How to determine aerobic and anaerobic thresholds. Anaerobic Threshold Test (AnT)
Endurance athletes need to train their body's ability to maintain a high level of intensity and speed throughout the course of the competition in order to cover it as hard and as fast as possible. In a short race we are able to maintain a higher pace than in a long one - why? Much of the answer to this question has to do with anaerobic threshold (or AnT).
The human body can maintain a speed above Anp for no more than an hour, after which the cumulative effect of high lactate levels begins to impair performance.
The shorter the race, the more lactate can be accumulated in the body.
Thus, in order to maintain high speed in endurance events, especially those that last more than an hour, it is important to have a high ANP. In order to increase AnP, it is necessary to train with heart rate at or slightly below AnP.
ANPO - threshold of anaerobic metabolism;
Test.
Objective: Estimate the value of the anaerobic threshold and use this level of intensity, as well as the subjective perception of the load and the pace corresponding to the level, in training.
Necessary equipment:
Monitor heart rate, a log for recording data - the distance traveled, time, average heart rate during exercise, subjective sensations during exercise (on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is the maximum effort).
Performance:
Choose a place and method for testing.
Running - 5-10 km
Bicycle - 25-40 km
Before starting the test, warm up for 15 minutes at a moderate intensity.
Run the distance as fast as you can without losing pace (this is the hardest task on the test). If you feel that you are slowing down, then; you started at a pace that exceeds your ANP.
Stop the test and repeat next week, starting at a slower pace.
Record the time for passing the distance.
After 5 minutes of work, the heart rate should stabilize. The heart rate that you reach after 5 minutes and that you can maintain for the rest of the distance will be the heart rate at the ANP level.
Do a 15 minute warm-up after the test.
Most workouts in the "fourth zone" are best done on a pulse 5-10 beats below the ANP. Premature high-intensity training is more likely to lead to an early peak of fitness, or not reaching it at all.
Another method for determining the maximum heart rate.
Before the test, warm up for at least 20 minutes and stretch well. You are required to have good speed and motivation when performing the load. Use a heart rate monitor that will provide accurate and easy heart rate readings. When using the monitor, you can determine your anaerobic threshold during the test if you fix the heart rate at the moment when you feel a clear lack of oxygen.
Do not take the tests below if you are over 35, if you have not had a medical examination with an exercise test, or if you are in poor shape.
Running: The running test consists of running a 1.6 km distance on a flat track or athletics track as fast as possible. The last quarter of the distance must be run with all your might. Time your run. You can then navigate the process of further preparation on it. At the finish stop, and immediately count the pulse. This will be your heart rate max.
Bicycle: The bike test involves pedaling on an exercise bike or an orgometer (it is better to use your own bike) at the maximum possible speed for 5 minutes. For the last 30 seconds of the test, pedal with all your might, then stop and immediately count the pulse. The resulting value will be your heart rate max.
Having learned heart rate max and heart rate at rest, you can begin to calculate intensity levels (training zones).
The method that R. Slimaker and R. Browning.
First you need to find the Heart Rate Reserve using the formula: Heart rate max - heart rate at rest. And then we multiply the resulting number:
Level 1 - 0.60-0.70
Level 2 - 0.71-0.75
Level 3 - 0.76-0.80
Level 4 - 0.81-0.90
Level 5 - 0.91-1.00
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LDH or lactate dehydrogenase, lactate is an enzyme involved in the oxidation of glucose and the formation of lactic acid. Lactate (salt of lactic acid) is formed in cells during respiration. LDH is found in almost all human organs and tissues, especially a lot of it in the muscles.
With a full supply of oxygen, lactate in the blood does not accumulate, but is destroyed to neutral products and excreted. Under conditions of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), it accumulates, causes a feeling of muscle fatigue, disrupts the process of tissue respiration. An analysis of blood biochemistry for LDH is carried out to diagnose diseases of the myocardium (heart muscle), liver, and tumor diseases.
