Blood lactate thresholds and walking/running economy are determinants of backpack-running performance in trained soldiers

Simpson, Richard J.; Graham, Scott M.; Connaboy, Christopher; Clement, Richard; Pollonini, Luca; Florida-James, Geraint D.

Abstract

We developed a standardized laboratory treadmill protocol for assessing physiological responses to a simulated backpack load-carriage task in trained soldiers, and assessed the efficacy of blood lactate thresholds (LTs) and economy in predicting future backpack running success over an 8-mile course in field conditions. LTs and corresponding physiological responses were determined in 17 elite British soldiers who completed an incremental treadmill walk/run protocol to exhaustion carrying 20 kg backpack load. Treadmill velocity at the breakpoint (r = −0.85) and Δ 1 mmol l−1 (r = −0.80)
LTs, and relative VO2 at 4 mmol l−1 (r = 0.76) and treadmill walk/run velocities of 6.4 (r = 0.76), 7.4 (r = 0.80), 11.4 (r = 0.66) and 12.4 (r = 0.65) km h−1 were significantly associated with field test completion time. We report for the first time that LTs and backpack walk/run economy are major determinants of backpack load-carriage performance in trained soldiers.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 19, 2016
• Online Publication Date: May 4, 2016
• Publication Date: 2017-01
• Deposit Date: May 2, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 5, 2017
• Journal: Applied Ergonomics
• Print ISSN: 0003-6870
• Electronic ISSN: 1872-9126
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 58
• Pages: 566-572
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2016.04.010
• Keywords: Load-carriage; Ventilatory threshold; Special forces
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9990
• Contract Date: May 2, 2016