What kind of Burner are you?

2 mmol or not 2 mmol?

Just like Shakespeare! 2 mmol or not 2 mmol? Should you train at the this magical number or not?

Lactate is back in the news of sport training. "Train at your LT1 or 2 mmol" for your aerobic training. This is what the Norwegians do and what Dr. Peter Attia also recommends. Many coaches are promoting this concept because it works and helps athletes focus on their training zones. We think this is great as many people are discovering that training "easy and aerobic" is good for you. You don't always need to "get your heart up" in order to justify your workout which is what we often hear from clients. But there is a small flaw in the 2 mmol/L lactate concept. We are not all the same!

Lactate Individuality

We have different zones and we all produce lactate at different rates. Individuality of your lactate curve is important to understand as some of us burn hot and some cold. Many ultra endurance athletes have developed the ability to burn less sugar than typical athletes. The "typical athlete" refers to people doing events and sports than are under two hours. Less sugar burning results in less lactate production. As noted in the last newsletter, this is neither good or bad. Lactate production varies per person. We can re-use it in our liver and heart but also within the cell. We still get energy (ATP) production from lactate.

The Plus / Minus

Chances are you know of someone who has done a ultra marathon run from 80k to 200km! The time to complete these events is mind-boggling, yet the popularity continues to grow. Physiologically, we only have about 2 hours of glycogen (glucose) to use for exercise so how are these ultras completed? Do these people train at their 2 mmol/L? Just like your heart rate zones are different than your training partner, lactate has the same individuality. Some people train at 1.5-1.8 mmol, some at 2.2-2.4 mmol. These are important concepts to realize in order to make your workouts better and more efficient for you.

The Hot Burner

As seen in the graph below, some athletes naturally have lactate scores that run higher than what is recommended in the literature due to their training background and muscle fiber type. The "curve is pushed to the right." Anaerobic or power sport type athletes have adapted to producing large amounts of lactate with less fatigue compared to endurance athletes. These fast-twitch type athletes can produce tremendous power and have greater speeds compared to slow twitch athletes. If you fit this profile, chances are your Lactate Threshold 1 (LT1) is higher than 2 mmol/L.

The Cool Burner

On the other hand, there are many athletes who frequently go beyond two hour workouts. Their weekends consist of 3-5 hour adventures on Saturday and Sunday on a regular basis. Combine this with a slow-twitch muscle profile, LT1 is often below 2.0 mmol/L. If you gravite to long endurance activities combined with a diet low in sugar, you also may fit this lactate curve which is "shifted to the left."

Whether you generate lactate easily or have the ultra athlete fat burning profile, we recommend getting your individual lactate curve assessed. The test takes about one hour to complete including a 30 min warm-up. Take the guesswork out of determining your best aerobic training zone this off-season.

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