When performing a step test, a phenomenon occurs that is commonly called the aerobic threshold (AeT). The appearance of the AeP indicates the recruitment of all OMVs ( oxidative muscle fibers). By the value of the external resistance, one can judge the strength of the IMF, which they can manifest during the resynthesis of ATP and CrF due to oxidative phosphorylation.
A further increase in power requires the recruitment of higher threshold motor units(MB), this enhances the processes of anaerobic glycolysis, more lactate and H ions are released into the blood. When lactate enters the OMF, it is converted back to pyruvate by the cardiac enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH H). However, the power of the mitochondrial OMV system has a limit. Therefore, first, the limiting dynamic equilibrium occurs between the formation of lactate and its consumption in OMF and PMA, and then the balance is disturbed, and uncompensated metabolites - lactate, H, CO2 - cause a sharp intensification physiological functions. Breathing is one of the most sensitive processes, it reacts very actively. The blood during the passage of the lungs, depending on the phases of the respiratory cycle, should have a different partial tension of CO2. A "portion" of arterial blood with a high content of CO2 reaches chemoreceptors and directly modular chemosensitive structures of the CNS, which causes intensification of respiration. As a result, CO2 begins to be washed out of the blood so that, as a result, the average concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood begins to decrease. When the power corresponding to AnP is reached, the rate of lactate release from working glycolytic MFs is compared with the rate of its oxidation in OMF. At this moment, only carbohydrates become the substrate for oxidation in OMF (lactate inhibits fat oxidation), some of them are OMF glycogen, the other part is lactate formed in glycolytic MF. The use of carbohydrates as oxidation substrates provides top speed energy production (ATP) in the mitochondria of the OMF. Therefore, oxygen consumption or (and) anaerobic threshold power (ANT) characterizes the maximum oxidative potential (power) of OMW.
A further increase in external power makes it necessary to involve more and more high-threshold MUs innervating glycolytic MVs. The dynamic balance is disturbed, the production of H, lactate begins to exceed the rate of their elimination. This is accompanied by a further increase in pulmonary ventilation, heart rate and oxygen consumption. After ANP, oxygen consumption is mainly related to the work of the respiratory muscles and myocardium. When the limit values of pulmonary ventilation and heart rate are reached, or with local muscle fatigue, oxygen consumption stabilizes, and then begins to decrease. At this point, the IPC is fixed.
Change in oxygen consumption (VO2) and increase in blood lactate concentration with a gradual increase in running speed.
Thus, the MIC is the sum of the values of oxygen consumption by the oxidative MV of the tested muscles, the respiratory muscles, and the myocardium.
The energy supply of muscle activity in exercises lasting more than 60 seconds is mainly due to glycogen stores in the muscle and liver. However, the duration of exercises with a power from 90% of the maximum aerobic power (MAM) to the power of ANP is not associated with the depletion of glycogen stores. Only in the case of performing an exercise with ANP power, the refusal to maintain a given power occurs due to the depletion of glycogen stores in the muscle.
Thus, in order to assess the glycogen stores in the muscles, it is necessary to determine the power of the ANP and perform such an exercise to the limit. By the duration of maintaining the power of ANP, one can judge the glycogen stores in the muscles.
An increase in the power of AnP, in other words, an increase in the mitochondrial mass of MMB, leads to adaptive processes, an increase in the number of capillaries and their density (the latter causes an increase in blood transit time). This gives grounds for the assumption that an increase in the ANP power simultaneously indicates an increase in both the mass of the OMW and the degree of capillarization of the OMW.
Direct indicators of the functional state of athletes
The functional state of an athlete is determined by the morphological and (or) functional adaptation of the body systems to perform the main competitive exercise. The most noticeable changes occur in such body systems as the cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular (musculoskeletal), endocrine, and immune systems.
Performance muscular system depends on the following parameters. Muscular composition by type muscle contraction(percentage of fast and slow muscle fibers), which is determined by the activity of the enzyme ATPase. The percentage of these fibers is genetically determined; does not change during training. Variable indicators include the number of mitochondria and myofibrils in oxidative, intermediate and glycolytic muscle fibers, which differ in the density of mitochondria near myofibrils and the activity of mitochondrial enzymes succinate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase in muscle and cardiac types; structural parameters of the endoplasmic reticulum; the number of lysosomes, the amount of oxidation substrates in the muscles: glycogen, fatty acids in skeletal muscles, glycogen in the liver.
