What Does Lactate Threshold Really Mean?
First off, Lactate Threshold is commonly defined as the exercise intensity at which lactate production exceeds lactate removal, and thus begins to accumulate in muscle and hence in the blood. Unfortunately, the definition of what constitutes Lactate Threshold is highly variable. Many researchers establish threshold as the point when lactate concentration rises 1 mmol above an exercise baseline. Others use a fixed value, for example 2.5 mmol per liter, as the threshold point. Still another approach is to use D-max which takes the mid-point between the baseline and maximal lactate concentrations. In the end the most important consideration isnt the way threshold was determined, so much as the concept of Lactate Threshold (and associated terms) as illustrating the non-linear relationship between lactate concentration and exercise intensity. It is also important to acknowledge that terms like Maximal Lactate Steady State (MLSS), Onset Blood Lactate Accumulation (OBLA), Ventilatory Threshol
