Lactate thresholds versus VO₂max in aerobic performance
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Aerobic performance is considered one of the most important determinants of success in endurance sports such as long-distance running, cycling, swimming, and rowing (Joyner & Coyle, 2008). As a result, exercise physiologists have long attempted to identify which physiological variables best predict endurance capacity and athletic performance. Across many sports disciplines, both aerobic and anaerobic capacities, reflected in physiological markers such as maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), lactate thresholds (LTs), running economy, heart rate responses, and anaerobic power, play a crucial role in an athlete’s ability to sustain performance, recover efficiently, and tolerate high training intensities (Acharjee, Choudhury, & Atreya, 2025). Monitoring these physiological markers allows practitioners to create detailed athlete profiles, optimize training interventions, and tailor conditioning programs to the specific metabolic demands of a sport. In turn, this information supports performance enhancement, effective load management, and injury-risk reduction (Kenney, Wilmore, & Costill, 2021). To effectively assess endurance performance, lactate and VO₂max thresholds are considered key factors in developing effective training programs (Casado et al., 2022; Joyner & Coyle, 2008). Nevertheless, the extent to which threshold contributes to endurance performance remains a topic of scientific debate.
Traditionally, VO₂max has been considered the gold standard measure of aerobic fitness (Poole & Jones, 2017). VO₂max reflects the maximal capacity of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular systems to deliver and utilize oxygen during exercise (Denadai & Greco, 2022; Poole & Jones, 2017). A high VO₂max indicates a greater capacity to take in, transport, and use oxygen for aerobic energy production, which is essential for sustaining prolonged exercise performance. Consequently, VO₂max is widely considered an important indicator of aerobic endurance capacity (Denadai & Greco, 2022; Joyner & Coyle, 2008).
The relationship between VO₂max and endurance performance has been demonstrated across multiple endurance sports. This is largely since endurance performance predominantly relies on aerobic energy production. In middle- and long-distance running, VO₂max has been regarded as one of the most important physiological determinants of running performance and effective training programs (Midgley, McNaughton, & Jones, 2007). Similarly, in rowing, VO₂max is considered an important physiological variable due to the high aerobic demands of the sport, with approximately 75–80% of the energy contribution during a 2000m rowing performance being derived from aerobic metabolism (Penichet-Tomás, Jimenez-Olmedo, Pueo, & Olaya-Cuartero, 2023). Elite rowers therefore require highly developed aerobic systems to tolerate prolonged high-intensity exercise and delay fatigue development (Penichet-Tomás et al., 2023). In cycling, Borszcz and colleagues (2018) showed moderately high and high correlations between VO₂max and performance in moderately trained cyclists. The recent systematic review of Cove and colleagues (2025) also identified VO₂max as an important determinant of aerobic endurance capacity in cycling. The recent study of Johansen and colleagues (2025), which included 292 endurance athletes across three performance levels (regional/ national/ elite) confirmed the importance of VO₂peak as a primary predictor of aerobic endurance performance.
Furthermore, previous research in cycling has demonstrated that VO₂max is a significant determinant of performance in moderately trained athletes. However, in highly trained or elite cyclists, an optimal VO₂max level may exist, beyond which further increases do not necessarily translate into additional improvements in cycling performance (Denham, Scott-Hamilton, Hagstrom, & Gray, 2017). Moreover, following a relatively short period of endurance training (6-8 weeks), improvements in blood lactate responses during exercise are often attributed to peripheral physiological adaptations, such as increased capillary density, enhanced muscle blood flow, and a greater mitochondrial size (Daussin et al., 2007).
Although these adaptations also contribute to improvements in VO₂max, longer-term training interventions result in greater enhancements in LTs, primarily because VO₂max tends to plateau over time (Denadai & Greco, 2022). The assumption could therefore be made that the LTs have greater potential to improve a highly trained endurance athlete than solely to try to improve the VO₂max threshold.
The VO₂max reflects the maximal physiological capacity rather than the intensity that can realistically be sustained during competition (Denadai & Greco, 2022). Most endurance events are performed at submaximal intensities, meaning athletes rarely sustain exercise at their actual VO₂max for prolonged periods. For example, marathon running is performed at approximately 75–85% of VO₂max, whereas 10 km races are completed at around 90–100% of VO₂max and 5 km races at intensities close to VO₂max (Joyner & Coyle, 2008). Consequently, researchers have increasingly focused on additional physiological markers that may better reflect sustainable exercise intensity and real-world endurance performance. While VO₂max is widely regarded as an important indicator of endurance capacity, its ability to predict performance can vary depending on the sport, competition distance, and the individual level, indicating that other physiological markers, such as LTs, also play an important role.