The delivery of oxygen to the muscles and the excretion of metabolic products is determined by the minute volume of blood and the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, which determines the ability to carry oxygen by a certain volume of blood. The minute volume of blood is calculated as the product of the current stroke volume of the heart and the current heart rate. The maximum heart rate according to literature data and our research is limited a certain amount beats per minute, about 190-200, after which the overall performance of the cardiovascular system decreases sharply (the minute volume of blood decreases) due to the occurrence of such an effect as a diastolic defect, in which there is a sharp decrease in the stroke volume of the blood. It follows from this that a change in the maximum stroke volume of blood in direct proportion changes the minute volume of blood. Stroke volume is related to the size of the heart and the degree of dilatation of the left ventricle and is a derivative of two components - genetic and the process of adaptation to training. An increase in stroke volume, as a rule, is observed in athletes who specialize in sports related to the manifestation of endurance.
Performance respiratory systems s is determined by the vital capacity of the lungs and the density of capillaryization of the inner surface of the lungs.
In progress sports training endocrine glands undergo changes associated, as a rule, with an increase in their mass and the synthesis of more hormones necessary to adapt to physical activity(at proper training and recovery system). As a result of exposure with the help of special exercise on the glands of the endocrine system and increase the synthesis of hormones, there is an effect on the immune system, thereby improving the athlete's immunity.
- Jansen P. Heart rate, lactate and endurance training. Per. from English - Murmansk: Tuloma Publishing House, 2006. - 160 p.
- Report on topic No. 732a "Development of information technologies for describing biological processes in athletes"
- A. Seireg, A. Arvikar. The prediction of muscular load sharing and joint forces in the lower extremities during walking. // J. of Biomech., 1975. - 8. - P. 89 - 105.
- P. N. Sperryn, L. Restan. Podiatry and Sports Physician - An Evaluation of Orthoses // British Journal of Sports Medicine. - 1983. - Vol. 17. - No. 4. - P. 129 - 134.
- A. J. Van den Bogert, A. J. Van Soest. Optimization of power production in cycling using direct dynamics simulations. // IV int. Sym. Biom., 1993.
The metabolic system supplies the muscles with fuel in the form of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. In the muscles, fuel sources are converted into a more energy-efficient form called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This process can occur in both aerobic and anaerobic form.
Aerobic energy production occurs with light and relaxed riding. Fats are the main source of energy here. Oxygen is involved in the process, which is necessary for converting fuel into ATP. The slower you drive, the more fat your body burns and the more carbohydrates your muscles store. As the pace accelerates, the body gradually abandons fat and moves to carbohydrates as the main source of energy. With strenuous efforts, the body begins to require more oxygen than it receives during normal skiing, as a result of which ATP begins to be produced in anaerobic form (that is, literally "without the participation of oxygen").
Anaerobic exercise is associated with carbohydrates as the main source of fuel. As carbohydrates are converted to ATP, a by-product called lactic acid enters the muscles. This leads to the sensation of burning and heaviness in the limbs that you probably know from strenuous exercises. As lactic acid leaks out of muscle cells into the bloodstream, a hydrogen molecule is stripped from it, causing the acid to be converted to lactate. Lactate accumulates in the blood and can be measured using a finger or earlobe test. Lactic acid is always produced by the body.
Anaerobic Metabolism Threshold - This indicator represents the level of stress at which the metabolism, or metabolism, changes from aerobic to anaerobic form. As a result, lactate starts to be produced so quickly that the body is not able to effectively get rid of it. If I ( by JOE FRIL - The Bicyclist's Bible) I will slowly pour water into a cardboard glass with a hole in the bottom, it will pour out as quickly as I pour it. This is what happens to lactate in our body at low levels of stress. If I pour water faster, then it will begin to accumulate in the glass, despite the fact that some part of it will pour out as before. It is this moment that is an analogy for ANSP that occurs when more high level voltage. ANPO is an extremely important indicator.
