{"id":479649,"date":"2026-02-17T02:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T02:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/479649\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T02:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T02:21:09","slug":"norwegian-4x4-workout-boost-your-vo2-max","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/479649\/","title":{"rendered":"Norwegian 4×4 Workout: Boost Your VO2 Max"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many runners strive to get faster, and boosting VO2 max<\/a> is often part of that goal. One way to achieve both: The interval workout known as the Norwegian 4×4.<\/p>\n

The Norwegian 4×4 comes from a study<\/a> conducted by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and published in 2007 in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Researchers took 40 moderately-trained male athletes and split them into four groups to see what helped improve VO2 max the most: long slow distance running<\/a>, lactate threshold<\/a> running, 15-second interval workouts, or four reps of four-minute intervals.<\/p>\n

After eight weeks of testing, the researchers found the four-minute interval group had the greatest VO2 max improvements, outscoring the 15-second interval group by nearly 2 percent, while no significant changes were apparent in the long slow distance and lactate threshold groups.<\/p>\n

Convinced to try the workout? Read on for how to do it and all the benefits you\u2019ll gain.<\/p>\n

Related StoryHow to Do Norwegian 4x4s<\/p>\n

Try Norwegian 4x4s on speed days in your training plan<\/a>. You\u2019ll spend about 25 minutes on the actual workout, logging 16 minutes of VO2 max work total.<\/p>\n

The key is to fully recover during your rest periods in order to maintain the highest output possible across all four of the intervals, Phil Batterson<\/a>, PhD, Oregon-based exercise physiologist, former run coach, and founder of Critical Oxygen Labs<\/a> tells Runner\u2019s World. It\u2019s okay if it takes a little while for your heart rate to ramp up, he adds.<\/p>\n

Batterson notes that you want to hit about 90 percent of your max heart rate at least during the later portion of the second interval. The intervals should feel pretty hard, around a nine out of 10 for rate of perceived exertion (RPE), or roughly close to your mile PR<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The workout:<\/p>\n

1. 10 minutes easy run to warm up<\/p>\n

2. 3 x 30-second strides with 1-minute static rest between<\/p>\n

3. 4 x 4 minutes at mile pace or 90-95 percent of your maximum heart rate, with 3-minute static rest or walking recovery between<\/p>\n

4. 5-10 minutes easy run to cool down<\/p>\n

Related StoryThe Benefits of the Norwegian 4×4 Workout<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to get really good at running or running at VO2 max you have to train there,\u201d Batterson says. With the Norwegian 4×4, you\u2019re spending a lot of time at VO2 max and to improve any training variable, you need to actually pay attention to it in training.<\/p>\n

More recent studies<\/a>, previously reported by Runner\u2019s World, show interval workouts are the best way to boost VO2 max, and ultimately make you faster, and the Norwegian 4×4 is one example of what those workouts look like. This is because interval workouts stimulate your heart rate<\/a> so your body can adapt and become better at pumping and delivering blood throughout your body, says Batterson. This helps improve the ability of your muscles to take in oxygen.<\/p>\n

Batterson explains that while zone 2 running<\/a> is really helpful for increasing the size and quantity of your mitochondria\u2014which generate the energy you need for distance running\u2014it\u2019s high-intensity interval workouts that help improve the way your mitochondria actually use oxygen, which can help make you a faster<\/a>, more efficient runner.<\/p>\n

\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

Kristine Kearns, a writer and avid runner, joined Runner\u2019s World and Bicycling in July 2024. She previously coached high school girls cross country and currently competes in seasonal races, with more than six years of distance training and an affinity for weightlifting. You can find her wearing purple, baking cupcakes, and visiting her local farmers market.<\/p>\n