A running step test of 6 stages, up to 16.0 km/h.
LT1, Bsln + 0.5
6.8 km/h
8:49 /km · 42% of peak
1.7 mmol/L · 130 bpm · RPE 10
! Methods disagree: 6.8 to 11.8 km/h
LT2, Log-Poly-ModDmax
14.0 km/h
4:17 /km · 88% of peak
5.5 mmol/L · 178 bpm · RPE 16
10 second-rise methods: 10.4 to 14.1 km/h
Peak
16.0 km/h
8.7 mmol/L · HRmax 187 bpm
Five training zones from these two thresholds
| Domain | Intensity (km/h) | Pace (min/km) | Heart rate (bpm) | RPE | Lactate (mmol/L) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Zone 1 | below LT1 | < 5.1 | > 11:50 | < 119 | < 9.9 | – |
| Zone 2 | 5.1–6.8 | 8:52–11:50 | 119–130 | 9.9–10.4 | < 1.7 | ||
| Heavy | Zone 3 | LT1 to LT2 | 6.8–14.0 | 4:16–8:52 | 130–178 | 10.4–16.1 | 1.7–5.5 |
| Severe | Zone 4 | above LT2 | 14.0–15.0 | 4:00–4:16 | 178–183 | 16.1–18.0 | 5.5–6.9 |
| Zone 5 | > 15.0 | < 4:00 | > 183 | > 18.0 | > 6.9 |
Predicted performance
What the threshold predicts for a race, from the equations of Roecker et al. 1998 and Sjodin & Jacobs 1981.
| Race | From the threshold | Expected time | 95 of 100 athletes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km | IAT at 11.5 km/h | 21:15 | 18:54 to 24:15 |
| 10 km | IAT at 11.5 km/h | 47:00 | 41:04 to 54:56 |
| Half marathon | IAT at 11.5 km/h | 1:50:56 | 1:35:39 to 2:12:03 |
| Marathon | IAT at 11.5 km/h | 4:02:54 | 3:30:20 to 4:47:24 |
| Marathon | OBLA 4.0 at 12.6 km/h | 4:09:14 | 3:38:55 to 4:49:18 |
How to read it: athletes with this threshold ran the 5 km in 21:15 on average; 95 of 100 of them took between 18:54 and 24:15.
What to double-check
8 of 10 checks of the data passed.
| i | Stages | 6 stages: the LTP fit has 6 parameters, so no degrees of freedom are left and LTP can move a lot with one stage (at least 8 stages are better); the fitted curves rest on few points too. |
| ! | LT1 | 31% of peak apart (5 methods, Bsln + 0.5 6.8 to Log-log 11.8): the choice of LT1 decides the zones, so look at the overview before choosing. |
The test
Treadmill at 2% grade, 3-min stages of +2 km/h from 6 km/h, earlobe capillary blood (simulated test in lactate_tests, on the protocol of Roecker et al. 1998)
| Stage | Intensity (km/h) | Lactate (mmol/L) | Heart rate (bpm) | RPE (6‑20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest | 0.0 | 1.20 | 70 | 6 |
| 1 | 6.0 | 1.50 | 124 | 10 |
| 2 | 8.0 | 1.90 | 141 | 11 |
| 3 | 10.0 | 2.60 | 151 | 11 |
| 4 | 12.0 | 3.60 | 167 | 13 |
| 5 | 14.0 | 5.30 | 178 | 16 |
| 6 | 16.0 | 8.70 | 187 | 20 |
Every method, for the record
| Method | Intensity (km/h) | Lactate (mmol/L) | Heart rate (bpm) | RPE (6‑20) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log-log | 11.8 | 3.3 | 165 | 12.8 | |
| OBLA | OBLA 2.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 141 | 11.0 |
| OBLA 2.5 | 9.9 | 2.5 | 150 | 11.0 | |
| OBLA 3.0 | 11.1 | 3.0 | 160 | 12.1 | |
| OBLA 3.5 | 12.0 | 3.5 | 167 | 13.0 | |
| OBLA 4.0 | 12.6 | 4.0 | 170 | 14.0 | |
| Bsln+ | Bsln + 0.5 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 130 | 10.4 |
| Bsln + 1.0 | 8.8 | 2.2 | 145 | 11.0 | |
| Bsln + 1.5 | 10.4 | 2.7 | 155 | 11.4 | |
| Dmax | 12.2 | 3.6 | 168 | 13.3 | |
| ModDmax | 12.2 | 3.6 | 168 | 13.3 | |
| Exp-Dmax | 12.1 | 3.6 | 168 | 13.2 | |
| Log-Poly-ModDmax | 14.0 | 5.5 | 178 | 16.1 | |
| Log-Exp-ModDmax | 14.1 | 5.6 | 179 | 16.2 | |
| LTP | LTP1 | 9.0 | 2.1 | 146 | 11.0 |
| LTP2 | 13.4 | 4.3 | 175 | 15.1 | |
| LTratio | 7.7 | 1.8 | 139 | 10.9 | |
| IAT | 11.5 | 3.3 | 163 | 12.5 | |
| Keul | 14.0 | 5.5 | 178 | 16.1 | |
| Simon | 13.2 | 4.5 | 174 | 14.8 |