Athletes are encouraged to learn how to roughly assess their TAN level in the field. To do this, he should control his level of tension and monitor the moment of burning in his legs.
Step test for bicycle simulator
Test
- Warm up for 5-10 minutes
- Throughout the test, you must maintain a predetermined power level or speed. Start at 24 km/h or 100 watts and increase by 1.5 km/h or 20 watts every minute for as long as you can. Stay in the saddle throughout the test. You can change gears at any time.
- At the end of each minute, tell the assistant (or memorize it yourself, or dictate to the recorder) your voltage indicator, determining it using the Borg scale (after placing it in a convenient place).
- At the end of each minute, the output power level, voltage and heart rate are recorded. After that, power is increased to a new level.
- An assistant (or yourself) carefully observes your breathing and notes the moment at which it becomes constrained. This moment is abbreviated as VT (ventilator threshold).
- Continue the exercise until you can maintain the set power level for at least 15 seconds.
- The data obtained from the test will look something like this.
Perceived stress scale
6 - 7 = Extremely light
8 - 9 = Very light
10 - 11 = Relatively easy
12 - 13 = somewhat severe
14 - 15 = Heavy
16 - 17 = Very hard
18 - 20 = Extremely heavy
Critical Power Testing
Spend five individual races temporarily, preferably within a few days.
- 12 seconds
- 1 minute
- 6 minutes
- 12 minutes
- 30 minutes
During each test, you must exert maximum effort throughout. It is possible that it will take two or three attempts over several days or even weeks to determine the correct pace.
Calculations for longer durations - 60, 90 and 180 minutes - can be made using the graph by extending to the right the straight line drawn through the points KM12 and KM30, and marking the necessary points on it.
You can also estimate values for this additional data using simple math. To calculate the power for a 60-minute interval, subtract 5% from the power for a 30-minute interval. Subtract 2.5% from the 60-minute power rating for a rough estimate of 90-minute power. If you subtract 5% from the 90-minute power rating, you get the 180-minute power.
An approximate scheme is attached (each has its own indicators)
Taken from Joe Friel's The Cyclist's Bible.
To begin with, let's figure it out: who is Konkoni, why did he come up with a test, and why do you need to calculate these same pulse zones?
Conconi- A famous physiologist from Italy, who was the world's first specialist in developing methods for training in endurance competitions. The main purpose of his test is to determine at what heart rate anaerobic processes begin to dominate over aerobic ones. In other words, define anaerobic threshold (ANTL)- the point of deviation or the moment after which the lactic acid produced by your muscles during training does not have time to be removed from there, which means it begins to accumulate rapidly and leads to the fact that the muscles begin to “give in” and work much worse.
Muscle stagnation - the result of the acidification process. It manifests itself in many ways, but it is impossible to confuse it with a simple ailment: burning muscle pain, nausea and dizziness during intense training are clear indicators that your threshold has been reached. And now the most interesting!
Once you know your threshold, you can calculate your heart rate zones, which in turn gives you the ability to take your workouts to a whole new level.
Since the development of the Conconi test, little has changed in the world of training for competitive testing (apart from various sensors and devices that can affect the cardiovascular system). Therefore, the Conconi test is still effective.
How to do the Conconi test yourself
For the test you will need:
- heart rate monitor and
- sports watch with cutoff stopwatch.
Find a stadium with a 200m lap for the test, or set a 200m lap on your sports watch(for example, on my harmins, this can be done in the “intervals” section).
Schedule for the Conconi test
To overcome 1 lap(first 200 m) you need to spend 60-70 seconds (tempo 5 min / km). 2 circle must be overcome faster by 2 seconds. Run circle after circle, picking up speed. When it is no longer possible to increase the speed, go to slow run. On average, it turns out somewhere 12-18 circles / marks. The total distance - about 3-4 kilometers. However, remember when your heart rate reaches 180-200 beats per minute, the test should be stopped. You need to measure and record your heart rate every 200 meters (therefore, for the purity of the test, you will need an assistant, or better, a sports watch).
