Case Study - Performance Diagnostics and Tailored Training.
The real question - how can we support to improve your fitness and reach your goals? On of our clients, an ambitious athlete, wanted to improve his aerobic endurance to boost performance in longer competitions. To develop a training plan that was optimally tailored to his needs, we conducted a lactate test followed by a 1-on-1 session to help him interpret his results and form a training plan.
The Setup
The first step in the diagnostics was a lactate test, which allowed us to determine the athlete’s lactate performance curve. The test was conducted on a treadmill doing a step test with each step lasting 3 minutes.
Starting Speed: 6 km/h.
Increment: Every 3 minutes, the speed was increased by 2 km/h, reaching a maximum of 20 km/h. The treadmill had a constant 1% incline.
Lactate Measurement: After each stage, blood lactate was measured on the athlete’s ear during a 30-second break. This allowed us to track how lactate levels developed with increasing intensity.
Post-Test Measurement: A final lactate measurement was taken 1 minute after the test was completed to capture lactate levels at maximal exertion.
Results of the Test
The lactate test enabled us to create an accurate lactate performance curve. This curve showed:
The lactate levels at each speed.
The heart rate at each speed.
With these results, we were able to define precise training zones for the athlete. These zones are crucial for managing the intensity of future training sessions, setting the right stimuli and improving aerobic endurance effectively while keeping the risk of injury low.
