Lactate threshold models
Enter your stage values, compare the models and look at the training zones. You can replace the pre-filled example values with your own.
Calculated in your browser · no transmission · no storage · no sign-up
Measurements
| Stage | Load W | Lactate mmol/l | HR bpm | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 |
Calculations run only in your browser. Your measurements are not sent anywhere.
Lactate curve & thresholds
1.4 mmol/l
2.8 mmol/l
Choose in the model comparison below
Depending on the model, the anaerobic threshold lies between 210 and 257 watts. That is a range of 47 watts (22.5 %).
Training zones
Calculated from the threshold according to Dickhuth. The boundaries are fixed percentages of the threshold load. Other zone models set them differently.
| Zone | Load (W) | Heart rate |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery | up to 135 | up to 122 bpm |
| Basic endurance training 1 | 135–165 | 122–134 bpm |
| Basic endurance training 2 | 165–210 | 134–152 bpm |
| Basic endurance training 3 | 210–237 | 152–162 bpm |
| Competition-specific endurance | from 237 | from 162 bpm |
What the numbers mean.
The range is the real insight
If you calculate the same test with several methods, you immediately see what a single report does not show: the models diverge, sometimes by 20 per cent of the threshold power or more2,3. This is not a measurement error. The models simply define the same transition differently.
In practice this means: a threshold value without the method stated is no use for comparisons over time. And if you switch the model between two tests, you see a development that never happened4.
Which model for what
In practice, four questions help with the choice: Which method was used for this person’s previous reports? What data does your protocol provide? Which sport and which performance level are involved? And which external values must the report remain comparable with? The article Lactate threshold models compared explains this in detail.
The calculation does not follow the original publication in every respect. D-Max and modified D-Max evaluate the measured stage points directly here, without fitting a polynomial curve. The log-log regression uses power instead of oxygen uptake. This adaptation of Beaver’s method is common in the literature. So if you compare results with other software, you are not necessarily comparing the same calculation rule.
From threshold to zones
The zones at the bottom of the calculator are percentages of the threshold power. Important, because it is often misunderstood: in the diagnostics model used here, the threshold lies within the threshold zone. Other zone models draw the boundaries differently. The article Calculating training zones from a lactate test explains how the zones are derived and where their limits lie.
What the calculator cannot do
It does not know your protocol. Stage duration, load increment, sampling time and whether the resting value was taken before the warm-up also affect the result. The calculator does not check these conditions. The article Lactate step test: protocol, stage duration and termination criteria explains what makes a reliable protocol.
Frequently asked questions
- Why do the models produce different thresholds?
- Because each model looks for a differently defined point on the same curve: a fixed lactate concentration, a distance from the resting value, the minimum of the lactate equivalent or the greatest distance from a reference line. None of the calculation models is regarded as the gold standard1. The physiological reference criterion is usually the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS)5.
- Are the values I enter stored?
- No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, nothing is stored and nothing is logged.
- Does the calculator calculate exactly like Plenea?
- Yes. It uses the same calculation library as the product, not a re-implementation. However, the results also depend on inputs, configuration and version. And the same library does not replace a professional review.
- Why does log-log not show a second threshold?
- Because Beaver’s method defines only one threshold by design. So an empty field here does not mean that data is missing.
- Can I use the result as a report?
- No. The calculator produces model results and does not check how the test was carried out. A report requires a documented protocol, an assessment of measurement quality and professional approval.
Sources
- 1
Faude O, Kindermann W, Meyer T. Lactate threshold concepts: how valid are they? Sports Medicine. 2009;39(6):469–490.
- 2
Jamnick NA, Botella J, Pyne DB, Bishop DJ. Manipulating graded exercise test variables affects the validity of the lactate threshold and V̇O2peak. PLoS One. 2018;13(7):e0199794.
Original researchDOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0199794PubMed 30059543
- 3
Bishop D, Jenkins DG, Mackinnon LT. The relationship between plasma lactate parameters, Wpeak and 1-h cycling performance in women. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1998;30(8):1270–1275.
Original researchDOI 10.1097/00005768-199808000-00014PubMed 9710868
- 4
Heuberger JAAC, Gal P, Stuurman FE, de Muinck Keizer WAS, Mejia Miranda Y, Cohen AF. Repeatability and predictive value of lactate threshold concepts in endurance sports. PLoS One. 2018;13(11):e0206846.
Original researchDOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0206846PubMed 30427900
- 5
Jones AM, Burnley M, Black MI, Poole DC, Vanhatalo A. The maximal metabolic steady state: redefining the 'gold standard'. Physiological Reports. 2019;7(10):e14098.
Specialist information on the methods of performance diagnostics. The output is a model result, not a report. No medical advice, no diagnosis and no substitute for assessment by qualified professionals.
Six models on the same raw data.
In Plenea, the choice of model during analysis is documented as a professional decision. You also get the source for each method, the history across several tests and traceable reference values for the zones.