Lactate testing

Karel Pardaens

Paperback

Volume

212 p.

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For many years and in many sports, ‘lactate testing’ is the method of choice for evaluating endurance. More recently, lactate testing has become very accessible, and this trend will only continue. Even if blood sampling becomes unnecessary in the future, interpreting the test results will remain important. This manual wants to be a guide for practitioners, who really want to understand the why, how and what of exercise testing with lactate measurements.

Interpreting lactate measurements is probably one of the most controversial topics in exercise physiology. Karel Pardaens does not claim to have all the answers or to have exhaustively mastered the subject. He considers this book a work in progress, and questions several traditions within it. After 30 years of trial and error, he shares what he considers as pitfalls and effective strategies. He offers tips and tricks, fostered by his experience teaching many classes. You can test your knowledge (or that of your students) with several cases and multiple choice questions (with respective solutions).

In short, this manual first and foremost aims to be a practical guide, with some theoretical background and without shying away from philosophy. In other words, this handbook hopes to inspire you – even if you don’t agree with all of Karel’s recommendations – to become a better athlete, trainer, exercise physiologist or teacher.

Productdetails

Productdetails
Ondertitel	An evidence-based and practical guide
ISBN	9789493388604
Jaar	2025
NUR	488
Formaat	200 x 260 mm
Volume	212 p.

Over de auteur

Karel Pardaens (1971°) studied physiotherapy at the KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium). In 1999, he earned his Ph.D. for his research on the value of exercise testing in patients with heart failure and hypertension. Until 2006, he workedpart-time in the university hospital (UZ Gasthuisberg, Leuven), where he was responsible for exercise testing in the Department of Physical Medicine. During that period, he primarily tested patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, breast cancer and football players. Simultaneously, he competed as a semiprofessional triathlete and reached the top 10 seven times at the National Championships of the Olympic distance (2000-2006).

In 2006, Karel started working as an independent physical trainer and exercise physiologist at ‘Back To B.A.S.I.C.S. In Sports’, alongside cardiologists. He gained experience with sports participants of all levels, from patients to elite competitors, and from almost all individual sports: running (from 400 m to 250 km, including trail running), boxing, mountaineering, tennis, triathlon, cycling (including mountain biking), and swimming. He shared his insights in the Dutch book ‘Back To B.A.S.I.C.S. voor succesvol trainen’ (Campinia Media, 2012).

In 2013, he was one of the first to organize courses about lactate testing in Belgium and The Netherlands, reaching some 500 trainers, physiotherapists, and physicians to date. In 2023 and 2025 FIFA invited him to conduct lactate testing for the female referees preparing for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Karel tries to stay healthy and fit by getting enough sleep, eating a daily dose of Belgian chocolate, and running weekly in the beautiful forests surrounding Leuven, strength training at the gym, and playing tennis or swimming.