Liverpool players were readily put through the torture of the lactate test under Jurgen Klopp, but it was replaced last summer in favour of another gruelling fitness test.
It became a tradition on the first day of pre-season to see the players put through the lactate test, a dreaded fitness assessment that James Milner conquered while at the club.
It was used to “learn the highest intensity at which a footballer can train or compete before hitting the wall from high levels of blood lactate.”
But with Klopp no longer at the helm and head of fitness Andreas Kornmayer having also moved on, it was replaced by Slot and his lead physical performance coach Ruben Peeters.
Why did it change?
The simple answer would be that it was the preference of the club’s new staff, who arrived with different methods and practices than those they replaced.
Peeters followed Slot from Feyenoord and they boasted an impressive injury record, which was reproduced last season as games missed reduced by 64.3 percent!
Although the players mightn’t enjoy the test itself, the variety to their early testing would have been refreshing and equally challenging.
Last summer Peeters was heard bellowing at the players: “This is a really important test for the manager. It will show your fitness levels so try to go as fast as possible.”
It is unconfirmed if this changed in their second summer due to the lack of early coverage of pre-season, but it is unlikely the lactate test made a reappearance.
What replaced it?
It was replaced by the six-minute race test (6MRT), which asks players to run as fast as possible for six minutes around, what is usually, a 400-metre track with the aim of maximising the distance covered.
It evaluates maximal aerobic speed, and the performance staff can use the data to plan accordingly based on each player’s results.
In simple terms, it assesses aerobic endurance fitness, which is the ability of the body to use oxygen as an energy source – it establishes an early baseline for the squad.
The test asks for those participating to push themselves as hard as they can.
It is very similar to the lactate test in the results it gives the fitness staff, but it appeared to be a preference for Slot’s staff in their first summer.
Either way, it’s better them tackling the test than us!
Fan Comments