After taking the data and stopping the test, the obtained data must be entered into a graph for clarity of information. It is essentially a simple graph of the ratio of velocity (V) to heart rate (HR).
On the x-axis you plot the speed. In order not to strain you with complex formulas and additional calculations, I suggest using an online calculator for this. For example, this one:
Where on the constructed graph you will see a break - this is the ANPO point. For example:
Chart of individual heart rate zones according to the Conconi test
The test can be carried out with a frequency of once every 1-2 months and follow the development. If the curve on the new graph shifts to the right - you have improved the result.
Now that you have figured out the TAN, you can set your individual heart rate zones. The easiest way to do this is with a ready-made table:
Enter your TAN in the table and you will be able to find out at what heart rate you need to complete the stages of your training in order to achieve the best results.
If you have any questions, write in the comments, and we will add everything.
After two marathons and months of training, I (finally!) got to the running test of ANSP and IPC with a gas analyzer and lactate sampling at the Clinic for Expert Medical Technologies. There are few places where you can go through this in Moscow, it is not cheap, but if you are seriously interested in cyclic species sports, doing every six months is useful.
How is testing
First of all, they sent me undressed for an ultrasound of the heart - without it, here, in the clinic, they are very reluctant to go to the track (safety, that's all). And suddenly what is wrong with you there? Everything turned out to be in order, which, of course, I was delighted with.
After a few minutes on the cardiologist's couch, you can go to Dr. Mikhail Nasekin for an execution of the ANOT and IPC test. Mikhail himself is a Candidate Master of Sports in the 800 and 1500 m (for some reason he is not striving for a marathon yet) and, by the way, lives in the runners' chat in Telegram, where each user can ask any #question of interest to the doctor (only shhh..., I didn't say anything) . In general, a person who understands.
I go into the office, and the doctor explains something to the previous patient. The guy had a high lactate at the beginning of the test - this signals overtraining. This often happens with those who practice on their own - it is difficult to find the optimal load without an experienced coach.
It's my turn: I stand on treadmill, waiting to be covered with electrodes, putting on a Bane mask.
Here, as it were, it should be mentioned that its initiator, Sergey Cherepanov, and also a photographer are present at my test, so I feel like in a reality show. Well, as usual in general. But you don't have to bring a support group with you.
The most unpleasant thing, perhaps, is that everyone is allowed to speak, except me. I'm only supposed to "work" here. We agreed that if everything is fine, I give a thumbs up.
If it's bad, I depict something similar.
Almost at the very beginning of the test, Mikhail takes the first lactate sample. I have it equal to 1.3 mmol / l. This is not enough, that is, it is good - it means that there is no overtraining.
Then the track gradually increases in speed, my running speed and pulse increase, the guys discuss what is happening and distant topics (for some reason they talk about Botox, hmm ... hmm ...) I really want to insert a few words into their conversation, but, alas, I have to manage with gestures. From the outside it all looks pretty fun.
In 20 minutes of the test, I manage to work in all possible heart rate zones - Mikhail's goal was to drive me into an anaerobic and find out where I have it. I turned out to be a pretty persistent fighter, pumped my heart rate up to 206 beats per minute (and even lasted on it for a while), and the IPC was above 57 ml/kg/min. It turned out, It's like a local record! -in the clinic, such a high value has not yet been observed in girls (although they never told me how some of them with lower BMD run faster than me). While the track is slowing down, the doctor takes lactate again to find out how “sour” I am. I accumulated almost 10 mmol lactate while continuing to run, which is not bad for marathon runners (high lactate levels are unusual for them). Watch out Dibaba!
And what?
As a result, I get the following report.
What does all of this mean? In short, I'm healthy as a horse and I need to run marathons (I train on them).
But still, the most interesting thing in the test is the track and everything that happened on it. For example, I was comfortable before crossing the PANO, my heart worked like clockwork, I could run like this for quite a long time. And at the moment when the pulse exceeded 196 beats, my breathing changed (Mikhail said so - “breathed”), I began to lack oxygen. Now I know how to feel like I'm out of my aerobic zone.
