Aerobic and Anaerobic Thresholds Determined from Venous Lactate or from Ventilation and Gas Exchange in Relation to Muscle Fiber Composition*

The aerobic and anaerobic thresholds determined from venous lactate (AerTLa and AnTLa) or from ventilation and gas exchange (AerTr and AnTr) in relation to muscle fiber composition were compared. Twelve subjects were studied in double exercise tests carried out until voluntary exhaustion. They were divided into two groups according to their muscle fiber type in the vastus lateralis muscle: ST group with a majority of slow-twitch fibers (ST% = 66.0% +/- 7.3%) and FT group with a majority of fast-twitch fibers (ST% = 27.7% +/- 8.4%). A 2-min incremental exercise test protocol on a bicycle was used. There were no significant differences between the ST and FT groups in the VO2max or in the Lamax. Neither the AerT nor the AnT related to the VO2max (%) differed between the ST and FT groups. In the FT group the AnTLa occurred 0.70 min in the first test and 1.06 min in the second test earlier than the AnTr, whereas in the ST group the AnTLa occurred at the same time or 0.44 min later, respectively, than the AnTr (P less than 0.05). Expressed as VO2 the differences between thresholds were not so distinct. The results demonstrated that the mutual relation between the AnTLa and AnTr seemed to be dependent on the fiber type majority in exercising muscles (vastus lateralis) among untrained men.