Physiological Testing with Renee Eastman | KoopCast Episode 163
Episode overview:
Renee Eastman is a Premiere coach at CTS as well as the head of CTS’s physiology lab. She has been coaching since 1996
Episode highlights:
(8:59) Koop’s takeaways from testing: assessing existing physiological and genetic traits, using your strengths and building your weaknesses, ensuring training is effective
(38:46) Interpreting test data: peak VO2, lactate threshold (LT2), heart rate and pace, looking at metabolism over lower intensities, explaining why lactate is at steady-state sub-threshold, lactate is an indicator
(1:17:58) Values of physiological testing: long-term training direction is the main benefit, not zone construction, zones are can be established from training but metabolic breakdown and lactate curve shape requires lab testing, value for elite and beginner athletes
Our conversation:
(0:00) Introduction: graded exercise tests, introducing Renee, demystifying the testing process
(3:00) Why athletes seek tests: athletes are naive to what the test can tell them, the zone 2 fad, training fads over the past 25 years
(6:37) Why athletes shout seek tests: to make more informed training decisions, to confirm their training is working, determining if VO2max or lactate threshold is the limiting factor
(8:59) Koop’s takeaways from testing: assessing existing physiological and genetic traits, using your strengths and building your weaknesses, ensuring training is effective
(10:20) Testing protocol: describing a lactate threshold-VO2max graded exercise test, lactate threshold test includes 4 minute stages at increasing pace, measuring heart rate, gas exchange, and blood lactate, ideal duration
(13:03) Determining start speeds for lactate testing: experiential knowledge, gauging athletes during the warm-up, baseline lactate, describing lactate levels, looking for steady-state data
(17:00) When to stop the lactate test: recap of lactate threshold testing protocol, two consecutive jumps in lactate or 4 mmol
(20:00) Lactate testing duration: ideally 25-30 minutes, avoiding athlete fatigue, understanding metabolic efficiency at sub-threshold intensities, explaining the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) to assess carbohydrate and fat usage
(23:10) The VO2max test: giving athletes a rest to decrease blood lactate, 1 minute stages with increasing gradient until the athlete decides to stop
(25:38) RER at VO2max: RER > 1.0 indicates hyperventilation, examples of athletes completing VO2max tests above and below RER = 1.0, glycogen depleted and low-intensity runners
(27:38) Recap of VO2max testing: peak VO2, caveats about multiple types of testing
(29:57) Continuous lactate threshold-VO2max tests: reasoning behind implementing continuous cycling tests, needing to switch from speed to grade in continuous running tests
(32:39) Consistency and flexibility in testing: making sure the intensity jumps are appropriate, examples, flexibility in testing to accommodate elite and non-elite athletes, standardized testing per-athlete
(36:35) Testing for specific sport groups: road and track runners, testing at the Olympic Training Center, specificity of testing to performance events
(38:46) Interpreting test data: peak VO2, lactate threshold (LT2), heart rate and pace, looking at metabolism over lower intensities, explaining why lactate is at steady-state sub-threshold, lactate is an indicator
(42:52) Establishing training zones: using lactate thresholds (LT1 and LT2) and VO2max
(44:42) Maximal lactate steady-state: the point at which lactate production and clearing is similar, hour long power output, close to LT2
(46:17) Carbohydrate and fat metabolism: examining metabolic efficiency at all intensities, elite athletes use more fat during low intensities, all athletes burn more carbohydrate as intensity increases, recap
(48:36) Fat burning: metabolic testing thought experiment, setting fat-burning ranges, discussing the value proposition of training fat burning, relevance to carbohydrate-limited ultra endurance athletes
(52:47) Training by metabolism: is it worth training by metabolism versus zones, fitness trumps all, metabolism as a tool to assess weaknesses and prescribe base training for ultra endurance athletes
(57:20) Considerations for training: recap of interpreting test data, introducing maximal gains
(59:46) Linear lactate curve: metabolic efficiency as a limiting factor, more base training is needed,
(1:01:43) Exponential lactate curve: high aerobic efficiency and high VO2max
(1:02:40) “Flat” lactate curve: high aerobic efficiency but low lactate spike, glycogen depleted athletes, these athletes need intensity work, Tim Olson example
(1:04:53) Prolonged zone 3 lactate curve: athletes who do too much tempo work,
(1:06:48) Multiple lab tests: most athletes do one test, the value is to test if training is working and assess next steps
(1:09:27) Testing for weaknesses: test before you train specificity, the value of multiple tests is learning how you respond to training and what training you need more of
(1:12:06) Clarity from multiple tests: athletes need to test regularly to build a complete picture, logistical challenges
(1:15:22) Athlete takeaways: one test is worthwhile, you can learn genetic strengths and weaknesses, considerations for returning athletes, value for well-rounded athletes
(1:17:58) Values of physiological testing: long-term training direction is the main benefit, not zone construction, zones are can be established from training but metabolic breakdown and lactate curve shape requires lab testing, value for elite and beginner athletes
(1:23:25) Redesigning test protocols for ultramarathoners: a thought experiment, testing protocols are designed for elite athletes, decreasing speed and utilizing gradient to incorporate power hiking and increase specificity to ultras
(1:27:27) Lactate threshold over differing modalities: intensity matters most, examples, transitioning from walking to running greatly increases metabolic demand
(1:29:18) Mixed modalities: heart rate ranges for zone construction change by modality, ultramarathon running has many modalities, challenges of testing power hiking
(1:31:52) Improving lactate curve data: longer stage protocols may be more specific to ultramarathon runners but provide worse VO2max data, adapting the CTS lab test
(1:34:30) Outro: giving thanks, getting tested at the CTS lab, share the KoopCast
Additional resources:
Buy Training Essentials for Ultrarunning on Amazon or Audible
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