There’s plenty of information around how to conduct blood lactate tests, but information on why we test blood lactate is often entangled with conflicts of interest. In Part 2 of our blood lactate testing episode, we continue our discussion on whether blood lactate testing is necessary or valuable for training cyclists in 2021 and beyond.

This episode includes alternatives to blood lactate testing, a critical thinking exercise around the claims of blood lactate testing, and our conclusions.

1:00 Reasons for blood lactate testing

8:30 How much does this measure relate to performance?

13:00 Error involved in blood lactate testing

18:40 Do we ever stop using certain tests?

20:45 What are the alternatives?

30:00 Critical thinking exercise

37:50 Is training in more accurate training zones more beneficial?

43:30 Conclusions

This episode’s panel:

Jason Boynton, Ph.D.

boyntoncoaching.com

Damian Ruse

semiprocycling.com

Cyrus Monk

cyclistscientist.com

Instagram: @cyclingperformanceclub

Facebook: @cyclingperformanceclub

Twitter: @cyclingclubpod

References:

Lactate in contemporary biology: a phoenix risen

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP280955

The maximal metabolic steady state: redefining the ‘gold standard’
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.14814/phy2.14098

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