All About Double Threshold
A lot of people talk about double threshold these days. It’s trendy, it sounds scientific, and everyone says — “that’s what pros do.” But most don’t really understand what’s behind…
Key takeaways
- 🎥 Double Threshold — How does it actually work?
- A lot of people talk about double threshold these days.
- Double Threshold ≠ Two Workouts a Day The goal isn’t to squeeze two workouts into one day just to suffer more.
- If your normal workout is, say, 4×10 minutes at threshold, you can split it: 3×10 in the morning and 2×10 in the evening.
- When you do your first threshold in the morning, your nervous system is fired up.
Article
🎥 Double Threshold — How does it actually work?
A lot of people talk about double threshold these days. It’s trendy, it sounds scientific, and everyone says — “that’s what pros do.” But most don’t really understand what’s behind it. Let’s break it down.
🧠 1. Double Threshold ≠ Two Workouts a Day
The goal isn’t to squeeze two workouts into one day just to suffer more. The real point is to split one demanding session into two parts — so you can spend more total time in the right intensity zone, without breaking down.
If your normal workout is, say, 4×10 minutes at threshold, you can split it: 3×10 in the morning and 2×10 in the evening. That gives you more total quality work — and less fatigue per session. It’s about managing load, not maxing out stress.
⚡️ 2. Neuromuscular Aspect — the “Excited System”
Here’s the idea that most people miss. When you do your first threshold in the morning, your nervous system is fired up. You’re already primed — your body “remembers” that rhythm and effort level. By the evening, your muscles have recovered, but your nervous system is still slightly excited — alert, ready to move.
That’s the sweet spot: you can perform the second session with great control, efficiency, and focus — without the same mental effort it would take to start from zero.
As Marius Bakken explained, the muscles lose some tone and freshness after the first session, but that’s exactly what you want: they’re not fatigued, just relaxed — while the nervous system stays engaged. That combination makes threshold work incredibly effective.
🧬 3. Why Threshold, Not VO₂max
Double sessions only make sense with controlled efforts. Threshold training is sustainable — it targets your aerobic system, improves lactate clearance, mitochondrial density, and buffering capacity.
VO₂max or sprint work? Totally different story. That’s too muscularly and neurologically stressful. You’ll just burn out — physically and mentally. Thresholds are the perfect zone: challenging, repeatable, and low-risk.
⏱ 4. How to Space the Sessions
The standard model — 4–6 hours between workouts. That gives time to refuel, rest, maybe nap, so your muscles are ready again, but the mental focus stays.
It’s not about “two-a-days” — it’s about timing. If you wait too long, you lose that neuromuscular readiness. If you go too soon — you just dig a deeper fatigue hole. Balance is everything.
📉 5. Why It’s Not for Everyone
Let’s be honest — most runners don’t need it. If you’re training 40–60 km per week, you can spread your threshold and easy runs across days — no problem.
Double thresholds are a tool for high-volume athletes, when the weekly mileage and density of quality sessions become limiting.
And they require time — for recovery, nutrition, and sleep. If you’re juggling work, life, and training — forcing two hard sessions a day will break you, not make you.
Consistency beats overreach every single time.
💬 6. The Real Spirit of It
The goal isn’t to look “elite” or copy Ingebrigtsen’s training. The goal is to understand the principle: smart load management, efficient adaptation, and respecting recovery.
Thresholds are about doing more with control, not doing more for ego.
It’s not about “proving toughness.” It’s about building fitness layer by layer — without burning out.
🏁 7. Final Thought
So next time you think about trying a double threshold, remember: it’s not a magic hack — it’s a method to stretch your training without breaking the system.
If your coach tells you to slow down, it’s not because they don’t want you to go faster — it’s because they want you to hit the right adaptation, not just feel tired.
Train smart. Recover harder. And keep the balance — always.