Lactate threshold vs. Max heart rate

You are better off doing your own threshold testing on a (semi) regular basis.

Don't worry about your max HR.

Lab tests for LTHR, if they are done well, are good.  Field tests can also be very revealing, and they are free.

I tend to retest about every 6-8 weeks, sooner if something seems wrong, less frequently if everything seems to be in sync.

Your Max HR and your LT HR are terrific metrics you can use for training.  But, in and of themselves, give you very little information about your fitness level. 

Your Max HR will slowly decline as you age.  However- it appears that if you push it a lot.  i.e. if your run your engine at red-line enough, you can minimize that decline.  But, a higher max HR doesn't necessarily indicate a higher fitness level.

Have the test performed.  It'll be fun, and you'll get some useful numbers.  Yes, they change over time.  Hopefully- in the good direction.

MaxHR is essentially useful as any measure of fitness or to set training zones.  LTHR is great for anyone who wants to train effectively using HR as a guage.

Shane

is that really what you meant to say?

I think I can asnwer for Shane and say no, he meant essentially useless.

Not quite - oops!

MaxHR is essentially useless...

Shane

Edited by gsmacleod 2011-01-10 12:43 PM

Not exactly sure what I was being corrected about.   I stated "Your Max HR and your LT HR are terrific metrics you can use for training.  But, in and of themselves, give you very little information about your fitness level."

MaxHR is handy to know for creating basic training zones.  But not as accurate as LT HR.  MaxHR as a measure of fitness level is, yes, useless.

I think we're all on the same page here.

However, MaxHr is not a terrific metric to use for training.  In fact, it is not a very useful metric for training.



MaxHR as a measure of fitness is useless and even used to set training zones is less than ideal. 

Shane

x2

I am not trying to gauge my fitness level, I just want to be able to establish a heart rate grainy zones.

JohnnyKay gave you the right answer at the beginning of the thread.  While you can get a lab test done and would want to have it redone on a semi-regular basis (every six weeks or so), you can get the results you need by completing your own field tests.

There are a couple of ways to approach this, but the most often prescribed would involve 30 minute TT efforts on the bike and run to determine your LTHR (lactate threshold HR) and then use that to determine your zones.

Shane

when you said you have the opportunity to have 'this test' performed, what kind of test did you mean? Lactate threshold heart rate testing, or maximum heart rate testing?

Lactate threshold heart rate testing

by all means go ahead and do it then, if you have the opportunity. Best method to set hr training zones there is.

You can do re-testing using your own field testing (running and cycling speed tests, basically).

Is the CTS field test a decent one to use?

My husband has a bunch of Carmichael  DVDs, and the trainer is easy enough to set up in the living room.