What is Anaerobic Threshold, and how is it different than Lactate Threshold?
Anaerobic Threshold (AT) refers to a high level of exercise intensity where your body can no longer rely on utilizing fat and oxygen in the aerobic metabolism to meet its energy demands. There are many names for this physiological landmark, including Lactate Threshold (LT). A full explanation would be too lengthy for the purposes of this FAQ, but basically the exercise intensity at which AT occurs is the same point at which lactate production becomes greater than lactate recycling, causing a buildup of lactate in the blood. Blood lactate testing can be done to find this point and is often a cheaper lab test to find AT or LT, but involves frequent blood sampling throughout the test, only a fraction of data points, and no Aerobic Profile. An athlete’s Aerobic profile and AT characteristics are by far the most important information to have for training and racing. These physiological characteristics are the best predictors of endurance performance, and should dictate training parameters.
