Exercise Intensity & Endurance Performance

Question 1

What can the lactate profile test be conducted using?

Answer 1

Cycle ergometer or treadmill

Question 2

What does the lactate profile test entail?

Answer 2

Run for 3 min stages in an incremental test.

GE data is collected throughout.

At end of each stage = HR + blood lactate conc (finger tip blood sample) collected.

Participants continues till exhaustion.

Question 3

What can be determined from the data collected in the lactate profile test?

Answer 3

Max O2 uptake

Lactate threshold + lactate turn point

Running economy

Running speed at max O2 uptake

Question 4

Define lactate turnpoint

Answer 4

The 2nd sudden + sustained ⬆️ in blood lactate conc during the incremental test

Question 5

Define running economy

Answer 5

O2 cost of running a certain distance or speed.

Question 6

When assessing the running economy, what data should be used?

Answer 6

Data from below the ind. lactate threshold

Question 7

What is a good running economy seen as?

Answer 7

When athlete uses a lower % of max O2 uptake for a given speed.

Question 8

Where does the majority of energy come from when exercise is longer than 120s?

Answer 8

Oxidative metabolism

Question 9

What events come under short endurance?

Answer 9

800m

1500m

Question 10

What events come under long endurance?

Answer 10

5000m

10000m

Marathon

Question 11

What are the limitations to short endurance performance?

Answer 11

Power + capacity of anaerobic energy pathways

Ability to tolerate metabolic acidosis

Question 12

What are the limitations to performance for long endurance events?

Answer 12

Availability of metabolic substrates.

Ability to regulate core body temp

Question 13

List the physiological factors related to endurance running

Answer 13

Max O2 uptake

Running economy

Fractional utilisation of max O2 uptake

O2 uptake kinetics

Question 14

Define fractional utilisation of max O2 uptake

Answer 14

% of ind O2 uptake that they’re able to sustain for a given period of Time

Question 15

What is the fractional utilisation of max O2 uptake linked to?

Answer 15

Lactate accumulation in muscle + blood.

Question 16

Define O2 uptake kinetics

Answer 16

Rate at which O2 uptake rises at onset of exercise.

Question 17

What aspect is a crucial determinant of success in endurance events?

Answer 17

Rate of aerobic EE

Question 18

Compare values of max O2 uptake between trained athletes + sedentary individuals with matched sex and age

Answer 18

50% higher in trained athletes

Question 19

Amongst all endurance runners, which tend to have the highest Max O2 uptake?

Answer 19

5000m specialists

At a 94-98% VO2 max

Question 20

Amongst all endurance runners, which tend to have the 2nd highest Max O2 uptake?

Answer 20

800m + 1500m due to increased reliance of anaerobic pathways

Question 21

Amongst all endurance runners, which tend to have the lowest Max O2 uptake?

Answer 21

Marathon runners

Due to their event being run at a sig. lower intensity + other physiological factors being more important for success.

Question 22

What speed increase does the step incremental test include?

Answer 22

An ⬆️ of 1km/hr at every 3-min stage

Question 23

Is running economy more important for the shorter or longer duration endurance events?

Answer 23

More important in the longer duration events.

i.e more important for marathon runners than 800m

Question 24

When calculating running economy per distance, what must the O2 uptake be measured at?

Answer 24

O2 uptake measured at running speed must be BELOW lactate threshold.

Question 25

How is running economy per DISTANCE calculated?

Answer 25

O2 uptake (ml/kg/min) / speed (km/min)

Question 26

What is the average running economy per distance?

Answer 26

200 ml/kg/min

Lower = Good

Higher = Poor

Question 27

What can good running economy compensate for?

Answer 27

Rel low VO2 max values in elite athletes

Question 28

What can running speed at VO2 max be useful in doing?

Answer 28

Performance prediction

Training optimisation

Question 29

How is running speed at VO2 max calculated?

Answer 29

Max O2 uptake / running economy

Question 30

How is absolute max O2 uptake calculated?

Answer 30

VO2 max x body mass

Question 31

In what ways is determining lactate profile useful for endurance performance?

Answer 31

Performance potential

Adaptations that have occurred due to training

Question 32

For how long can exercise around the lactate threshold be sustained for?

Answer 32

In excess of 2 hours

Question 33

What can provide as a very close estimate of an individuals potential performance time in a marathon?

Answer 33

Running speed at lactate threshold

Question 34

What athletes tend to have the highest maximal oxygen uptake values?

Answer 34

5,000m specialists

Question 35

What % of the max 02 uptake does the LT typically occur in elite runners?

Answer 35

80-90%

Question 36

What race performance can be predicted with remarkable accuracy if the running speed at the lactate threshold is known?

Answer 36

Marathon runner

Question 37

Why are stages of 3-mins selected for the lactate profile test?

Answer 37

Allows stabilisation of HR, blood lactate + O2 uptake.

Question 37

What would a rightward shift in the lactate-running speed relationship indicate?

Answer 37

Less blood lactate is being prod for a given running speed

Question 38

What running events would athletes perform better in subsequent to an improved lactate threshold?

Answer 38

All endurance would be improved, as the LT is an important indicator of general ‘aerobic fitness’.

But most meaningful changes would be in longer distance events that are conducted in close proximity to the LT (i.e marathon).

Question 39

Why is the lactate turnpoint an important threshold?

Answer 39

Because it separates running speeds for which a SS would be possible in HR, BLac + VO2 below the lactate turn point and those that would not (above instead).

If you exercise even slightly above your LTP + continue to exhaustion you will attain Max values in HR, blood lactate + Vo2.

If you exercise just below your lactate turn point + keep going until exhaustion you won’t attain max values in any of these parameters.

Question 40

Why is the running speed at VO2 max more useful to the athlete than VO2 max per se?

Answer 40

The running speed at VO2 max allows the combination of running economy (how much oxygen it is costing to run) and the VO2max (the ceiling of aerobic energy transfer). The running speed at VO2 max is useful to the athlete as it will allow performance prediction (in events where the running speed is in close proximity to that which would elicit VO2 max), and it can be used to inform training intensities (there is evidence that VO2 max is significantly improved by training at the running speed at VO2 max).