Estimation of the Lactate Threshold from Heart Rate Response to Submaximal Exercise: The Pulse Deficit

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the validity of a sharp increase in pulse deficit (PD) as a noninvasive index for estimation of the first lactate threshold (LT₁) in healthy individuals with various levels of aerobic fitness. Three groups of healthy male subjects participated in the study: 15 sedentary individuals, 14 students of physical education, and 13 competitive athletes. Each subject performed a maximal incremental exercise test on the cycle ergometer for the determination of the LT₁, the second lactate threshold, and peak power output. On different days, subjects performed several 8-min bouts of constant-load exercise on the cycle ergometer, corresponding to each of the power outputs of the maximal test, to evaluate PD, which was calculated as the total number of heart beats of the last 4 min minus the total number of heart beats in the first 4 min of exercise. The three groups presented similar blood lactate, heart rate and pulse deficit responses to exercise. For the first power output up to the LT₁, PD showed no significant changes. For the three groups, a sharp increase in PD was seen at the intensity immediately above LT₁. There was a significant correlation between PD and blood lactate changes from the rest to 4th min of submaximal exercise (r = 0.83, p < 0.05). The power output before a sharp increase in PD detected during constant-load exercise (112 ± 38 W) and the power output corresponding to the LT₁ detected during the incremental test (111 ± 37 W, p = 0.323) were similar and strongly correlated (r = 0.99, p = 0.0001). The absolute cut-point value of 25 beats for PD had a sensitivity of 100 %, a specificity of 95 %, and a positive predictive value of 90 % for the detection of LT₁. The determination of PD provides an accurate noninvasive estimate of the LT₁ in healthy young men with different levels of fitness. One 8-min submaximal exercise bout can establish if an individual is exercising above or below the LT₁.

