[Blake Bolton]

I’m currently training for Alpine climbing and am taking an AeT test in the lab on Thursday. Last year I did it on a flat treadmill and afterwards I read that I should have done it on an incline. Any recommendations on how steep the treadmill should be? I did a forum search and didn’t see anything (possibly missed it). Any advice is greatly appreciated thanks!

Topic

[nullkru]

nullkru on January 7, 2020 at 3:00 am #35639

Hi Blake,

Indoor DIY Guide to Determining Your Aerobic Threshold: Treadmill Test

Here they write 10%

It’s not for lab testing but i think make sense too.

[Blake Bolton]

Blake Bolton on January 7, 2020 at 2:59 pm #35670

Thanks so much for the article link. Much appreciated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on January 7, 2020 at 4:14 pm #35674

Thanks, @nullkru.

@heshfilmer: I would use whatever you’ll have consistent access to for both training and testing. 10% is almost universal for treadmills, so that’s a good grade to go by. However, if you know that you’ll consistently have access to something steeper (for both lab tests, training, and your own tests), then that would be more specific to alpine climbing.

[chiquetetekik]

chiquetetekik on January 8, 2020 at 10:13 am #35723

Scott or Scott J., could you describe the test that Luke Nelson does in the image on page 156 of TFUA? Just change the inclination of the treadmill and the speed is constant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on January 10, 2020 at 4:48 am #35886

Because of the max, it looks like a VO2 max test. Some labs will do as you describe, especially toward the end of the test. However, I’m not a fan of that approach.

It makes sense at the end of a test, after AeT and AnT have been established, to ramp up the grade to find maximum quickly before the athlete tires. However, earlier when finding AeT and AnT, changes in speed without a change in angle are easier to control the change in demand. Changes in speed are more linear, while changes in grade are more exponential.

I’ve been meaning to write an article about how changes in angle create more demand. Hopefully I’ll get around to it…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on January 10, 2020 at 4:48 am #35887

Because of the max, it looks like a VO2 max test. Some labs will do as you describe, especially toward the end of the test. However, I’m not a fan of that approach.

It makes sense at the end of a test, after AeT and AnT have been established, to ramp up the grade to find maximum quickly before the athlete tires. However, earlier when finding AeT and AnT, changes in speed without a change in angle are easier to control the change in demand. Changes in speed are more linear, while changes in grade are more exponential.

I’ve been meaning to write an article about how changes in angle create more demand. Hopefully I’ll get around to it…