The aerobic threshold, or lactate threshold (LT) is considered a key marker of aerobic endurance capacity, as it represents the transition toward greater anaerobic energy contribution during exercise (Ohler et al., 2019). During physical exercise, lactate is continuously produced as a byproduct of glucose metabolism. The LT reflects the exercise intensity at which blood lactate concentrations begin to rise above resting levels, whereas under aerobic conditions (< LT), the body is able to clear lactate efficiently. However, at higher exercise intensities, a second lactate breakpoint occurs, often referred to as the lactate turn point (LtP), where lactate accumulation increases more rapidly (blood lactate concentration rise of >1 mmol/l) (Joyner & Coyle, 2008; Kilbey et al., 2025). This physiological shift is strongly associated with muscular fatigue and a decline in endurance performance during prolonged exercise (Emhoff & Messonnier, 2023).
Metabolic adaptations resulting from LTs training also improve oxygen utilization and increase the ability to maintain high-intensity efforts over extended periods (Lucia, Hoyos, Pardo, & Chicharro, 2000). To improve LtP interval training, such as 10×3 minutes or 4×8 minutes with 1-2 minutes rest in between, which lasts between 30 minutes and 60 minutes in total training time, is advised at an intensity just above the LtP (Casado et al., 2022; Seiler et al., 2009) To enhance LT, continuous runs should be prescribed just below LT intensity (Seiler et al., 2009) Training to improve LTs can lead to several physiological adaptations, including enhanced lactate clearance, improved mitochondrial function, and greater oxidative capacity (Stöggl & Sperlich, 2015). Together, these adaptations contribute to enhanced endurance performance and improved athletic efficiency.
The study by Faude, Kindermann, and Meyer (2009) reviewed thirty-two studies examining the relationship between LTs and endurance performance. The authors found a strong association between LtP and performance across various endurance sports. In running events ranging from 5 km to the marathon (42.2 km), correlations between LtP and performance ranged from approximately r = 0.84 to r = 0.94, with the strongest relationships found in longer-distance events. In cycling, similar relationships were reported for time trials ranging from 4 km to 40 km and efforts lasting 60–90 minutes. These findings are supported by Heuberger et al. (2018), who demonstrated significant relationships between LtP and cycling performance during a 45-minute time trial and uphill road race performance in trained cyclists. In rowing, Faude et al. (2009) also reported strong associations between LTs and 2000 m rowing ergometer performance. Similarly, the systematic review by Kilbey et al. (2025) concluded that there is strong evidence that LtP is highly correlated with 2000 m rowing ergometer performance.
These findings highlight that endurance performance is not solely determined by maximal aerobic capacity but also by the ability to sustain high sport-specific speeds or power outputs while maintaining metabolic stability. Therefore, the relationship between VO₂max, LT, and LtP should be interpreted within the context of the specific physiological demands of a sport. In endurance disciplines such as running, cycling, and rowing, the speed or power output achieved at LT or LtP appears to be strongly associated with performance, as these variables reflect the athlete’s capacity to efficiently utilize aerobic energy production at high exercise intensities while delaying fatigue (Faude et al., 2009; Heuberger et al., 2018; Kilbey et al., 2025). Consequently, endurance training programs should aim to improve VO₂max, and focus on increasing the speed or power output that can be sustained at LT and LtP, as these adaptations are highly relevant for competition performance.
Training aimed at improving VO₂max and LTs differs in both exercise intensity and physiological objective. LTs training is performed at submaximal intensities and focuses on improving lactate clearance, aerobic efficiency, and the ability to sustain prolonged high-intensity exercise (Stöggl & Sperlich, 2015). In contrast, VO₂max interval training is performed at high intensities, often between 90–100% of maximal aerobic capacity, with the primary goal of maximizing oxygen uptake and stimulating central cardiovascular adaptations such as increased stroke volume and cardiac output (Midgley, McNaughton, & Jones, 2007). While LTs training primarily enhances the ability to maintain sustainable race pace, VO₂max intervals are more focused on increasing maximal aerobic power and tolerance to high-intensity exercise. Therefore, it is recommended that endurance training programs combine both LTs training and VO₂max interval training to optimize sport-specific endurance performance.
Overall, the current literature indicates that multiple physiological factors, rather than a single variable, influence endurance performance. While VO₂max remains an important indicator of maximal aerobic capacity, variables such as LTs give further insight into an athlete’s ability to sustain sport-specific exercise intensities over prolonged periods of time (Denadai & Greco, 2022). Together, these physiological markers offer a more comprehensive understanding of endurance capacity and can support more individualized and effective training prescriptions. Furthermore, combining VO₂max interval training with LTs-focused training appears to be an effective strategy for optimizing aerobic adaptations, improving sustainable race pace, and enhancing endurance performance across sports such as running, cycling, and rowing (Midgley et al., 2007).
Practical Implications:
- Practitioners should not rely solely on VO₂max when evaluating aerobic performance, because LTs also play an important role in endurance capacity.
- Endurance training programs should combine VO₂max interval training with LTs-focused training, as both methods target different physiological adaptations that contribute to aerobic performance.
- Training programs should be individualized and sport-specific, since the importance of VO₂max and LTs differs depending on the athlete and the type and duration of the endurance event.
- Regular monitoring of VO₂max and LTs can help practitioners evaluate training progress, optimize intensity zones, and improve endurance performance outcomes.
References :
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