Andreas Almgren Training | Double Threshold & Weekly Plan

Andreas Almgren is a Swedish runner who holds European records in the 5000m, 10km road, and half marathon. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, he claimed bronze in the 10,000m — Sweden’s first long-distance world championship medal.

His training is built on three pillars: double threshold training (two threshold sessions per day), a weekly high-intensity hill session, and bike cross-training. The foundation is the Norwegian method used by Jakob Ingebrigtsen and others, but Almgren has added his own wrinkles.

This article breaks down Almgren’s full weekly training structure using his own words and publicly available data. The second half covers how his approach differs from the Norwegian model and what recreational runners can actually take from it.

Who Is Andreas Almgren?

Profile and Key Records

Almgren’s full name is Karl Andreas Almgren. Born on June 12, 1995, he grew up in Sollentuna, a suburb north of Stockholm.

He competes across a wide range of distances, from middle to long distance. His main records are listed below.

Event	Time	Notes
5000m	12:44.27	European record (2025)
10km road	26:45	European record (2026, Valencia)
Half marathon	58:41	European record (2025)
10,000m	26:52.87	Swedish record
1500m	3:32.00	Swedish record
800m	1:45.59	Swedish record (2015)

He started out as a middle-distance specialist in the 800m and 1500m, winning bronze in the 800m at the 2014 World Junior Championships. But a series of stress fractures and muscle tears from 2016 to 2021 kept him sidelined for six years, prompting a shift to longer distances. From 2022 onward, he began breaking Swedish records in rapid succession, and his 2025 World Athletics bronze made him Sweden’s first long-distance world championship medalist.

Almgren’s Weekly Training Structure

Twice a Day, 170–200km a Week

Almgren trains twice a day, every day. His weekly mileage typically sits around 170km (106 miles), with peaks reaching 206km (128 miles). In his own words: “Last week I ran 206km. I trained twice a day every single day.”※4

The vast majority of that volume is low-intensity aerobic running. Easy runs are typically around 4:00/km (6:26/mile) at roughly 120bpm. This large base of low-intensity running underpins everything — the threshold sessions sit on top of it.

A Typical Training Week

Drawing from multiple interviews and the official COROS feature, here is a typical training week during a base phase.

Day	AM	PM
Mon.	Easy run (approx. 12km)	Easy run (approx. 10km)
Tue.	Threshold intervals (AM)	Threshold intervals (PM)
Wed.	Easy run + bike	Gym (strength training)
Thu.	Threshold intervals (AM)	Threshold intervals (PM)
Fri.	Easy run	Easy run or bike
Sat.	X-factor session (short hill reps)	Easy run or full rest
Sun.	Long run	Gym (heavy lifting)

Double threshold sessions fall on Tuesday and Thursday. The remaining days consist of easy runs, bike sessions, and gym work. The Saturday X-factor session (hill intervals) is covered in the next section.

Double Threshold Sessions in Detail

The core of double threshold training is running two threshold sessions on the same day — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Here is the typical structure Almgren has described for each.

Morning Session: 6×6 Minutes (2–3 Min Rest)

Six 6-minute threshold efforts with 2–3 minutes of rest between each. The same structure used by Ingebrigtsen, with variations like 10×3 minutes also in the mix.

Afternoon Session: 400m Reps (30-Second Rest)

With only 30 seconds of rest between reps, the session is designed to keep blood lactate in a controlled range throughout. The short recovery discourages going too fast on individual reps, making it easier to hold threshold intensity across the full set.※4

Target effort sits around 167–178bpm, with paces up to approximately 2:40/km (4:18/mile). But raw numbers come second — Almgren monitors four metrics simultaneously (pace, blood lactate, heart rate, and RPE) and adjusts intensity on the fly based on how he feels that day.

The X-Factor: Weekly High-Intensity Hill Session

On top of the double threshold work, Almgren runs one X-factor session per week at an intensity above threshold. This is part of the Bakken training system that Almgren follows — an approach rooted in the original Norwegian method.

The session uses hills of roughly 200 meters, with rest equal to about twice the effort duration (e.g., a 45-second hill gets 90 seconds of rest). During the base phase it is done on hills; as the race season approaches, the effort shifts to 300m track reps.

The effort exceeds threshold and approaches VO2 max intensity. By adding this single X-factor session to the large base of easy running and double threshold work, Almgren maintains a continuous speed stimulus week after week.※5

Bike and Gym Cross-Training

Around five hours of cycling is spread throughout the week. The idea comes from Swedish speed skater Nils van der Poel, whose training Almgren studied. Given his long injury history, Almgren uses cycling to build total aerobic volume without adding the impact load of running.※6

The cycling intensity stays in the same low zone as his easy runs — it complements running rather than replacing it. Even in high-mileage weeks, the bike keeps total impact load within a manageable range.

Gym sessions happen four times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are supplementary strength work; Sunday after the long run is dedicated to heavy lifting. The frequency is unusually high for an elite runner, targeting injury prevention and the muscular endurance needed for high-volume long-distance training.

