A lactate‐guided conditioning programme to improve endurance performance

Abstract

SummaryBlood lactate measurements are used widely in horses to assess athletic performance, but there are few published data on using lactate as a guide for endurance improvement. The velocity at which blood lactate concentration ([LA]) of 4 mmol/l is reached (v 4 ) is widely used to determine fitness. In an earlier study of v 4 , exercise at low intensities for longer duration was more effective at improving endurance than shorter, higher intensities. However, the prescription was unchanged during the study (6 weeks). We hypothesised that, to produce greater improvement in v 4 in the same time frame, it is necessary to adjust conditioning regimes more frequently. Six horses underwent an initial treadmill-based standard exercise test (SET). A regression analysis [LA]-speed relationship was used to calculate v 2 . Horses were then conditioned for 45 min at their calculated v 2 3 times/week (6% incline). Every 2 weeks the horses performed an SET to evaluate the v 2 conditioning protocol which ended with SET 4. Mean v 4 increased 17% from SET 1 to SET 4 (P = 0.003; 5.8 ± 0.3 to 6.8 ± 0.4 m/s). This study demonstrates that a lactate-guided conditioning programme can significantly enhance endurance performance over a 6-week time peroid when the conditioning protocol is adjusted every 2 weeks based on v 4 improvement.

Blood lactate threshold reflects glucose responses in horses submitted to incremental exercise test

“…1B) was not significantly affected by the training program instituted in this study. This result is consistent with the findings of other studies (Reynolds et al, 1993;Trilk et al, 2002). The plasma glucose concentration seemed to decrease at the beginning of the IETs and then rose with increased intensity of stress.…”

“…The anaerobic threshold (AT) is defined as the highest sustained intensity of exercise for which measurement of oxigen uptake can account for the entire energy requirement and can be determined with the help of ventilatory (Evans, 2000), metabolic or cardiac variables (Trilk et al, 2002). Among those methods that use metabolic variables, the main one is based on the determination of lactate threshold (LT) which refers to the point where the equilibrium dynamics among production, utilization and removal of lactate is lost due to excessive production, and blood lactate level begins to rise exponentially.…”

“…In Thoroughbreds, lacticacidemia is recognized as a good indicator of performance (Evans et al, 1993), and it is a parameter that is increasingly used for the determination of exercise intensity in training programs for athletic horses (Trilk et al, 2002). Other biochemical variables have been related to LT, for the determination of AT, such as cathecolamines (McMorris et al, 2000), cortisol (Schnabel et al, 1982) and glucose (Simões et al, 1999).…”

Influência do treinamento aeróbio sobre o cortisol e glicose plasmáticos em equinos

“…1B) elevou-se conforme foram incrementadas as etapas de esforço em todos os grupos experimentais. Elevações na glicemia durante e após o exercício intenso são frequentemente observadas, sendo um achado consistente com a literatura (Trilk et al, 2002;Simões et al, 2003). Com o exercício intenso, ocorre aumento da glicemia devido ao incremento da glicogenólise e neoglicogênese hepática provocadas pela ação tanto do cortisol (Simões et al, 2003) como da atividade adrenérgica (Geor et al, 2000).…”

Physiological Parameters in the Equine Competitions Rodeo Cow in the Southern State of Piaui, Brazil

“…The low-intensity exercise performed by a longer period of time is considered to be more affective to increase resistance to high-intensity exercise performed for a short period of time (Trilk, 2002).…”