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Lactic Tolerance vs Lactic Power Training
There is an essential difference between lactic tolerance training and Lactic Power training. That is to do with their effect on efficiency development. Athletes who spend too much time & over a prolonged period training with high levels of lactic acid that is experienced while they are running will likely steadily decrease their efficiency.
Examples of a Lactic Power sessions are:
3 x 500m with a 8min rest
4 x 600m rest 5min
2 x 800m rest 15min
Example of Lactic Tolerance sessions are
3 x 3 x 200m rest 60s/ 3min
400m rest 3min 300min rest 3min 300 rest 3min 200m rest 1min 200m rest 1min 200m rest 1min 200m
3 x (300m 1min 150m) 5min
3 x (300m rest 30s 300m) 5min
Ofcourse all of the above sessions will train both Lactic Tolerance & Lactic Power but the categorization is to do with just how extreme the effect is.
The Lactic Anaerobic system supplies energy for sustained speed and is essential for 200m-1500m the latter because of the required need to finish fast as well as sustain a pace that is above VO2max. The unwanted side effect of this energy system is decreased ph (increased acid) of the blood in the working muscles.
This provides a challenge to the athlete to be able to co-ordinate and run fast with high & increasing levels of acidosis in their legs (& arms). This ability to co-ordinate can be improved with training hence the use of Lactic Tolerance sessions.
When an athlete has hardly done any fast training their Lactic Anaerobic system will usually be quite low in its capacity to provide energy. This is why Lactic Power sessions are performed to stimulate the system to increase its output and hence the associated acidosis will increase. Lactate can be measured in the blood of athletes to measure the output of the Lactic energy system. It will known that athletes like Michael Johnson could produce far greater peak lactate values than any elite marathon runner who have a far smaller capacity Lactic Anaerobic system.
I believe athletes as they are preparing for their race seasons should focus on the development of the output of this system in a way that does not overly stress lactic tolerance. The reason being that the loss of running form that can be produced in an athlete during a hard lactic tolerance session can become habituated. This results in decreasing the athletes efficiency. I believe Lactic Tolerance training has its place in a small part of the precompetition phase and should be as much as possible isolated toward shorter distance reps of 100m-300m. Racing is the best Lactic Tolerance training an athlete can do.
The effect of training with Lactic Power sessions is that the athlete will have early in the season the ability to start fast and run well for the first 80% of the race but then their deficiencies in Lactic Tolerance may cause them to fade in the final stages of the race. However after a few solid early season races and some smart use of Lactic Tolerance training the athletes will have that aspect of their races covered. I believe the final stage of the race is the icing on the cake.
The way to strongly impact on the athletes ability to work hard during Lactic Tolerance sessions without the problem of decreasing efficiency is to work all year on improving running form and the ability of the athlete to maintain it. There are many ways to do this outlined in my book Maintaining Running Form During Middle Distance Racing. Its content applies also very well to 400m.
There are many extremely intense sessions that elite athletes can safely perform because they have highly developed ability to maintain good running form. They can do these sessions without decreasing their running efficiency. However when less well conditioned athletes perform these sessions they will wind up injured and with decreased performance. eg Wilson Kipketer 2 x 10 x 200m in 26s (800 pace) with a 30-60s rest between reps. Try this with a developing athlete and they will not be able to move smoothly after a few reps. But any athletics enthusiast would guess that Wilson would perform this session looking superb.
Cathy Freemans common Lactic Tolerance sessions were
3 x (300m rest 1min 150) 8min
6 x 200m rest 5-4-3-2-1
but she also did sessions which were more Lactic Power oriented such as
300m rest 7min 300m rest 15min then some 200m reps 2min apart.
I think it is too common for people to get in the habit of doing too much Lactic Tolerance training rather than Lactic Power. In MD athletes it is essential that work be maintained at high quality to stimulate VO2max. Some Lactic Power work with longer reps eg 4 x 600m rest 5min doubles as a good V02max stimulator as well. There is also no denying that an athlete does not stimulate gains in Lactic Power from hard reps off long rests of 1000m even.
regards
Steve Bennett
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