One important aspect of fitness is understanding your anaerobic threshold (Ant) – the point during exercise at which your body switches from predominantly using oxygen to using stored energy in muscles. This threshold can be measured and used to develop an effective training program that pushes you towards the point of exhaustion while still allowing for recovery.

Here is a simple test you can do yourself to determine your AnT based on your fitness level.

For this test you will run for a predetermined amount of time and record your average heart rate. Your average heart rate will be your AnT. You will need an accurate heart rate monitor for this test, to which I recommend using a heart rate strap and not relying on data from a wrist based heart rate monitor.

The test times are listed below:

Beginner - moderate: 30 minutes
Moderate - advanced: 45 minutes
Very advanced: 60 minutes

Here are 3 notes about this test -

1. Even if you’re experienced with exercise but new to running I recommend the 30 minute test.

2. Pace yourself. If you’re doing 30 minutes then run at a pace you can sustain for the entire 30 minutes.

3. Before you get into the timed test start with an easy 15 minute warm up at your aerobic threshold pace (AeT).

Click here to read about how to calculate your Aerobic Threshold

Once you’ve established your AnT, you can use this information to develop a training program that stresses the body enough to promote fitness gains while also allowing for recovery. My go-to method for this is interval training, which involves short periods of high-intensity exercise followed by rest or low-intensity activity. For example, you might run at your AnT pace for 4 minutes followed by 3 minutes of recovery, and repeat for several cycles. This type of training can increase your anaerobic threshold by pushing the body to adapt to the stress of high-intensity exercise.

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You might be interested in my 16 week running plan. This program contains examples of “strides” workouts, as well as threshold runs, aerobic based runs, and more.

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