WED: Training at Threshold

**P360 OB First 50 Initiative — Enrollment Opens Monday, March 5th.** 

In today’s re-assessment of where you are at for Lactate Threshold 1 PPB, it is first helpful to verse yourself in lactate and it’s role in the human body’s high output performance. So, if you haven’t already, please first read about it. Otherwise, what you read below will not make any sense.

Anaerobic training tends to follow some pretty simple guidelines.

  1. It’s very short. 30 – 90 seconds.
  2. It’s very hard. 100% effort required.

Any longer than that, or any less effort and you move into the aerobic zone.

Theses short, peak outputs of anaerobic intensity result in a build-up of hydrogen in your bloodstream and subsequently, a lactate level that we are unable to clear that leads to muscle failure. This is why each round will only take approximately 90 seconds. Any longer and it simply would not be possible to sustain, and it would defeat the entire purpose of the day. We’re trying to toe the line and sustain a 100% effort as long as the human body typically allows.

By allowing ourselves a 4:1 rest to work ratio, we give our body the needed time to clear out the hydrogen and lactate, and allow a relatively fresh start at each round. This prevents us from drifting into the aerobic system.

The reason that today benefits you is that it trains your body to be able to sustain higher periods of effort. This has a positive impact on athletic performance in a fitness setting, our ability to burn fat both at work and at rest, and our aerobic capacity (even though we aren’t training the aerobic system). This kind of training would never be sustainable everyday because it is brutal and requires suffering, but sporadically has very real benefits.

There is no other training day that places this much focus on the anaerobic system and its benefits. Enjoy it. Well, as best as a day like today can be enjoyed.

-Dave

Wednesday, 2.28.18

LT 1
For 3 Rounds
In 9 minutes per round.
12 Push Jerk (95#/65#), or (75#/45#)
5 OTB Burpees
300m Run
Rest remainder of 9 minutes until
your heat is back up.
Record total time of all 3 rounds.