What is Lactate Threshold Heart Rate ?
Lactate Threshold Heart Rate is individual for each athlete, and remains the best method to determine workout intensity. To understand LTHR, it is necessary to understand some elementary biochemistry. At intensity levels below the LTHR, the body is using mainly aerobic metabolism. The body will metabolize glucose using oxygen to form Energy, Carbon Dioxide and Water. This is a highly efficient form of metabolism, and around 32 units of energy are provided by each unit of glucose. As the workload increases, the body may be unable to deliver enough oxygen to the muscles to allow adequate aerobic metabolism. At this point the body will metabolize Glucose to Energy in the absence of oxygen, using Anaerobic Metabolism. This produces approximately 2 units of energy for each unit of glucose. As a by-product the body produces lactate which may, in and acidic environment, become lactic acid. At low levels of exercise the body will be able to metabolize lactate, and the level of lactate in the b