Well, the results themselves, heart rate zones and so on, I, of course, handed over to coach Alexei Korobov - for him there is generally a storehouse of information. As it turned out, he represented my PANO at about the same level, but the maximum heart rate of 206 and good lactate made him happy. What to do strategically with all this, he will think.
Oh yes, even before the test began, I was put on a magical scale that determines body composition. It turned out that in me, among other things, almost 12% fat. And then the doctor recommended that I reduce this percentage by 3. He argued this as follows: “The recommendation to reduce weight arose due to a slight excess of the average height and weight indicators for elite marathon women during the competitive period (and we only look up to them)”, - nothing like that way to tell a girl that she needs to lose weight!
For a runner, one of the important characteristics, in addition to heart rate and maximum oxygen consumption, is the level of TAN (anaerobic exchange threshold). Why does an athlete need to know this indicator? Any organism has a load limit, at which the heart cannot supply oxygen to the muscles, and with an increase in which, an overload of the heart begins. This usually happens with long high intensity workouts. An incorrectly built program leads to irreversible consequences for the cardiovascular system.
It is important to know the level of ANSP, because it shows the heart rate at which the heart can still give the muscles enough oxygen to work. If you “step over” this level and constantly train for more high heart rate there is no benefit from exercise. It is important to know the line that should not be crossed.
How do you know when to stop and slow down? IN training process you reach TAN when it becomes difficult for you to say more than one short phrase in one breath.
Previously, the Conconi test was used as a field test to determine the level of ANEP. Let's take this test for reference, so you understand how laborious and energy-intensive it is for a runner.
Conconi test: The athlete must cover a distance of 200 meters several times without a rest break. Moreover, every new 200 meters he must increase his speed by 2 seconds and run at this pace for the entire segment. Then he must overcome the new 200 meters at an even greater constant speed. The test stops when the runner has not shown an increase in speed on the new segment. Every 200 meters, the heart rate and the time taken to complete the distance are recorded. Based on the data obtained, a graph of the dependence of heart rate and speed is built. The point where the speed will stop increasing and will be the ANSP level. That is your maximum speed.
Find out the level of ANSP on new technologies
One method for determining ANSP is laboratory research. When passing the test in the laboratory, the athlete runs for several minutes with different speed on the treadmill. To determine the level of lactate, blood is taken from his finger. The standard test has six stages of five minutes each. With the passage of each new stage, the running speed increases. A break between them of one minute allows you to take a blood test. At the first stage, the speed is slower than the pace of the marathon race, at the last - the competitive pace for a distance of 5 km.
After taking the readings, the specialist builds a graph, it shows where the anaerobic exchange threshold corresponds to certain heart rate numbers and running pace. The graph makes it possible to visually see where the level of lactate begins to increase sharply.
This test is beyond the power of amateur runners, it is expensive, and not every city has such research laboratories. Athletes perform this procedure all the time, since the anaerobic threshold can change over time.
The average cost of a treadmill test in Moscow is about 6,000 rubles. The result can be obtained not immediately, but after three to four days.
If it is not possible to undergo laboratory tests, you can use portable lactometer Accusport Lactate when running on a treadmill or treadmill. This device has proven its accuracy, it accurately shows the level of lactate. The study is comparable to laboratory studies. If you compare the price with the cost of lactate analyzers that are used in the laboratory, it is much cheaper. Often such a device is bought on a bargain, in sections, in sports schools
The average cost of such a portable lactometer is 10,000 rubles. If you buy it for a section / group, then it will not hit your pocket hard, but you can control the results at any convenient time.
One of the high-tech methods for determining the level of TANO is the measurement of the threshold of anaerobic metabolism using LEDs. The sensor attaches to your lower leg and sends the data to the running software on your phone, which in turn instructs the runner (start by running at a slow pace and gradually build up speed every few minutes until reaching maximum speed). When the workout is over, the app processes the data collected during the test and determines the TAN and suggests training heart rate zones. This method is considered a good alternative to laboratory tests. However, it is available only to professional athletes.
