Saturday, February 21, 2026

The Norwegian secret to boosting VO2 max

Not everybody has hours to spare for lengthy, grinding operating exercises to construct your cardiovascular health–however with this session, all you want is 40 minutes.

The Norwegian 4×4 technique is a coaching method developed within the Nineteen Nineties on the Norwegian College of Science and Know-how that proves efficiency beneficial properties aren’t nearly piling on mileage. Recognized for being each time-efficient and extremely efficient, this HIIT-style session has turn out to be a go-to for athletes chasing most health returns from minimal coaching time.

The construction is easy: 4 minutes of exhausting effort, adopted by three minutes of energetic restoration, repeated 4 instances.

runners

Why it’s completely different

Many HIIT exercises lean towards very quick bursts–contemplate a Tabata’s 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeated repeatedly. These periods, like dash exercises, are glorious for creating energy and explosive energy.

However the 4×4 technique holds effort at 85 to 90 per cent of most coronary heart charge for longer, serving to to construct your cardio capability and enhance your VO2 max (your physique’s capability to make use of oxygen throughout intense exercise). One examine discovered that doing three periods per week, the Norwegian 4×4 improved VO2 max by 13 per cent in simply eight weeks.

The advantages embrace:

  • the flexibility to maintain sooner paces for longer
  • faster restoration between exhausting efforts
  • improved resistance to fatigue late in races
@jeremymillerfitQuickest Strategy to Enhance VO2 Max?🏃‍♂️💨 Instance exercise: -2 miles simple -4x (4:00 at 5K tempo, 3:00 simple jog) -2 miles simple♬ unique sound – Jeremy Miller

do it:

Warmup: 5 to 10 minutes of simple jogging. Add dynamic drills if wanted.

Working intervals: 4 minutes at a high-intensity–however managed–effort. Goal for 85 to 95 per cent of your most coronary heart charge; at this effort, speaking ought to be difficult.

Restoration intervals: Between working intervals, take three minutes of energetic restoration. Enable your coronary heart charge to drop again to 60 to 70 per cent of your max.

Repeat the cycle 4 instances.

Cooldown: 5 to 10 minutes of simple jogging (or longer if you would like further mileage).

woman runner

The versatile session can simply be translated to biking, rowing, ski erg, stair climbing and soar rope.

Although it’s temporary, it’s nonetheless a high-intensity session that ought to be handled like a exercise. To permit for satisfactory restoration, don’t exceed two to 3 periods per week.


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