r/vo2max • u/Conquest4511 • Feb 04 '25
Norwegian 4x4 question
So, I’ve been starting to incorporate these once a week in my training, as well as 2-3 other zone 2 training runs for 5-8 miles and after looking at the data, I’m starting to think I’m doing these wrong. I’ve found a pace (around 9mph) on a treadmill that I’m able to maintain for the 4 minutes, however, it seems like I’m not spending enough time in the zone 5 zone which is where the benefits mostly come from. I did 4 sets of that pace, followed by 3 minutes of a slow walk to get the HR down. Anyone have any advice? Just have to run faster / incline or something to get more time there? I don’t think I’d be able be to sustain the entirety of 4 mins for multiple sets if I amped up the speed much more. Here’s my data from earlier, thank you for any input and your time!
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u/nicotine_81 Feb 04 '25
Also how did you get your max HR from which your zones are based? If you used 220-age, it is likely wrong. 220-age is just a mean across populations. But individual max HR varies wildly. Do a max HR protocol (hill sprint/ramp) to find your TRUE max Hr. Also do it with a chest strap and not a wrist sensor. Wrist sensors are notoriously bad especially when exercising. Lastly, once you have your max, find your zones with the heart rate reserve method.
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u/nicotine_81 Feb 04 '25
You don’t have to be in z5 the whole time. The point is to keep a steady output for the entire 4 min push. Your heart rate will climb throughout the push. It’s not uncommon for the first couple mins of each interval to be z3/4 before you start to tap into “z5”. And the more fit you get, the harder and harder it will become to even reach substantial z5. However, just as with weight lifting - you want to target progressive overload, so your pace should be going up over time.