Exercise recovery above and below anaerobic threshold following maximal work

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of resting and exercise recovery above [70% of maximum O2 uptake (VO2 max)] and below [40% of VO2 max] anaerobic threshold (AT) on blood lactate disappearance following maximal exercise. Blood lactate concentrations at rest (0.9 mM) and during exercise at 40% (1.3 mM) and 70% (3.5 mM) of VO2 max without preceding maximal exercise were determined on separate occasions and represented base lines for each condition. The rate of blood lactate disappearance from peak values was ascertained from single-component exponential curves fit for each individual subject for each condition using both the determined and resting base lines. When determined base lines were utilized, there were no significant differences in curve parameters between the 40 and 70% of VO2 max recoveries, and both were significantly different from the resting recovery. When a resting base line (0.9 mM) was utilized for all conditions, 40% of VO2 max demonstrated a significantly faster half time than either 70% of VO2 max or resting recovery. No differences were found between 70% of VO2 max and resting recovery. It was concluded that interpretation of the effectiveness of exercise recovery above and below AT with respect to blood lactate disappearance is influenced by the base-line blood lactate concentration utilized in the calculation of exponential half times.