Lactate Threshold (LT)

Lactate is a by-product of your body’s energy production and the lactate threshold (LT) is the point at which blood lactate begins to accumulate in the bloodstream. This occurs when the rate of lactate production increases faster than the rate of removal (clearance).

Workloads above the lactate threshold can only be sustained for up to several minutes before the body must slow down. Workloads right at the lactate threshold can generally be maintained for about an hour or even two. Workloads below the lactate threshold can be maintained much longer.

An important effect of endurance training is to ‘raise your lactate threshold.’ Whereas before training you could run, say, seven minutes per mile while at LT, after training the same pace would represent an intensity level below your LT. This means that you would be able to go faster at a lower level of effort.