ABSTRACT
Blood lactate (BLa) response to exercise has become routine to determine the aerobic and anaerobic capacity of athletes and to monitor training individually. For the interpretation of BLa as a parameter of metabolic activity, there is no fundamental concept. This contributes to multiple and debatable presentations of BLa thresholds and leads to controversial conclusions and divergent applications of BLa tests. The purpose of this study was to present some results of a swim-specific calculation scheme (SCS) which depicts BLa in the context of the whole metabolic process. The SCS is based on a mathematical approach to aerobic and anaerobic metabolism regulation and describes BLa as a result of oxidative BLa elimination and BLa production (BLaP) rates related to the maximal capacity of BLaP and oxygen uptake (V̇O2). The scheme also needs a speed-energy expenditure relation (SER). The study was performed on 778 male swimmers using two-speed tests, competition or training series at constant speed (TRS).