Aerobic threshold - anaerobic threshold - blood lactate - fitness

References

• 1 Beaver W, Wasserman K, Whipp B. Improved detection of lactate threshold during exercise using a log-log transformation.  J Appl Physiol. 1985;  59 1936-1940
• 2 Bertoluci M, Friedman G, Schaan B, Ribeiro J P, Schmidt H. Intensity-related exercise albuminuria in insulin-dependent diabetic patients.  Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1993;  19 217-225
• 3 Browman S, Wigertz O. Transient dynamics of ventilation and heart rate with step changes in work load from different load levels.  Acta Physiol Scand. 1971;  81 54-74
• 4 Clausell N, Ludwig E, Narro F, Ribeiro J P. Response of left ventricular diastolic filling to graded exercise relative to the lactate threshold.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1993;  67 222-225
• 5 Colucci W S, Ribeiro J P, Rocco M B, Quigg R J, Creager M A, Marsh J D, Gauthier D F, Hartley L H. Impaired chronotropic response to exercise in patients with heart failure: role of postsynaptic beta-adrenergic desensitization.  Circulation. 1989;  80 314-323
• 6 Conconi F, Grazzi G, Gasoni I, Guglielmini C, Borsetto C, Ballarin E, Mazzoni G, Patracchini M, Manfredini F. The Conconi test: methodology after 12 years of application.  Int J Sports Med. 1996;  17 509-519
• 7 Deuster P A, Chrousos G P, Luger A, DeBolt J E, Bernier L L, Trostman U H, Kyle S B, Montgomery L C, Loriaux D L. Hormonal and metabolic responses of untrained, moderately trained, and highly trained men to three exercise intensities.  Metabolism. 1989;  38 141-148
• 8 Engelen M K, Schols A M, Does J D, Gosker H R, Deutz N E, Wouters E F. Exercise-induced lactate increase in relation to muscle substrates in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  Am J Resp Crit Care Med. 2000;  162 1697-1704
• 9 Gaesser G, Poole D. The slow component of oxygen uptake kinetics in humans.  Exerc Sci Sports Rev. 1996;  24 35-71
• 10 Gallo Jr L, Maciel B, Marin-Neto J A, Martins L. Sympathetic and parasympathetic changes in heart rate control during dynamic exercise induced by endurance training in man.  Braz J Med Biol Res. 1989;  22 631-643
• 11 Gladden L B. Lactate metabolism: a new paradigm for the third millennium.  J Physiol. 2004;  558 (Pt 1) 5-30
• 12 Hagberg J, Hickson R, Ehsani A, Holloszy J. Faster adjustment to and recovery from submaximal exercise in the trained state.  J Appl Physiol. 1980;  48 218-224
• 13 Hanley J A, McNeil B L. The meaning and use of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.  Radiology. 1982;  143 29-36
• 14 Harris E A, Porter B B. On the heart rate during exercise, the esophageal temperature and the oxygen debt.  Quart J Exptl Physiol. 1958;  43 313-319
• 15 Hohorst H J. Lactate Determination with Lactic Acid Dehydrogenase and DPN Method of Enzymatic Analysis. Winheim; Verlag Chemie 1965
• 16 Krzeminski K, Nazar K, Cybulsky G, Niewiadomski W. Endurance training slows down the kinetics of heart rate increase in the transition from moderate to heavier submaximal exercise intensities.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1991;  62 297-300
• 17 Maciel B, Gallo Jr L, Marin Neto J A, Filho E, Martins L. Autonomic nervous control of the heart rate during dynamic exercise in normal man.  Clin Sci. 1986;  71 457-460
• 18 Marcus J, Ingram R, McLean R. The threshold of anaerobic metabolism in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A promising index of evaluation.  Am Rev Resp Dis. 1971;  104 490-498
• 19 Mazzeo R, Marshall P. Influence of plasma catecholamines on the lactate threshold during graded exercise.  J Appl Physiol. 1989;  67 1319-1322
• 20 Meyer T, Lucia A, Earnest C P, Kindermann W. Conceptual framework for performance diagnosis and training prespriction from submaximal gas exchange parameters - theory and application.  Int J Sports Med. 2005;  26 (Suppl 1) S38-S48
• 21 Myers J, Ashley E. Dangerous curves. A perspective on exercise, lactate and the anaerobic threshold.  Chest. 1997;  111 787-795
• 22 Nery L, Wasserman K, Andrews J, Huntsman D, Hansen J, Whipp B. Ventilatory and gas exchange kinetics during exercise in chronic airway obstruction.  J Appl Physiol. 1982;  53 1594-1602
• 23 Orizio C, Perini R, Comande A, Castellano M, Beschi M, Veicsteinas A. Plasma catecholamines and heart rate at the beginning of muscular exercise in man.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1988;  57 644-651
• 24 Péronnet F, Cléroux J, Perraut H, Cousineau D, Champlain J, Nadeu R. Plasma norepinephrine response to exercise before and after training in humans.  J Appl Physiol. 1981;  51 812-815
• 25 Polanczyk C A, Rohde L EP, Moraes R S, Ferlin E L, Leite C, Ribeiro J P. Sympathetic nervous system representation in time and frequency domain indices of heart rate variability.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1998;  79 69-73
• 26 Ribeiro J P, Cadavid E, Baena J, Monsalvete E, Barna A, De Rose E H. Metabolic predictors of middle-distance swimming performance.  Br J Sports Med. 1990;  24 196-200
• 27 Ribeiro J P, Fielding R, Hughes V, Black A, Bochese M, Knuttgen H. Heart rate break point may coincide with the anaerobic and not the aerobic threshold.  Int J Sports Med. 1985;  6 220-224
• 28 Ribeiro J P, Hughes V, Fielding R, Holden W, Evans W, Knuttgen H. Metabolic and ventilatory responses to steady state exercise relative to lactate thresholds.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1986;  55 215-221
• 29 Ribeiro J P, Ibañez J M, Stein R. Autonomic nervous control of the heart rate response to dynamic incremental exercise: evaluation of the Rosenblueth-Simeone model.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1991;  62 140-144
• 30 Svedahl K, Macintosh B R. Anaerobic threshold: the concept and methods of measurement.  Can J Appl Physiol. 2003;  28 299-323
• 31 Whipp B, Ward S. Cardiopulmonary coupling during exercise.  J Exp Biol. 1982;  100 175-193
• 32 Yamamoto Y, Hughson R, Nakamura Y. Autonomic nervous system responses to exercise in relation to ventilatory threshold.  Chest. 1992;  101 206S-210S