Converting between %VO2Max and %HRMax or %LTHR? - Project Sports
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Converting between %VO2Max and %HRMax or %LTHR?

4 min read

Asked by: Scott Beard

What is the relationship between VO2 max and lactate threshold?

Lactate threshold occurs at a percentage of an athletes VO2 max based on their training status. It will occur in untrained individuals at about 50-60% of VO2 max and about 70-80% of VO2 max in trained individuals.

What is the relationship between heart rate and VO2?

However, simple linear regression analysis illustrated that there is significantly a linear relationship (vo2 max=404.56-0.648(hr)) between the aerobic capacity and heart beat (R2 = 0.72, P < 0.0001).

Is VO2 max the same as max heart rate?

VO2 max is measured in milliliters of oxygen consumed in one minute, per kilogram of body weight (mL/kg/min). It’s not the same thing as heart rate, though it can be just as effective, if not more so, to measure and track your fitness progress.

Is it better to have a high or low lactate threshold?

The more work you can do before reaching lactate threshold, the better. If the pace you can hold at your lactate threshold is higher than the pace your competitor can hold at his or her lactate threshold, you go faster, reach the finish first, and win.

What is the difference between lactate threshold and OBLA?

The key difference between lactate threshold and OBLA is based on the point at which the values are taken. Lactate threshold is based on the exercise intensity levels that begin lactate accumulation, while OBLA refers to the lactate accumulation in blood following the overproduction of lactate.

How do you calculate lactate threshold?

Measure your heart rate at 10 minutes into your run. Continue your run and stop at 30 minutes and measure your heart rate. Add your heart rate at 10 minutes to your heart rate at 30 minutes and divide by 2 to find the average. This is an estimate of your lactate threshold heart rate.

How do you convert heart rate to VO2 max?

Physiologists and sports scientists have devised other formulas that use factors such as your age, resting heart rate and maximum heart rate to calculate your VO2 max. MHR = maximum heart rate (beats/minute) = number of heart beats in 20 seconds multiplied by 3.

Should I train at lactate threshold?

The best way to improve your body’s use of lactate is to train AT your lactate threshold. Your training should be intense enough to increase your lactate level just before the point where it begins to spike.

Can you change your lactate threshold?

Interval running is a great way to increase your lactate threshold. With interval training, you repeatedly cover a set distance while running at your top speed, surpassing your lactate threshold, before taking a break to recover between runs. For example, you might choose to run 400 metres around a track at top speed.

How can I improve my LTHR?

Steady State Intervals



Recover for 10 minutes, then repeat two more times. “Once you’re comfortable at this level, do two 20-minute, steady-state efforts, recovering for 20 minutes in between. Eventually, work up to one 30-minute effort,” suggests Kadlick. “This is the most effective way to increase power at LT.”

How does anaerobic threshold relate to VO2 max?

Anaerobic Threshold is often expressed as a percentage of VO2max (50% – 60% for the general population, 75% and above for athletes). The higher the AT, the higher intensity the athlete can sustain without producing lactic acid. Therefore, AT is a better predictor of performance than VO2max in elite athletes.

What factors influence the percent of VO2 max at which the lactate threshold occurs?

Factors that influence the lactate threshold

  • Mitochondrial size and density,
  • Aerobic enzyme concentrations,
  • Muscle capillary density,
  • Enhanced fatty acid metabolism.


What increases lactate threshold?

Interval running is a great way to increase your lactate threshold. With interval training, you repeatedly cover a set distance while running at your top speed, surpassing your lactate threshold, before taking a break to recover between runs. For example, you might choose to run 400 metres around a track at top speed.

Which training can enhance lactate threshold and increase VO2 max?

Lactate threshold training means increasing exercise intensity so you train at or just above your LT heart rate. This training can be interval training or steady-state training. A combination of interval, high-intensity training, and continuous steady-state training may work best.

What are two methods of lactate threshold training?

Two types of specialized LT workouts identified in the literature include steady-state LT exercise bouts and high-intensity interval training (above the LT) sessions.

Does aerobic or anaerobic increase VO2 max?

Results: High-intensity aerobic interval training resulted in significantly increased VO2max compared with long slow distance and lactate-threshold training intensities (P<0.01).

What is a good LTHR?

For most people, the lactate threshold is about 20 heart beats per minute above the steady aerobic threshold. Any aerobic exercise, generally speaking, will help both points go a bit higher.

What is LTHR heart rate?

Lactate Threshold Heart Rate or LTHR. This is your average heart rate for a 20 – 60 minute all out effort for running, cycling & swimming. Functional Threshold Power or FTP. This is your average power (watts) for a 20 – 60 minute all out effort in cycling.

Does LTHR increase with fitness?

What we see is that when athletes get fitter, their heart rate actually stays similar and what changes is the percent of that heart rate at which they can stay “aerobic”. Therefore, technically, your LTHR should actually go up with improved fitness.

What percentage of max HR is LTHR?

For instance, if you’re a runner and want to work at a fairly high intensity, you might run in zone 3 (see bullets below for more explanation), which is 70 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR), or 85 to 98 percent of your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR).

What is LTHR in Garmin?

Lactate threshold is the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue. Your device measures your lactate threshold level using heart rate and pace. When a runner exceeds their threshold, fatigue starts to increase at an accelerating rate.

What is 75 percent of my max heart rate?

To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Your target heart rate zone is determined based upon your maximum heart rate. You want to stay within 50—75 percent of your maximum heart rate during exercise, depending upon your fitness level.

What is the standard average to get a maximum heart rate 205?

The maximum heart rate can be estimated using the commonly used formula of 220 minus your age in years (220-age), or a more accurate formula 208 – 0.7 x age (Tanaka et al., 2001).

What is a good resting heart rate for a 70 year old woman?

For most healthy adult women and men, resting heart rates range from 60 to 100 beats per minute.

Is 220 minus your age accurate?

The traditional formula for determining HRmax is “220 minus age”, but can underestimate HRmax by up to 40 beats per minute in seniors. In fact, the method is inaccurate already at an age of 30–40 years, and gets more inaccurate the older you are.

What is max heart rate 220?

To estimate your maximum age-related heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, for a 50-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 – 50 years = 170 beats per minute (bpm).

Why is Max heart rate 220 minus age?

Just about anyone who has been on a treadmill, elliptical, or used a heart rate monitor has seen the chart that tells you to take 220 and subtract your age to get your maximum heart rate. This gives you a percentage of that maximum which puts you in a “weight loss zone”, an “aerobic zone”, or an “anaerobic zone”.