Reproducibility of aerobic and anaerobic thresholds in 20-50 year old men.

The reproducibility of the aerobic (AerT) and the anaerobic (AnT) threshold was studied in 33 men aged 20-50 years. They completed two maximal exercise tests on a bicycle ergometer. The thresholds, as VO2 (1 X min-1), were determined visually by two investigators using both the blood lactate and the respiratory indices. The respiratory variables were measured with a computerized breath-by-breath method; samples of venous blood were drawn every 2nd min and analysed enzymatically for lactate. The reproducibility of the AerT (r = 0.94) and of the AnT (r = 0.96) were equally good. The AnT can be determined either from blood lactate concentrations (AnTLa) or from ventilatory and gas exchange response (AnTr) during a 2-min incremental exercise test. They both also showed similar reproducibility: r = 0.93 for the AnTLa and r = 0.95 for the AnTr. The work rate and the measured physiological variables at the AerT and AnT, except for the blood lactacte concentration, were very reproducible. Age did not affect the reproducibility of the thresholds. The poor reproducibility of blood lactate concentration of the AnT confirmed our previous opinion that the fixed blood lactate levels of 2 and 4 mmol X 1(-1) are poor indicators of AerT and AnT.