Best training for VO2max: methods ranked by evidence
The best training for VO2max ranked by evidence, from long intervals and 30/15s to sprints, threshold and easy volume, with a decision table by goal.
Running
Running and VO2max, all in one place.
Training methods, paces, plans and the science behind them — with calculators for your own paces and zones.
Best training for VO2max
Start here: what the evidence says works best, and how to plan it.
VO2max intervals compared: 4×4, 5×5, 30/15, 30/30, Tabata
4x4 vs 30/30, 30/15 intervals, Tabata and 5x5 compared side by side, with work and rest, intensity, time near VO2max, the evidence and who each suits.
How often should you do VO2max workouts? Weeks to results
How often to do VO2max workouts, how much recovery to leave, where to place them in your week, how many weeks it takes to raise VO2max and why it plateaus.
VO2max training block: 8-week plan for runners and cyclists
An 8-week VO2max training block for runners, with a bike and rower version, weekly progression, a deload week, a retest and how to maintain the gains.
The Norwegian 4×4 interval workout: how to raise your VO2max
The 4×4 interval session explained — the research behind it, how hard to run, treadmill and outdoor versions, how often to do it, and how to progress.
VO2max workouts: 10 sessions for running, bike and rower
Ten proven VO2max workouts for running, treadmill, cycling, assault bike and rower, with reps, intensity, recovery and a weekly plan to fit them in.
More ways to raise VO2max
Hills, fartlek and the research behind intervals.
Hill repeats workout: short vs long hills and treadmill
How to run a hill repeats workout. Short vs long hills, what research shows for VO2max and running economy, treadmill settings, and hills in marathon training.
Fartlek: meaning, history and fartlek run examples
Fartlek means speed play. Where it came from, structured vs unstructured fartlek, six fartlek training examples, and what the research actually shows.
How to improve your VO2max: a 12-week plan
How to improve VO2max with a simple 12-week plan — the five principles that matter, a week-by-week table for recreational runners, and how to track progress.
HIIT vs steady cardio: which raises VO2max more?
HIIT or moderate continuous training? What meta-analyses say about VO2max and health, how low-volume HIIT compares, and how to combine both in a week.
Mitochondria and VO2max: how to increase mitochondria
How training builds mitochondria, what PGC-1α does, why volume and intensity matter differently, and why more mitochondria barely move VO2max itself.
How does training increase VO2max? Heart, blood, capillaries
How training raises VO2max through stroke volume, plasma and red cell volume, capillaries and mitochondria, and how fast each adaptation happens.
Threshold and Norwegian methods
Sustained-speed training, from tempo runs to lactate-guided doubles.
Tempo run: pace, examples and tempo vs interval runs
What a tempo run is, how to find your tempo run pace, five tempo run examples, and how tempo runs compare with cruise intervals and VO2max interval runs.
Lactate threshold training: how to find and train it
What lactate threshold is, how to find your lactate threshold heart rate and pace, the best threshold workouts, and how Norwegian double threshold works.
Trending
Norwegian singles method: sub-threshold running explained
The Norwegian singles method explained. Where it came from, how sub-threshold intervals work, sample weeks and paces, and how it differs from double threshold.
Norwegian double threshold: how it works, who it suits
Norwegian double threshold training explained - lactate-guided intervals twice a day, the Bakken and Ingebrigtsen origins, a sample week and simpler versions.
80/20 polarised training: easy most days, hard some days
Why elite endurance athletes do about 80% of their training easy and 20% hard, what the studies show, and how to apply it to your week.
How much training to improve VO2max? Volume vs intensity
How much weekly training it takes to raise VO2max, what dose-response studies show, how volume and intensity trade off, and sensible km per week by level.
Paces and form
How fast to run your easy days and long runs, and how to run more efficiently.
Easy run pace: calculator, 5K chart and beginner guide
How slow an easy run should be, with a chart of easy pace by 5K time, the talk test, heart rate ranges and simple advice for beginners.
Long run pace: vs marathon pace, easy pace and calculator
How fast your long run should be, how it compares with easy and marathon pace, how far to build it, how to fuel it and when to add marathon-pace segments.
Zone 2 training and VO2max: what it does and doesn't do
What zone 2 training really is, how to find your zone 2 with the talk test or heart rate, what it does for VO2max, and how to combine it with intervals.
Running economy: what it is, how to improve and test it
Running economy is the oxygen cost of running at a given speed. What shapes it, how strength and plyometrics improve it, how to test it, and Garmin's metric.
Running cadence: what's good, the 180 myth and a calculator
What a good running cadence is, where the 180 steps per minute idea came from, what research shows on injuries and economy, and how to raise it safely.
3 zone vs 5 zone training: heart rate, power and pace
3-zone vs 5-zone training models, heart rate vs power vs pace zones, and why cardiac drift makes your heart rate climb on easy runs at the same pace.