With the help of the above methods, you can quite accurately determine your anaerobic metabolic threshold with its reference to the pulse. This will allow you to make adjustments to your training plan.
Outcome
Progress does not stand still and replaces the Conconi test, which was previously used professional athletes, high-tech methods are coming. You can independently measure the level of lactate in the blood and calculate your personal TAN level. However, it is better to trust professionals: they will be able to correctly assess the state of your body and give recommendations. Perhaps in the near future new technologies will appear and it will become possible to calculate the anaerobic threshold without leaving home.
What is the difference between aerobic (cardio) and anaerobic (strength) training, and why can't we do pull-ups or dips for as long as pedaling a bike or running? The secret lies in the existence of the so-called anaerobic threshold, which, when it is reached, begins to "turn off" our muscles.
Our physical activity at the basic level is an oxidative process that occurs in the cells of muscle tissues with the participation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. As is known from school biology and chemistry courses, this process occurs with the participation of oxygen entering the muscles from the heart through the arteries and a network of small blood vessels, capillaries, with further energy release. In place, oxygen is replaced by carbon dioxide, and the blood saturated with it is already through the veins back through the heart to the lungs, and then through the respiratory organs outside our body.
Let's move on to a slightly more detailed consideration of the issue from the point of view of biochemistry. Glucose (C6H12O6) is the main and most universal source of energy for daily activity and, in principle, any metabolic processes of a living organism. However, this compound is not found in its pure form either in animals or in plants. In our case, if restoration is required, this vital compound is formed through the enzymatic breakdown of the complex polysaccharide (C6H10O6)n, glycogen. Its reserves are in muscle tissue(approximately 1% of the total mass, with an active load are consumed in the first place) and in the liver (up to 5-6% of the mass, approximately 100-120 g for an adult). It should be noted that only the glycogen stored in the liver cells (the so-called hepatocytes) can be converted into glucose to feed the body as a whole.
Under the influence of oxygen supplied from outside, the split glycogen breaks down into glucose, which, oxidized (the process is called glycolysis), releases the energy necessary for metabolic processes. Glycolysis after its first stage, when one glucose molecule is split into two molecules of pyruvic acid or pyruvate, can proceed according to two different scenarios:
Aerobic (with the participation of oxygen)
1. The amount of oxygen supplied to the muscles at a time is sufficient for the occurrence of oxidative reactions and the complete breakdown of carbohydrates;
2. Consumption of carbohydrate reserves and metabolism in general are smooth, measured;
3. Pyruvate molecules are used mainly for energy production in mitochondria (energy cells) and, ultimately, they are broken down into the simplest molecules of water and carbon dioxide;
4. The by-product formed in muscle tissues in the form of lactate (the term “lactic acid” is also found in the literature, although chemically lactate is a salt of this very lactic acid, and it is formed almost immediately due to the instability of the first compound) has time to be excreted without accumulation for counting the activity of aerobic enzymes in mitochondria.
Anaerobic (without oxygen)
1. The amount of oxygen supplied to the muscles at a time is not enough for the smooth flow of oxidative reactions (although modern research by scientists allows us to state that the anaerobic process works even with sufficient oxygen supply to the muscles, most often this is due to the inability of the cardiovascular system to different reasons quickly remove lactate);
2. It is characterized by a sharp level of consumption of carbohydrate reserves and incomplete breakdown of complex carbohydrates;
3. The rate of glycolysis exceeds the rate of use of pyruvate by mitochondria; through rapid chemical decomposition in animals, it is broken down with the formation of lactate (in plants, by the way, at the same time, another well-known compound, ethanol, is formed);
4. Lactate begins to accumulate and does not have time to be removed from the muscle tissue by the circulatory system. However, its accumulation, contrary to popular belief, is not the root cause of muscle fatigue. First of all, the accumulation of lactate is a protective reaction of our body to a drop in the concentration of glucose in the blood.
