During a fitness assessment, an athlete's blood lactate concentration was measured as 4.0 mmol/L while exercising at 75% of their maximum heart rate. What does this measurement most likely indicate about the athlete's exercise intensity?
- The athlete is exercising below their lactate threshold and primarily using the ATP-PCr energy system
- The athlete has exceeded their lactate threshold and is accumulating lactate rapidly
- The athlete is exercising at or near their lactate threshold where lactate production and removal are balanced
- The athlete has reached their VO2 max and is producing maximum levels of lactate