Training plans
Week-by-week plans from 5K to ultra.
5k training plan: 8 weeks for beginner to advanced
A 5k training plan with an 8-week intermediate table, beginner and advanced versions, VO2max intervals, paces by current 5k time and a simple taper.
10k training plan: 8 weeks, beginner and intermediate
A 10k training plan with 8-week beginner and intermediate tables, a 3 days a week option, paces by current 10k time, threshold and VO2max sessions and a taper.
Half marathon training plan: 12 and 8 week schedules
A half marathon training plan with a 12-week beginner schedule, an 8-week intermediate schedule, paces by goal time, long run progression, fuelling and taper.
Marathon training plan: 16, 20 and 12 week schedules
A marathon training plan with a 16-week beginner schedule, a 20-week option, a 12-week intermediate block, long run progression, fuelling practice and taper.
Ultra marathon training plan: 50K, 100K and 100 miles
A 16-week 50K training plan for beginners, a 12-week version, and how to scale it to 100K and 100 miles with back-to-backs, vert, hiking and gut training.
Trail running training plan: beginners, half and 30K
A 12-week trail running training plan for beginners targeting a trail half marathon or 30K, with hills, descents, power hiking, heart rate and strength.
Race goals
Sub-20 5K, sub-2 half, sub-3 marathon — and getting race day right.
Sub 20 5k training plan: 8 weeks and pace per mile
A sub 20 5k training plan over 8 weeks, with sub 20 5k pace per mile and km, 400 m lap times, model training paces and how to pace the race itself.
Sub 2 hour half marathon training plan, pace by km
A 12-week sub 2 hour half marathon training plan with pace per km and mile, model training paces, even 5 km splits and a simple race pace strategy.
Sub 3 marathon training plan: 16 weeks, pace and splits
A sub 3 marathon training plan in 16 weeks, with sub 3 marathon pace per km and mile, even splits, model training paces and how to fuel and taper.
How many carbs per hour marathon: marathon and ultra fueling
How many carbs per hour to take in a marathon or ultra, how to use gels, caffeine, sodium and fluids, and how to train your gut, based on research.
Does marathon training increase VO2max? What data say
Does marathon training increase VO2max? What studies show, the VO2max a marathon time implies, fractional utilisation, and how to fit VO2max work in a block.
Yasso 800s: workout, calculator and how accurate it is
Yasso 800s explained - where the workout came from, how to run it, rest time, a calculator table for marathon and half marathon goals, and why it is only rough.
Build and peak
Periodisation, tapering and getting faster.
Periodization for runners: base, build, peak and blocks
How to periodise endurance training: base, build and peak phases, block periodisation, deload weeks and how to plan a VO2max block the research supports.
How to taper before a race or marathon: the science
How long to taper, how much to cut and what to keep before a race or marathon, what meta-analyses show, and whether VO2max drops when you rest before race day.
How to run faster: an evidence-based guide for runners
How to run faster and longer without getting tired, using what research supports - easy volume, intervals, threshold work, strength, sleep and a 4-week plan.
How much training to improve VO2max? Volume vs intensity
How much weekly training it takes to raise VO2max, what dose-response studies show, how volume and intensity trade off, and sensible km per week by level.
80/20 polarised training: easy most days, hard some days
Why elite endurance athletes do about 80% of their training easy and 20% hard, what the studies show, and how to apply it to your week.
Strides running: what they are and how to do them
What strides are in running, how to do a strides workout after easy runs, how many to do, and what the research on fast, short running says about the benefits.
Body and environment
Strength, heat, the treadmill and recovery.
Strength training for runners: better economy, fewer injuries
Heavy strength training doesn't raise VO2max, but it makes every stride cheaper. What studies show, which lifts to do, and how to fit them around running.
Treadmill vs outdoor running: pace, effort and the 1% rule
Treadmill vs outdoor running compared on pace, effort, biomechanics, heat and watch VO2max, plus whether a treadmill works for marathon training.
Heat training and VO2max: does training in the heat make you fitter?
Heat acclimation expands plasma volume and improves performance in the heat. What studies show for VO2max, practical protocols and hot-city safety.
MAF training: the 180 formula, evidence and zone 2
MAF training explained - Phil Maffetone's 180 heart rate formula, what research exists, how it compares with zone 2 and polarised training, and a sample plan.
Runner's stomach: causes, gut training and electrolytes
Why runner's stomach happens, from reduced gut blood flow to dehydration and heat, and how gut training, smart fuelling, fluids and low-FODMAP diets can help.
Overtraining syndrome signs and symptoms: HRV and REDs
Overtraining symptoms explained: functional vs non-functional overreaching, overtraining syndrome, what HRV and resting heart rate show, and the REDs overlap.