Information on the performance of different instruments used to measure blood lactate concentration is incomplete. We therefore examined instruments from Yellow Springs Instruments (YSI 23L and YSI 1500) and three cheaper and simpler instruments: Dr. Lange's LP8+, Lactate Pro from Arkray in the KDK corporation and Accusport from Boehringer Mannheim. First, a number of blood samples were analysed by standard enzymatic photofluorometry (our reference method) and, in addition, by one or more of the instruments mentioned above. Second, measurements using two or more identical instruments were compared. Third, since Lactate Pro and Accusport are small (approximately 100 g, pocket-size), battery-driven, instruments that could be used for outdoor testing, the performance of these instruments was examined at simulated altitudes (O2 pressure of <10 kPa) and at temperatures below -20 degrees C, while screening the instruments as much as possible from the cold. Most of the different instruments showed systematically too high or too low values (10-25% deviation). The observed differences between instruments may affect the "blood lactate threshold" by 2-5%. We found different readings between "equal" YSI 1500 instruments, while we could see no difference when comparing the other instruments of the same type. Lactate Pro gave reliable results at both -21+/-1 degrees C and at simulated altitude. Accusport gave reliable results in the cold, but 1.85+/-0.08 mmol L(-1) (mean+/-SD) too high readings at the simulated altitude. Of the three simpler instruments examined, the Lactate Pro was at least as good as the YSI instruments and superior to the other two.

To study how training affects the Na(+)-K+ pump concentration, 11 male and 9 female elite junior cross-country skiers trained 12-15 h/wk at 60-70% (moderate-intensity group) or 80-90% (high-intensity group) of their maximal O2 uptake for 5 mo. Muscle biopsies taken from the vastus lateralis muscle before and after the training period were analyzed for Na(+)-K+ pump concentration by the [3H]ouabain-binding technique. Before training, the concentration was 343 +/- 11 nmol/kg wet muscle mass (mean +/- SE) for the men and 281 +/- 14 nmol/kg for the women (18% less than for the men, P = 0.003). The Na(+)-K+ pump concentration rose by 49 +/- 11 nmol/kg (16%, P < 0.001) for all subjects pooled during the training period, and there was no difference between the two training groups (P = 0.3) or the sexes (P = 0.5) in this increase. The Na(+)-K+ pump concentration correlated with the maximal O2 uptake (r = 0.6, P = 0.003), with the performance during a 20-min treadmill run (r = 0.6, P = 0.003), and to the rank of the subjects' performance as cross-country skiers (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.76, P < 0.001). These data could mean that for elite cross-country skiers the performance is related to the Na(+)-K+ pump concentration. However, other studies have shown an equally high pump concentration for far less fit subjects, suggesting that the pump concentration may not be a limiting factor.

The training intensity may affect the monocarboxylate transporters MCT1 and MCT4 in skeletal muscle. Therefore, 20 elite cross-country skiers (11 men and nine women) trained hard for 5 months at either moderate (MIG, 60-70% of VO2max) or high intensity (HIG, 80-90%). The lactate threshold, several performance parameters, and the blood lactate concentration (cLa) after exhausting treadmill running were also determined. Muscle biopsies taken from the vastus lateralis muscle before and after the training period were analysed for the two MCTs and for muscle fibre types and six enzymes. The concentration of MCT1 did not change for HIG (P=0.3) but fell for MIG (-12 +/- 3%, P=0.01); the training response differed between the two groups (P=0.05). The concentration of MCT4 did not change during the training period (P > 0.10). The concentration of the two MCTs did not differ between the two sexes (P=0.9). The running speed at the lactate threshold rose for HIG (+3.2 +/- 0.9%, P=0.003), while no change was seen for MIG (P=0.54); the training response differed between the two groups (P=0.04). The cLa after long-lasting exhausting treadmill running correlated with the concentration of MCT1 (rs=0.69, P=0.002), but not with that of MCT4 (rs=0.2, P=0.2). There were no other significant correlations between the concentrations of the two MCTs and the performance parameters, muscle fibre types, or enzymes (r < or = 0.36, P > 0.10). Thus, the training response differed between MIG and HIG both in terms of performance and of the effect on MCT1. Training at high intensity may be more effective for cross-country skiers. Finally, MCT1 may be important for releasing lactate to the blood during long-lasting exercise.

High-level female junior cross-country skiers are unable to ski at intensities close to their [OV0312]O(2max) or maintain an average intensity above that corresponding to their OBLA even during races lasting less than 25 min. Thus, training at intensities around the OBLA may be particularly relevant for cross-country skiers.

This study examines the effect of training intensity on the activity of enzymes in m. vastus lateralis. Elite junior cross-country skiers of both sexes trained 12-15 h weeks-1 for 5 months at either moderate (60-70% of VO2max, MIG) or high training intensity (80-90% of the VO2max, close to the lactate threshold; HIG). Muscle biopsies for enzyme analyses and fibre typing were taken before and after the training period. Histochemical analyses on single fibres were done for three enzymes (succinate dehydrogenase [SDH], hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase [HBDH], glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase [GPDH]), while the activity of citrate synthase [CS] and phosphofructokinase [PFK] was measured on whole biopsies. The activity of GPDH was low in ST fibres and high in FT fibres. The activity of SDH and HBDH was high in both ST and FTa fibres but low in the FTb fibres. The HIG increased their performance more than the MIG did during the training period as judged from scores on a 20-min run test. The SDH activity rose by 6% for the HIG (P < 0.02). No effects of training were found in the activities of CS, HBDH or GPDH, neither in the two training groups nor for the two genders (P > or = 0.16). The PFK activity fell by 10% for the HIG (P=0.02), while no change was found for the MIG. For GPDH, CS and SDH the women's activity was approximately 20% less than the value for the men (P < 0.03). For PFK and HBDH there was no sex difference (P > or = 0.27). There were positive correlations between the activity of three of the enzymes (CS, SDH and GPDH) and the performance parameters (VO2max, cross-country skiing and running performance; r > or = 0.6, P < 0.01). No correlations were found between the PFK or HBDH activities and the performance parameters (r < or = 0.16, P > 0.05). This study suggests that intensities near the lactate threshold affect biochemical and physiological parameters examined in this study as well as the performance of elite skiers, and that the rate-limiting enzymes may be more sensitive to training than non-rate-limiting enzymes.