Scientific Programme
Physiology & Nutrition
IS-PN05 - vLamax tests as lactate-based tests of glycolytic power? Mechanistic and practical considerations
Date: 08.07.2026, Time: 08:00 - 09:15, Session Room: Auditorium C (STCC)
Description
Glycolytic power is a key determinant of athletic performance but to date there is no universally accepted test to measure it. In 1984, Alois Mader introduced the maximal rate of lactate synthesis (vLamaxmuscle) as a variable for his metabolic model and, in 1994, Mader critically reviewed contemporary glycolytic tests and proposed a vLamaxblood test. However, vLamaxblood tests have several limitations, and new protocols have been developed to overcome some of them. For example, the vLapeak has recently been introduced as an estimate of the peak rate of whole-body lactate synthesis during an all-out 10-15 s test without correction for phosphocreatine or lactate clearance. In our symposium, Henning Wackerhage will first introduce the history of the vLamax and vLapeak, review its predicted effect on performance and summarise research topics and groups active in this field. In the second talk, Katharina Dunst will introduce practical vLamax tests for cycling, rowing, running and swimming followed by the use of vLamax data for performance modelling. In the last talk, Andy Jones will compare the vLamax to related concepts such as the Wingate test, maximal accumulated oxygen deficit and the W’ (curvature constant derived from the power-duration relationship), discuss limitations and highlight future directions such as vLamax trainability and validation of the vLamax by muscle biopsy. Our symposium targets sport and exercise scientists, applied physiologists, coaches, and researchers
Chair(s)
Henning Wackerhage
Technical University of Munich, Sport and Health Sciences
Germany
Speaker A
Henning Wackerhage
Technical University of Munich, Sport and Health Sciences
Germany
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-PN05
vLamax and vLapeak: From Alois Mader’s metabolic model to current research
The aim of this talk is to introduce the concept of the vLamax and give a historical context. Measuring an individual’s glycolytic power remains a major challenge, and no universally accepted test currently exists. However, already before 2000, Alois Mader proposed in two German-language publications a potential solution with the concept of the maximal rate of lactate synthesis or accumulation (vLamax). In 1984, Mader defined vLamaxmuscle as the maximal rate of lactate synthesis per second per kilogram of active muscle, using it as a glycolytic power variable within his mathematical model of human energy metabolism. While this parameter is necessary for metabolic modelling, it cannot be measured directly in vivo. In 1994, Mader critically reviewed existing tests of glycolytic power and proposed a test to measure the vLamaxblood defined as the maximal rate of lactate accumulation per second per litre of blood. However, there are several limitations. It is unlikely that the theoretical maximal glycolytic rate can be reached during exercise; there is no physiological criterion indicating when it is achieved; the “alactic time correction” introduces error; and lactate clearance is not accounted for. To address these issues, we recently proposed the vLapeak, defined as the peak rate of lactate accumulation per second per litre of blood during a 10–15 s all-out test, without corrections for alactic time or lactate clearance. vLapeak can be reported as absolute values or normalized to body mass. Using Mader’s model, the effects of varying vLamaxmuscle (which is expected to correlate with the vLamaxblood and vLapeak) on metabolism and performance can be simulated. This predicts that a higher vLamaxmuscle increases carbohydrate oxidation and lactate production, shifting the power–lactate curve leftward. Following Mader’s foundational work, Sebastian Weber (INSCYD) introduced vLamax testing in professional cycling, and an increasing number of research groups, initially German, now increasingly international, are publishing studies that include vLamax-based assessments. ORCID: 0000-0001-5920-5842
Speaker B
Katharina Dunst
IAT Institut für angewandte Trainingswissenschaft, Projekt Radsport
Germany
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-PN05
Lamaxblood and vLapeak tests as lactate-based tests of glycolytic power? Practical insights and considerations
This talk will present the practical application of lactate-based tests of glycolytic power across a range of sport disciplines. Tests to estimate the maximal lactate accumulation rate in blood (vLamaxblood) or peak lactate accumulation rate (vLapeak) have been introduced to estimate glycolytic power. However, the methodology varies. In the first part of this talk, I will introduce practical vLamaxblood and vLapeak testing in cycling, rowing, running, and swimming. Differences in protocol design, including test duration, task constraints, ergometer settings, environmental conditions, and timing of blood lactate sampling, as well as the influence of fatigue and nutritional state will be examined to illustrate their impact on the magnitude and reproducibility of the measured values. The relationship between vLamaxblood and vLapeak (absolute and related to body weight) and sport-specific performance characteristics will be discussed to evaluate their utility for metabolic profiling. Furthermore, I will present examples how vLamaxblood or vLapeak data can be utilized for performance modelling to e.g., predict competition performance or personalized training prescription. The talk will conclude with practical recommendations for researchers and practitioners seeking to apply lactate-based indices of glycolytic power within high-performance environments.
Speaker C
Andrew Jones
Exeter University, Sport and Health Sciences
United Kingdom
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-PN05
The challenge of evaluating ‘anaerobic capacity’ and suggestions for a route forward
This talk will outline the currently available methods for evaluating anaerobic capacity in sport and exercise science, discuss their inter-relationships and provide directions for future research. Due to the difficulty in ‘isolating’ anaerobic mechanisms of energy production from oxidative metabolism, assessment of anaerobic capacity has been neglected both in research and applied practice. The advantages and disadvantages (including the underlying assumptions and practical challenges) of assessing anaerobic capacity will first be described, with note taken of the distinction between maximal anaerobic flux (combined phosphocreatine + glycolytic ATP resynthesis flux) and maximal glycolytic flux. The available tests include the 30 s Wingate test, the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit, the curvature constant from the hyperbolic power-time relationship (W’), the anaerobic speed reserve, peak post-exercise blood lactate concentration and the vLamaxblood - with this latter approach receiving significant interest in recent years. While all these methods have limitations, they also potentially provide important information when the goal is the comprehensive evaluation of an athlete’s physiological strengths and weaknesses. Recent research on middle-distance running performance as part of Nike’s ‘Breaking 4’ project will be presented to highlight the insight that such tests can provide and to demonstrate the extent to which the results of these tests, which all purport to assess anaerobic capacity, agree with one another. The talk will conclude with recommendations for future research to provide greater confidence in the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of existing methods, with a particular focus on vLamax, such that they might be utilised in an integrated manner to enhance scientific support to athletes. It is also important to better understand the influence of training on the regulation of glycolysis and to investigate the types of training that might enhance anaerobic capacity and maximal glycolytic flux. The talk will be designed to appeal to basic scientists interested in exercise biochemistry and metabolism and to applied practitioners who continue to wrestle with the methodologies for anaerobic capacity assessment.