Running too fast
It's the main mistake, and the whole method rests on the opposite. Above the range, the session becomes ordinary threshold work, more tiring, and you lose what makes it repeatable. When in doubt, slow down.
RunningThresholdAdvanced 59 min
Norwegian threshold 5 × 6 min, the double-threshold session
Norwegian threshold intervals: five 6-minute reps at 83–88% of your vVO₂max, just below threshold, with 1 minute of walking between each. 30 minutes of work in a 59-minute session. For experienced runners who want threshold volume without frying themselves.
Session profile12 blocks
At a glance
- Duration
- 59 min
- Main target
- 83–88%vVO₂max4 Z4 · Threshold
- Time at target
- 30 min
- Estimated load
- 66
- Structure
- 5 × 6′ at 83–88% vVO₂max, 1′ recovery
- Level
- Advanced
- Equipment
- GPS watch
The session in detail
vVO₂max
Time in zone
- Z124 min
- Z25 min
- Z430 min
What the targets mean
| Target | Zone | Time | vVO₂max 14 km/h | vVO₂max 16 km/h | vVO₂max 18 km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83–88% | 4Threshold | 30 min | 5:10/km–4:52/km 1162–1232 m per rep | 4:31/km–4:16/km 1328–1408 m per rep | 4:01/km–3:47/km 1494–1584 m per rep |
| 25–35% | 1Recovery | 4 min | 17:09/km–12:15/km 58–82 m per rep | 15:00/km–10:43/km 67–93 m per rep | 13:20/km–9:31/km 75–105 m per rep |
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What this session is for
Norwegian threshold intervals pile up a lot of time near threshold while staying deliberately a little below it. That restraint is the whole point: at this intensity fatigue stays in check, and you can repeat this kind of session more often than a true threshold effort. Thirty minutes of work, cut into 6-minute reps with a minute's walk, without ever finishing out of breath.
The method comes from top Norwegian runners, who set intensity by blood lactate rather than pace, and sometimes put two sessions like this on the same day: the 'double threshold'. It has been described from their practice, but no controlled study has tested it: we know what these runners do, not yet whether the method explains their results.
Who it's for
Experienced runners, from 10K to the marathon and beyond, who already train several times a week and want more threshold work without stacking up draining sessions. You need a recently measured vVO₂max. A lactate meter is a bonus, not a requirement: without one, you go by feel. If threshold work is new to you, start with cruise intervals or a tempo run instead.
When to do it
For most runners, one session of this kind a week is already enough. The double threshold, two threshold sessions on the same day, has no established benefit without a high training volume. Put the session after an easy day or a rest day, never the day before a long run or a race. To progress, go from 4 to 5 reps with the same restraint: go longer, not faster.
How to do it
Warm-up
15 min10′ at 60–65% vVO₂max + 5′ at 66–72% vVO₂max
10 minutes of easy running at 60–65% of vVO₂max, then 5 minutes at 66–72%. No need for strides: the first rep starts barely faster than the end of the warm-up.
Main set
34 min5 × 6′ at 83–88% vVO₂max, 1′ recovery
Five 6-minute reps at 83–88% of your vVO₂max, with 1 minute of walking between each. At 16 km/h that's 4:31 to 4:16/km, or 1,328 to 1,408 metres per rep. Stay at the bottom of the range for the first two; if the last still feels under control, you can drift towards the top. With a lactate meter, trust the reading over the watch, and slow down if it goes above the method's target, even if the pace feels slow. During the minute's walk, drink and breathe: it's there to get you going again, not to recover fully.
Cool-down
10 min10′ at 55–65% vVO₂max
10 minutes of very easy running at 55–65% of vVO₂max. You should finish feeling you could have done another rep or two: if you're spent, the pace was too fast.
How it should feel
In control from start to finish. Breathing is deep, quicker than on an easy run, never laboured: you could say a full sentence. The trap is that it feels too easy, and most runners itch to speed up by the third rep. Guide: 5 to 6 out of 10.
Common mistakes
Mixing it up with cruise intervals
The format looks alike; the intent doesn't. Cruise intervals are run at threshold; Norwegian threshold, a few points below. Blur the two and you end up doing two threshold sessions in a week without realising.
Copying the elites' double threshold
Two threshold sessions on the same day, several times a week, assume a training volume few amateurs have. Without it, a single session a week already gives you most of the benefit, with far less risk.
Judging intensity by heart rate in the first rep
Your heart rate takes several minutes to settle, then drifts slowly upwards. Set yourself by pace and feel, and keep heart rate as a check at the end of each rep.
When to skip it
Before you start
- Several sessions a week for at least a year, including threshold work.
- A recently measured vVO₂max.
Skip it if
- You have pain or a recent injury.
- A long run or a race is planned for the next day.
- Threshold work is new to you: start with a simpler session.
Origin and evidence
Level of evidence
Limited evidenceLevel 2 of 5
The method is described by Casado, Foster, Bakken and Tjelta (Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023), based on the practice of elite Norwegian runners: intensity is set by blood lactate, about 2 to 3 mmol/L, for example 5 × 6 min at 2.5 mmol/L with 1 minute's recovery in the morning; the evening session, about 10 × 1,000 m at 3.5 mmol/L, comes from a secondary extract. A 2023 systematic review (Sci J Sport Perform 3(1):38-46) describes the training of top Norwegian runners, without being a controlled trial. A 2024 article in Frontiers in Physiology puts this intensity at about 82–87% of maximum heart rate and 12 to 16 on the Borg scale, and points out that the research on double threshold is limited. Lactate can't be programmed as a pace: the 83–88% range, a few points below tempo pace, the walking recovery, the warm-up and the cool-down are Wattson choices. No controlled study of the full method was found. Bottom line: limited evidence, descriptive and observational.
Sources
- Casado A. et al., Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023;20(5):3782
Frequently asked questions
What are Norwegian threshold intervals?
A way of training threshold made popular by top Norwegian runners: reps of a few minutes, run deliberately a little below threshold, with very short recoveries. They set intensity by blood lactate, and sometimes put two sessions on the same day, the 'double threshold'. This session is the basic version.
What pace should Norwegian threshold intervals be?
Here, 83–88% of your vVO₂max: 5:10 to 4:52/km at 14 km/h, 4:31 to 4:16/km at 16, 4:01 to 3:47/km at 18. That's a few points below tempo run pace. In the original method, pace follows from the measured lactate, not the other way round.
Do I need a lactate meter for Norwegian threshold?
No. It lets you set intensity the way the Norwegian runners do, but most amateurs manage without. Without one, go by the session's pace and by feel: deep breathing, full sentences possible, and the sense you could do one more rep at the end.
How is it different from cruise intervals?
The format is similar: reps of 5 to 6 minutes with a minute's walk. Cruise intervals are run at threshold, a little faster; Norwegian threshold just below, at 83–88% of vVO₂max. The second is less tiring and can be repeated more often: that's its whole reason for being.
Is the Norwegian double threshold right for me?
Probably not yet. Two threshold sessions on the same day only have an established benefit with a high training volume, and the research on the method is still limited. Start with one session like this a week; if you already run a lot and recover from it well, the question may come up later.
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