Lactate Threshold Test for Cyclists - a journey into what it involves and why you should have one!

Welcome to our story board for the Cycling Lactate Threshold Test, where we aim to illustrate clearly and concisely what you can expect when you book yourself an appointment at the clinic.

If you are even considering putting yourself through your paces at one of our premium Blizard Physiotherapy & Sports Performance services, you have already made an important decision to invest in your true potential, so here we will break down what happens if you take the next step and have a cycling test with us.

These tests are for absolutely anyone interested in training smarter and maximising the time you have available to train to be the best athlete you can be.

If I ring the clinic to book a test, what will I have to do first before I arrive for my appointment?

You will be emailed a comprehensive questionnaire where you will be required to enter your current training, diet and general lifestyle, to enable us to already have a clear idea of what your cycling regime looks like before the test, and what areas we can begin to tweak before you even come in to see us!

It’s the day of the test - what do I bring with me, and what will happen before I get on the bike?

You are not required to bring your own bike as we conduct our tests on a static bike, which we can set up to fit your riding position in the lactate threshold testing room. Please also bring two towels, a bottle of water and a healthy snack to refuel immediately after the test.

Before you get on the bike, we will discuss your questionnaire, before taking a number of body measurement checks, including weight, fat percentage, muscle mass, flexibility (important for understanding your potential riding position) and haemocrit and haemoglobin levels (from your blood sample).

We also take the time to ask you what your goals are with your cycling and understand your current training patterns, whether you are a pure cyclist looking to complete time trials, or a triathlete, looking to build on your existing fitness and speed with some smarter training.

That all sounds great! Now it’s time to get on the bike, what should I expect?

Get that first towel ready and close to hand as you mount the machine – you will sweat, even in our air conditioned test room!
You will firstly be fitted with a heart rate monitor strap, to enable our expert tester to monitor your effort levels alongside the power meter tracking your output, as well as setting your all-important heart rate training zones.

You will then be asked to warm up for 10-15 minutes on the bike, with some short high cadence efforts to warm you up before completing a number of three minute intervals at an increasing power level. These efforts will be interspersed with short easier cycling periods of only a few seconds when we will take regular blood tests with a small needle machine, to measure your lactate levels. The taking of blood is a simple and safe procedure and involves a very small needle into your finger, it’s pretty painless and not one to worry about.

This enables us to find out at which point the lactic acid begins to build in the system, and set your recovery and lactate threshold heart rate zones. Training in the lactate threshold zone will ensure your fitness improves beyond all measure, and setting your individual zone in the test makes sure it is completely personal to you and your current fitness as well as your future capabilities.

Depending on where your cycling fitness is at at the time of the test, and your goals, we may also ask you to complete a standalone three minute power test and a maximum six second power test on the day to look at where your current strengths are, and any tweaks we may need to make to your plan.

Once I’ve finished on the bike, what happens next?

Firstly, you will have the chance to use that second towel and grab a hard earned shower at the clinic while we input all your personal lactate threshold test data into an in-depth report for us to discuss as part of the two hour session.

We will chat about what your heart rate or wattage percentage levels mean for your future training schedule, give you personal recommendations on specific sessions to complete that are relevant for race goals, before going home with your personal plan designed to maximise potential based on the lactate test results.

What if I have any questions about my test results or sample training schedule once I’ve gone home?

No problem, we welcome your questions and encourage you to communicate with us over the ensuing weeks following your test, as it is vital that you follow your individual plan to the letter to ensure you reap the dividends.

You will improve - every single athlete put through the test who stuck to the plan has gone onto faster race times and increased fitness, as each and every session has a specific purpose designed to help you become the best cyclist you can possibly be!

So if you are a cyclist or triathlete looking to invest in your true potential, contact the clinic to make your appointment on 01302 511755 or email us at info@blizardphysiotherapy.co.uk.