Threshold Training 101: What It Is and Why Every Runner Needs It
Updated: Nov 10
Lactate threshold training has been the next big thing for runners everywhere since the success of the Ingebrigsten brothers and the 'Norwegian method for running'. Seeing Jakob Ingebrigsten win 2 Olympic gold medals (1500m in Tokyo and 5000m in Paris), breaking multiple world records, and the fact he isn't East African, makes us want to look deeper into his training.
Jakob has built a strong aerobic base every winter by doing 5 lactate threshold sessions per week! He spreads them out by doing double threshold days on Tuesday and Thursday, then on Saturday he does hill training in the morning and threshold in the evening. The rest of their training consists of easy runs, some fast strides, and one long run per week. To supplement their running, they also do a lot of runner-specific strength work in the gym.
(It is worth noting that Jakob has his lactate levels taken after every rep to make sure he is between 2.5 and 3.5 mmol of lactate.)
Threshold training is being adopted by more and more Scandinavian runners and is being very successful. For example, the Danish runner Axel Vang Christensen, who adopted threshold training and ran 13:42 for 5k at age 18, is one example. Many more Scandinavian runners are finding great success with threshold training.
However, it is not just Scandinavian runners who are using threshold training to uncover consistent results. Australian athlete Cameron Myers also uses threshold training, and he now holds the world record in the mile for a 16-year-old (3:55).
Worth a read from SportsHounds: Magic Myers and His Chamber of Secrets.
What is lactate threshold training?
The "burning" runners refer to in their legs is something that they often blame on lactic acid, however, it's actually the build of Hydrogen Ions (H+). When we start to work harder and respire anaerobically, glucose is converted into lactate, and that starts to build up in our muscles. While lactate isn't responsible for the burning sensation, it is built up alongside the hydrogen ions, which leads to the aching in our muscles. (Lactic acid and exercise performance : culprit or friend?).
When we start running fast enough, we start to respire anaerobically, meaning there isn't enough oxygen getting to our muscles to clear the Lactate, so it starts to build up faster than we can get rid of it.
This is why we measure the Lactate that builds up in our muscles to test how hard we are working.
Threshold training is when we run at the point just below where lactic acid starts to build up. Or, the fastest we can run aerobically.
Worth a read: What Is A Tempo Run and How Can It Benefit My Training?
What are the benefits of lactate threshold training?
Due to threshold training being the fastest we can run aerobically, it becomes a great method of training when we are trying to build our aerobic base. Our aerobic capacity will improve much faster when we vary the paces that we are running aerobically, rather than just doing long slow distance.
By training at our fastest aerobic pace, we are:
Our lung capacity will increase
Our bodies are going to start to create more red blood cells
Our hearts will be able to pump out more blood with each beat
Those red blood cells are going to carry more oxygen
Our bodies will learn how to utilise oxygen more efficiently
Our muscles will require less oxygen to run at the same pace
Also, because lactate acid is building up at the highest amount it can where your body can still clear it- your body will become super efficient at learning to clear it.
This means that when you finish building your aerobic base and start doing some hard interval sessions such as 5k sessions, you are going to recover a lot better between reps because your body can clear lactate acid faster. Also, when you are running anaerobically in a race, your body will be able to clear lactate acid much faster so you can push on and run faster.
Benefits of lactate threshold training:
Builds endurance
Improves your Vo2 max
Improves your body's ability to clear lactate
Allows us to focus on running with good form
Increases lung capacity
Increases the amount of blood our hearts can pump with one beat
Increases our red blood cell count
Increases the amount of oxygen our red blood cells can carry
Increase our body's efficiency at utilising oxygen
Decrease the amount of oxygen our muscles need to run at the same pace
How do I find my lactate threshold pace?
The main problem runners usually have when it comes to threshold training or tempo runs is running too fast. Our brains are so wired to think faster being better when it comes to our running performance, however, when it comes to threshold training, 10% too slow is better than 1% too fast. This is because when we run anaerobically during a threshold you aren't teaching your body to clear lactate as well as you can teach it when you are aerobic. There are also dangers of running too fast in these sessions, such as burnout.
Tempos and threshold sessions are the most underappreciated way to burn out. You're running a reasonably far distance and if you are anaerobic then it is going to end up being a very hard session. People don't understand that a threshold run isn't supposed to be a session that they dread, thresholds should actually be quite enjoyable because you're running fast but not particularly hard.
How to calculate your threshold pace:
Threshold is equal to the pace you could hold for an hour in a race
88-92% of your max heart rate (please don't use '220 minus your age' to figure out your max heart rate)
Add 25-30 seconds per Kilometre to your 5k pace
Use an online calculator to figure out your lactate threshold pace (I have attached a link to a good calculator below)
Check out this lactate threshold calculator from Pete Pfitzinger: Lactate Threshold Calculator.
You can figure out your training zones by using your running watch. If you don't have a watch that can tell you what your threshold pace is then I would recommend a Garmin watch. Some are very affordable these days.
Example lactate threshold sessions
Most people want to copy what the Ingebrigsten brothers do for their threshold sessions and that isn't a bad plan.
They do 1 threshold session of 30 minutes volume in the morning and the same again in the evening. Totaling 1 hour of threshold for the day. That's 2.5 hours of running at their fastest aerobic pace per week- this obviously develops their aerobic capacity extremely well over a period of months.
For their threshold sessions, they nearly always have a work-to-recovery ratio of 3:1. Meaning if they do a 3-minute threshold interval, they have a 1-minute recovery.
Example threshold sessions:
10x 3 minutes threshold (1-minute recovery)
5x 6 minutes threshold (2 minutes recovery)
3x 10 minutes threshold (3 minutes recovery)
You can mix up the distances/time of the reps you are doing to keep it interesting but be sure to stick to the 3:1 work/recovery ratio for each rep.
They also do a session of 25x 400m threshold with a 45-second recovery, and in this session, they push the pace slightly faster to 4.0 mmol of lactate acid. However, for most of us who don't have the fancy equipment to test lactate levels, this session becomes more dangerous as we can easily push too fast.
Worth a read from RunnersTribe: The Ingebrigtsen Family’s Training Secrets Revealed.
Tips for your lactate threshold sessions
Hopefully, by now you are fully convinced of the benefits of this method of training and can't wait for your next threshold session.
10% too slow is better than 1% too fast!
If you notice the feeling of lactate acid in your legs then double your recovery and slow down.
Add a couple of sprints in at the end of your session to make sure you're keeping in touch with your speed throughout your base training.
Make sure to do a full runner-specific warm-up before you start the session.
Threshold sessions should be run year-round, but you should try to get more weekly threshold miles done during your base phase.
Make sure it is done by effort not by speed. If you're tired slow down, if you're on a slower surface slow down, if you're not sure if you're going too fast then slow down.
There are many great benefits to running threshold sessions, but the benefits you receive from any session are limited to how well you recover. No method of training is going to make as much of a difference to your performance as your recovery is.
Read: How To Improve Your Recovery.
If you're not sure how recovered you are then try out a WHOOP fitness tracker. A whoop fitness tracker can:
Track your recovery.
Track your sleep.
Track your stress levels.
Check your vital signs.
Check your physical and mental strain.
WHOOP 4.0 Fitness Tracker
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