by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN

I’m going to be honest: I hate cardio workouts. If given the opportunity to skip out on a cardio session, I’ll leave the party without even saying goodbye.

But I fully understand there are those who love their cardio workouts and look forward to them every day. While I consider these people odd, I totally respect the fact that they have more dedication than I do in that aspect of health and fitness. Because if anyone ever sees me running, keep up because something bad is happening.

To me, runner seems to be in their own little universe. A few of my clients love to sun, and when they tell me about what they’re doing, I end up looking like a deer in headlights.

Runners love their jargon. Not only do they learn new things, but they also make sure that they are using their newfound knowledge. One of the most important training terms that they use and that resonates with me as a coach is the term threshold run.

As a key ingredient in your training, a threshold run increases your speed and enhances your athletic performance.

In this article, we will dive deeper into what a threshold run is and why it’s something you need to understand if you want to get better as an athlete.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. You should speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.

How Do You Define a Threshold?

When your pace and duration of run have reached a point where you feel breathless, your body stops producing energy aerobically.

This point is called the ventilatory threshold, where not enough oxygen can keep pace with your performance. It is closely tied to the lactate threshold. This creates glycolysis to provide energy and, in doing so, creates lactate.

While lactate is not directly responsible for the heavy feeling of your legs, it produces hydrogen ions and other waste products that cause muscle fatigue.

Lactate Threshold and Performance

Knowing your threshold is important as an athlete because if you can figure out the optimum pace at which you can run without tipping the scales to the point of no return, you will be able to reduce breathlessness and fatigue.

The idea is to run at a pace where your body still produces energy aerobically to clear out the lactate and prevent exhaustion during your performance.

Measuring Your Threshold Pace for Running?

There are different ways to measure your threshold pace:

• Lab Testing: The most precise method that measures blood lactate in an exercise physiology lab.
• 60-Minute Effort Pace: A pace you could hold for an hour-long race can be an estimated threshold pace.
• Heart Rate Training: The pace at which you run when your heart is working at 80% of its capacity can determine your threshold pace.

Planning Threshold Runs for Different Athletes

The volume and frequency of threshold runs depend on your current fitness levels and the sport you are involved in.

1.     For beginners

Experts believe that beginners don’t need to add threshold runs to their regime until they have been running at least three times a week consistently for a month.

If you are a beginner, then jogging with low effort can enhance your stamina and performance. With that build-up, experts suggest that you can start with one anaerobic threshold run per week.

2.     For strength athletes

For strength athletes, experts recommend having one threshold run per week as an isolated regime and not combined with any other workout.

The rationale behind that is that strength athletes receive other forms of stimuli during their other sessions, and overdoing a threshold race could imbalance their training profile.

Additionally, it is suggested that strength athletes have their threshold runs inside a gym because it helps them monitor and control their speed.

3.     For endurance athletes

Endurance athletes should incorporate threshold training into their training regime at least twice a week, especially if any event is on the horizon.

An exception to this suggestion would be athletes who want to improve their aerobic base, in which case they can resort to lower-intensity work.

7 Benefits of Threshold Training

Let’s look at some of the benefits associated with threshold training:

1.     Improve your VO2 max

Threshold training helps your body use oxygen more effectively, enhancing your aerobic capacity (VO2 Max). This improvement allows you to sustain intense efforts for longer periods.

2.     Run faster for longer

By working at or near your lactate threshold, you train your muscles to clear lactate more efficiently. This means you can maintain higher speeds without tiring quickly.

3.     Increase your lactate threshold

Threshold training pushes the limit at which your body accumulates lactate. A higher threshold allows you to perform better during long-distance runs or races.

4.     Reduce fatigue at slower paces

As your lactate threshold increases, running at slower paces feels significantly easier. This helps reduce overall fatigue during training and recovery.

5.     Improved performance when racing

Threshold training directly translates to better performance in races. You’ll be able to sustain a faster pace for a longer duration, giving you an edge over your competition.

6.     Easier running during training

Regular threshold workouts make your general training runs feel less taxing. This helps maintain consistency and prevents overexertion.

7.     Increased efficiency

Your body becomes more efficient at utilizing energy and oxygen, optimizing every stride. This efficiency boosts the overall running economy, making you a stronger and smarter runner.