- the decrease in pH associated with the accumulation of lactate deprives enzymes of activity and, as a result, limits aerobic and anaerobic energy production.
When the load increases during a long physical activity the first mechanism of glycogen breakdown sooner or later passes into the second. Everything is determined by the ratio between the rate of lactate production, its diffusion into the blood and absorption by the muscles, heart, liver and kidneys. Lactate is formed even at rest (getting from the muscles into the circulatory system, it is eventually either processed into glucose in the liver or used as fuel), but as long as the rate of its production is equal to consumption, no functional restrictions appear. Thus, there is a certain limit or threshold at which the rate of accumulation of this very lactate begins to exceed the rate of its excretion.
From the point of view of biochemistry anaerobic threshold(AnP, in some sources "lactate") is magnitude(unit: ml/kg/min), showing how much oxygen a person can consume (per unit of their mass) without the accumulation of lactic acid.
In terms of training activity, AnP is intensity(the easiest way is to take the heart rate, heart rate as a basis) exercises in which the neutralization of lactate does not keep pace with its production.
As a rule, the AnP heart rate is approximately equal to 85 - 90% of the maximum heart rate. The last value can be measured either by making a series of short sprint jerks of 60 - 100 m, followed by measuring the heart rate using a heart rate monitor and calculating the average value. Or by performing “at speed” and the maximum possible number of repetitions of two or three series strength exercises with your weight, such as, for example: pull-ups, dips, plyometric push-ups, burpees, squats, etc. The main thing is the sharpness of movement, speed and maximum work “to failure”. Measurements on the heart rate monitor are carried out after each series, at the end the average value is also calculated, which is then taken as a basis. It is obvious that the result obtained is strictly individual and, in a certain approximation, it can be considered a guideline for its real value of AnP. The most accurate measurements of the threshold value are carried out either using special portable lactometers, or using sophisticated laboratory equipment according to pre-developed and approved methods. Nevertheless, there are conditional recommended heart rate zones that correspond to one or another type of training, depending on the age of the person.
Training of the cardiovascular system and endurance is always an exercise at a heart rate slightly lower than the AnP value. In turn, the most effective in terms of fat burning, that is, the activation of lipid metabolism, is training at a low (50-60% of the maximum) pulse.
Is there any way to increase the ANP value?
Certainly! Moreover, the anaerobic threshold can be increased throughout one's life (as opposed to, for example, the level of maximum oxygen consumption, which sooner or later will reach a plateau, a limitation caused by genetic factors, in particular, the level of hemoglobin in the blood). Studies show that the increase in AnP occurs in two ways: both by reducing the level of lactate production, and, conversely, by increasing the rate of its excretion.
If we imagine that oxygen is the same fuel, like, for example, gasoline, and our heart is nothing but an internal combustion engine, then, by analogy with the design of different manufacturers, one individual person will consume the same oxygen more economically, than the other. However, like the engine, the entire cardiac respiratory system can be made a kind of "chip tuning" through specialized training.
A well-known principle works here. Do you want to improve some quality in yourself? Give him an incentive to grow. Accordingly, in order to increase your ANP, it is necessary to regularly train at a heart rate level slightly higher than its value (conditionally, 95% of the maximum heart rate). For example, if your current ANP is at a heart rate of 165 bpm, then one, maximum two workouts per week should be done at a heart rate of 170 bpm.
Thus, there are four main adaptive changes that lead to an increase in the anaerobic threshold.
1. Increasing the number and size of mitochondria(they are factors in aerobic energy production in muscle cells). Bottom line: more energy aerobically.
2. Increasing the density of capillaries. Bottom line: more capillaries per cell, more efficient delivery of nutrients and removal of by-products
3. Increased activity of aerobic enzymes(they are accelerators of chemical reactions in mitochondria). Bottom line: more power in a shorter amount of time
4. Myoglobin increase(by analogy with hemoglobin in the blood, it transports oxygen in muscle tissues from the membrane to the mitochondria). Bottom line: an increase in the concentration of myoglobin, which means an increase in the amount of oxygen delivered to the mitochondria for energy production.
