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Lactate Threshold Training

Adam Hodges | November 28, 2022

Guide to Creating Your Training Plan Overview of Training Phases Lactate Threshold Training

Lactate threshold training blocks focus on higher-end aerobic work approaching — and sometimes just crossing over — your lactate threshold (LT). As an endurance athlete, you want to be able to stay aerobic at higher levels of effort. Lactate threshold training helps to improve your lactate tolerance and decrease lactate accumulation, which allows you to stay aerobic at faster speeds.

During this training phase, your key higher-intensity sessions consist of LT cruise intervals of 6-20 minutes in duration with a 2:1 up to 5:1 work to recovery ratio. For example, after you’re warmed up, you might do 4 x 8 minutes in the “comfortably hard” zone with 4 minutes of easy recovery between. Total time at intensity during these workouts can range from 30-60 minutes.

You’ll notice that these workouts are done at a “comfortably hard” effort similar to the aerobic tempo workouts used during the endurance training phase. The differences are that interval length is shorter and the intensity moves closer to — or even crosses over — your lactate threshold.

For the “comfortably hard” lactate threshold workouts, you may be able to say 5-7 words at a time, but will likely need to breathe through your mouth.

Aside from these key intensity workouts, the bulk of your training during this and any phase includes endurance workouts in the “conversational” zone and recovery workouts in the “easy” zone.

Lactate threshold training might span 6-8+ weeks in your training plan.

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About Adam Hodges

Adam Hodges is a mountain endurance athlete and coach with credentials from the United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA), USA Triathlon (USAT), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He currently coaches runners, ultrarunners, and triathletes, and has also coached high school cross country/track and masters swimming. As a USAT All-American triathlete during the 1990s, he competed in the ITU World Triathlon Championships, the ITU World Duathlon Championships, and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a masters runner, he won a series title in the XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series. His current pursuits include mountain running, ultrarunning, skimo, and cross-country skiing. Check out his training plans and courses to help you prepare for your next adventure.

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