Why Should You Know Your Own Lactate Threshold Heart Rate

For those who aren’t sure what this phrase means, the lactate threshold heart rate is a method of measuring the level of exercise intensity in which the body can no longer clear any one of the by-products of exercise, and consequently this by-product starts to build-up in the blood. This results in the burn that is felt in the muscles during extreme load such as weight lifting, endurance racing, and other such intense exercise.

The reason that you need to determine your own specific lactate threshold heart rate is essentially because in order to train your aerobic system which is comprised of your heart and lungs and to be an efficient endurance athlete, you need to concentrate on developing a good aerobic base.  The aerobic base is derived by analyzing where your lactate threshold heart rate is.  The aerobic base is usually around 65%-75% of your lactate threshold heart rate.

Some have used a simple formula as a basic guideline to determine their aerobic base, typically 220 minus their age and then multiply by 60% as well as 90%.  For example, a 30-year old would calculate his optimal heart rate zone using the formula: 220-30=190. 190x.60=114 and 190x.90=171. This individual would try to keep his heart rate between 114 (aerobic base) and 171 (lactate threshold) beats per minute.  However this isn’t a very reliable calculation as it is simply far too broad and general for everyone to use.  The most accurate way to assess your own individual lactate threshold heart rate, you would need to visit your doctor or exercise physiologist for an endurance test where blood tests would be administered while exercising.  You can also use a heart rate monitor and do a self assessment while running or cycling and measure your heart rates in a 30 minute field test.  Start the heart rate monitor to record from the beginning of the trial and push yourself to complete the interval, just not so hard that you need to slow down significantly at the end.  You should start the first 10 minutes easily and work your way up to what feels like your maximum pace.  You can roughly determine your own lactate threshold heart rate by calculating your average heart rate over the 30 minute time trial.

Of course this won’t be 100% scientifically accurate, however it will be close enough to understand your own rough lactate threshold heart rate and from there, be able to determine your own aerobic base.  For example, if your estimated lactate threshold heart rate is 120, then you want to be exercising at 65%-75% of that, or 78-90 beats, for as long as possible.  As a multisports athlete or triathlete, training in your aerobic base strengthens your heart and lungs in the most efficient manner for endurance sports.  Once you’ve established a strong aerobic base fitness level, then you can focus on other aspects such as developing sports specific strength for the swim, cycling, or running by lifting weights, thus allowing for further improvement in each part of your triathlon event and ultimately your overall finish.

No brand of running shoes are alike. Shoes help to determine how you run, the speed in which you run and can have a great impact on your knees and joints.  That is why it is so important to select the right type of running shoe. Here are a few tips on selecting the right kind of running shoe for your needs.

Select a specialized store for your needs. In this case we are searching for running shoes. Specialized stores tend to have much better trained people. Be sure to check out magazines and place like this shoe buy coupons site for coupons on shoes.

Check out your used shoes. See if your shoes are woren in any places more then others. Look underneath the shoe and spot the wear marks. This tells you were you need more support.

Place your shoes side-by-side on a flat surface. If the shoes tilt in toward the middle, your new shoe probably needs more stability than your old shoe. If they tilt to the outside, you may have a high arch and your new shoes should have good shock absorption.

Pay close attention to the top of the shoe. If you see an out dent were your big toe is then most likely that size was a bit too small. Remember that every shoe brand is a little different.

Once you spend the time selecting the perfect shoe for your needs you can then type that brand into Google or whatever you favorite search engine is and see what online companies are selling it for. Purchasing the shoe online often times saves you at least 30%. Don’t forget to check out this shoe buy coupon site for the latest shoe coupons. I check out this site every time before I make a shoe purchase just to see what this shoe fanatic has to say about it.