The anaerobic metabolic threshold (or anaerobic threshold) is one of the most important concepts in sports methodology for endurance sports, including running.
With its help, you can choose the optimal load and mode in training, build a plan for the upcoming competition, and, in addition, determine with the help of the test the level of a runner's sports training. Read about what a TANM is, why it needs to be measured, from which it can decrease or grow, and how to measure a TANM, read in this material.
What is ANSP?
Definition
In general, there are several definitions of what the anaerobic threshold is, as well as its measurement methods. However, according to some reports, there is no single correct way to determine ANSP: all these methods can only be considered correct and applicable in different situations.
One of the definitions of ANSP is as follows. Anaerobic metabolism threshold — this is the level of intensity of the load, during which the concentration of lactate (lactic acid) in the blood rises sharply.
This is due to the fact that the rate of its formation becomes higher than the rate of utilization. This growth, as a rule, begins at a concentration of lactate above four mmol / L.
It can also be said that TANM is the boundary where a balance is achieved between the rate of release of lactic acid by the involved muscles and the rate of its utilization.
The threshold for anaerobic metabolism corresponds to 85 percent of the maximum heart rate (or 75 percent of the maximum oxygen consumption).
There are a lot of TANM units of measurement, since the threshold of anaerobic metabolism is a borderline state, it can be characterized in different ways.
It can be defined:
- through power,
- by examining blood (from a finger),
- value of heart rate (pulse).
The last method is the most popular.
What is it for?
The anaerobic threshold can be raised over time with regular exercise. Exercising above or below the lactate threshold will increase the body's ability to excrete lactic acid and also cope with high concentrations of lactic acid.
The threshold increases with sports and other activities. This is the base, around which you build your training process.
The value of ANSPs in various sports disciplines
The level of ANSP in different disciplines is different. The more endurance-trained the muscles are, the more they absorb lactic acid. Accordingly, the more such muscles work, the higher the pulse corresponding to the TANM will be.
The average person will have a high TANM while skiing, rowing, and slightly lower when running and cycling.
It's different for professional athletes. For example, if a famous athlete participates in cross-country skiing or rowing, then his ANM (heart rate) in this case will be lower. This is due to the fact that the runner will use those muscles that are not as trained as those used in races.
How to measure an ANSP?
Conconi test
An Italian scientist, Professor Francesco Conconi, in 1982, together with his colleagues, developed a method for determining the anaerobic threshold. This method is now known as the "Konconi test" and is used by skiers, runners, cyclists and swimmers. It is carried out using a stopwatch, heart rate monitor.
The essence of the test consists in a series of distance segments repeated on the route, during which the intensity gradually increases. On the segment, the speed and heart rate are recorded, after which a graph is drawn up.
According to the Italian professor, the anaerobic threshold is at the very point at which the straight line, which reflects the relationship between speed and heart rate, deviates to the side, thus forming a "knee" on the graph.
However, it should be noted that not all runners, especially experienced ones, have such a bend.
Laboratory tests
They are the most accurate. Blood (from an artery) is taken during exercise with increasing intensity. The fence is made once every half a minute.
In the obtained samples in the laboratory, the level of lactate is determined, after which a graph is drawn of the dependence of the concentration of blood lactate on the rate of oxygen consumption. This graph will eventually show the moment when the lactate level begins to rise sharply. It is also called the lactate threshold.
There are also alternative laboratory tests.
How does ANSP differ among runners with different training?
As a rule, the higher the level of training of a particular person, the closer his anaerobic threshold pulse to his maximum pulse.
If we take the most famous athletes, including runners, then their TANM pulse can be very substantially close to or even equal to the maximum pulse.
