The Biomarker Assessment System
The Biomarker Assessment System is a unique physiologic testing method based in part on the FaCT test system. It is based on sound principles and years of real-life axperience with hundreds of athletes. The foundation of the this system was initially presented as the FaCT Lactate Balance Point Test. This test was developed by Juerg Feldmann, founder of FaCT-Canada. The test has been successfully performed on thousands of athletes, and used to guide the program of a select number of International athletes, as well as numerous age-group champions and recreational athletes. We have successfully used this test on individuals involved in cycling, triathlon, rowing, cross-country skiing, paddling, running and swimming.
The principles of the Biomarker Assessment System are focused on long term athletic development. They incorporate the understanding of the difference between STRUCTURAL and FUNCTIONAL adaptation to exercise. These principles are based on current lactate theory which has destroyed the myth of the negative effects of lactate and the previous belief in the “aerobic/anaerobic” model of training.
The Biomarker Assessment principles have expanded over the past 10 years to incorporate the use of respiratory training and oxygen utilization. The addition of new equipment to the market, has allowed us to expand our recommendations to include advice on intermittent hypoxic training (IHT), respiratory endurance training, VO2 testing, and nutritional optimization. We have developed a successful education process based on these basic concepts.
Our courses and camps allow coaches and interested athletes to learn these principles in detail, and how they can be applied to virtually any endurance sport.
Our courses offer an explanation of how current understandings in exercise physiology can be applied to sport specific testing and training concepts. Taking the knowledge out of the classroom and putting it into practice.
Biomarker Assessment Protocol
There are two components of the Biomarker Assessment Protocol:
A: The Biomarker Assessment Graph (step test) is used to evaluate physiologic changes observed through the assessment process. Using the LBA software, one can easily see how the athlete responds to the varying loads throughout the test, which gives a snapshot of the athlete's physiology at that specific point in time.
B: The Performance Graph provided by our software allows for visualization of the Lactate Balance Point (LBP) which is a determination of the body’s ability to balance the production of lactate in working muscles with the clearance by the body. We use Lactate Biomarker Assessment (LBA) to help guide training programs and suggest appropriate intensities for training. This program also reveals how an athlete has improved, and how to adjust their training program to adapt to these changes. The performance graph can also be used to determine whether a particular training program has been ineffective, and allow an athlete to make appropriate changes to address the problem.
What is Blood Lactate?
Lactate is a metabolic byproduct of your body’s energy production process. It is produced in the muscle during exercise and can be measured in the blood by taking a small sample from the finger tip. This is done in the same manner as diabetic patients checking their blood sugar levels. The blood lactate level increases with exercise intensity and shows clearly the transition from oxygen dependent glycolysis to oxygen independent energy production.
Why measure Blood Lactate?
Blood lactate can be used by sport scientists, coaches and athletes to accurately determine appropriate training intensities, recovery periods, and much more.
Blood lactate testing is far more precise than the outdated and inaccurate method of using percentage of maximum heart rate to set training zones. Because heart rate responses vary wildly between individuals, each training zone needs to be determined by physiologic variables, not by mathematical formulas. Furthermore, the relationship between exercise intensity and heart rate is different for different activities. Training recommendations for running will not be the same as heart rate recommendations for cycling.
How do we use the Biomarker Assessment in everyday training?
We feel training programs should not be based on general heart rate guidelines. Rather, they should be based on individual responses to training and recovery. That is the basis of the Biomarker Assessment training principles used in our coaching programs, and educational seminars. Appropriate training guidelines can be achieved more accurately through biomarker testing.
As quoted by our Level I certified centre in Grand Forks, BC:
This test is not about how strong you are.
This is not a pass or fail exam.
This test will not make your training easier.
By itself, this test will not make you stronger, lighter, or faster.
It won’t put money in the bank, or put your kids through college.
The only thing this test will do for you is give you the knowledge to train smarter, race smarter, avoid over-training, and help guide you to build a faster stronger body.