic effects of vitamin D on athletic performance and recovery,” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12 (2015):33

5. Koundourakis N et al. “Relation of vitamin D level to maximal oxygen uptake in adults,” American Journal of Cardiology, 107 (2011):1246–9.

6. Forney L, et al. “Vitamin D status, body composition, and fitness measures in college-aged students,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28 (2014): 814–24.

7. Jastrz?bski Z. “Effect of vitamin D supplementation on the level of physical fitness and blood parameters of rowers during the 8-week high intensity training,” Facicula Educ Fiz ?i Sport, 2 (2014): 57–67.

8. Close G et al. “Assessment of vitamin D concentration in non-supplemented professional athletes and healthy adults during the winter months in the UK: implications for skeletal muscle function,” Journal of Sports Science, 31 (2013): 344–53.

9. Wehr et al. “Association of vitamin D status with serum androgen levels in men,” Clinical Endocrinology (Oxf), 73 (2010): 243–8.

10. Pilz S, et al. “Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men,” Hormone and Metabolic Research, 43 (2011): 223–5.

11. Barker T et al. “Supplemental vitamin D enhances the recovery in peak isometric force shortly after intense exercise,” Nutr Metab (Lond), 10 (2013): 69.

12. Youssef D et al. “Vitamin D’s potential to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections,” Dermatoendocrinol, 4(2012):167-75.

13. Larson E. “Vitamin D supplementation in athletes,” Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop Series, 75 (2013): 109-21.

14. Polak M et al. “Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and depressive symptoms among young adult men and women,” Nutrients, 6 (2014): 4720–30.

Photo 1 courtesy of CrossFit, Inc.

Teaser photo and Photo 2 courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography.

The post The Athletic Potential of Vitamin D appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

There were 15 Division 1A female soccer players who participated in the study, but only 11 were included in the final analysis. Each participant performed a treadmill test at the end of competitive season, and after a 10-week training program to determine VO2 max and running economy. The isometric strength of each player was measured in both knee flexion and extension. Each player participated in resistance training two days a week on non-consecutive days. Each session lasted approximately 60 minutes, and was preceded by a short warm-up/stretching session. The session consisted of 9-10 exercises of 3 sets each. The plyometric training was conducted twice a week on different non-consecutive days from the resistance training. The drills for the training varied between days; an emphasis on speed and quickness on one day, followed by plyometric-agility training on a separate day.²

The dependent variables were maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), time-to-fatigue during VO2max protocol, interpolated maximal speed of highest completed stage during VO2max protocol, running economy at 9 km·h−1, percentage of VO2max at 9 km·h−1, and isometric knee flexion and extension.³

The results of the study revealed there was a significant increase in VO2 peak (10.5%), time to fatigue (6.9%), and interpolated max speed (3.6%). All of these increased despite there being a decrease in the maximal respiratory exchange ratio (2.9%). There was no significant change in the running economy at 9 km/hr, but there was a significant decrease in the percentage of the VO2 peak at 9 km/hr. The max isometric strength of the knee flexors and extensors did not change.⁴

The results from this study suggest a plyometric-agility training program may increase the VO2peak in female soccer players; however, the effect on running economy still remains unclear.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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