Endurance performance has so far been made up of maximising VO₂ max and functional capacity. Movement economy is the second last physiological determinant of endurance performance before moving into external and nutritional influences. Movement economy refers to the efficiency at which somebody moves from one point to another.
We've discussed how to maximise your aerobic engine, but how can we now functionally perform at this power? Your Lactate Inflection Point (LIP) is the exercise intensity at which your body produces lactate at the exact same rate as it can remove it, with any slight increases in exercise intensity causing an exponential rise in blood lactate and subsequent fatigue.
Your VO₂ max is the maximum volume of oxygen that can be taken in via the lungs, transported via the bloodstream, and utilised by the muscles. It is a key performance indicator for endurance events because athletes with a high VO₂ max value are able to create more energy aerobically and without producing fatiguing metabolic byproducts such as lactic acid.
The human body is a complex piece of machinery, and as such, there continues to be vast research undertaken in an attempt to further understand how it functions. The processes in which the human body adapts to exercise is no different; we understand much of how this occurs, but there is still a lot of assumptions and unknowns to explore.