Key Race-Prep Sessions

During the race-specific block leading into competitions, Almgren has attracted attention for two sessions that stand apart from his usual threshold work.

3×3km (3-Minute Rest)

Run on the final day of a 170km week, directly before the Valencia 10km, Almgren completed this session in a negative split of 8:00 → 7:52 → 7:43. The goal is to confirm he can hold threshold pace under accumulated fatigue — a classic sharpening session.※4 He ran it indoors with a cyclist acting as pacer.

10×1km (1-Minute Rest)

Average pace: 2:34/km (4:08/mile); final rep: 2:28/km (3:58/mile); average heart rate: 162bpm. Used as a final pre-race check. After Almgren posted this session on Strava, it went viral in the running community.※4

Six-Week Block Periodization

Training is organized into blocks of roughly six weeks, within which the structure stays largely the same. After each six-week block comes two weeks of more race-specific work (sessions closer to race pace), followed by one week of tapering.

In the off-season, Almgren travels to Sierra Nevada, Spain (approximately 2,500m altitude) for an altitude training camp, using the elevation to boost red blood cell count before returning home.

How Almgren Differs from the Norwegian Model

Almgren uses the same double threshold framework as Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but takes a distinct approach in several key areas.

The shared core is the structure of two threshold sessions per week, each split into a morning and afternoon effort, and specific formats like 6×6 minutes or 10×3 minutes. Almgren was introduced to the double threshold method through Kalle Berglund, a Swedish runner and mutual friend of Ingebrigtsen, and adopted it fully around 2022.

The Nils van der Poel Inspiration

The bike work traces back to Nils van der Poel, the Swedish speed skater who won both the 10,000m and 5,000m at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and later made his training philosophy public.

Van der Poel’s approach was to replace some high-impact running with cycling, allowing him to build total aerobic volume without the physical cost. Almgren, whose injury history made impact management a priority, adopted this in the 2023 off-season — adding several hours of low-intensity cycling per week.

The cycling stays firmly in the low-intensity zone. This is not high-intensity bike work — it is a tool for increasing total aerobic volume alongside running.

More Total Volume Than Ingebrigtsen

Between running and cycling, Almgren is accumulating more total aerobic volume than Ingebrigtsen — with running mileage alone hitting 170–200km+. As he has put it: “Having that volume gives me a big advantage when I start introducing race-specific work later in the season.”

This extends the core double threshold principle of accumulating high volume — but by incorporating cycling, Almgren makes it achievable without the professional infrastructure that surrounds Ingebrigtsen’s training.

The Science Behind Double Threshold Training

Why Split Into Two Sessions?

The reason for splitting threshold work into two sessions per day is straightforward: it allows you to accumulate the same total threshold stimulus with less accumulated fatigue.

A study comparing endurance athletes who did 6×10 minutes in a single session versus those who split it into 3×10 minutes morning and afternoon found a clear difference.※1 The single-session group saw heart rate, blood lactate, and RPE all climb as the workout progressed, with slower recovery the next day. The split group showed less fatigue accumulation in the second session and better recovery by the following morning.

The key insight is that splitting today’s session makes it less likely to compromise tomorrow’s quality. Over weeks and months, the total threshold stimulus you can accumulate adds up significantly.

How Lactate-Guided Training Works

Of the four metrics Almgren tracks, blood lactate is the most important. The target range is 2–4.5 mmol/L — if pace is too fast, he backs off; if there is room, he pushes a little harder. All in real time.※2

Heart rate alone is too easily influenced by conditions and body state to accurately reflect true training load. Using blood lactate as the anchor means Almgren can keep delivering sufficient stimulus without overdoing it. Over time, that consistent stimulus increases mitochondrial density in the muscles and reduces the energy cost of running at a given pace.※2

Research integrating training data from world-class runners confirms that more than 80% of their work falls below the lactate threshold, with the remaining threshold and high-intensity stimulus driving adaptation.※3 Almgren’s structure — high-volume easy running plus twice-weekly double threshold plus one X-factor session — aligns directly with this principle.

How Recreational Runners Can Apply It

Here are the key points for recreational runners looking to take something useful from Almgren’s approach.

What “Not for Under 75km/Week” Actually Means

Almgren himself has stated clearly: double threshold training is not suitable for runners doing under 75km (47 miles) per week.※4 For those running less than that, VO2 max intervals are a more effective tool.

Double threshold training is built on a foundation of high aerobic volume. Without that base, stacking threshold sessions into the week simply piles up fatigue before the body can recover. For runners who are consistently running 75km or more per week, though, it is worth exploring.

The Norwegian Singles Method

For most working runners, two sessions in a day is not realistic. The arrangement that has spread through the recreational running community is the Norwegian Singles Method.

The basic idea: one threshold session per day, two to three times per week, with everything else at low intensity. Without a lactate meter, use heart rate (around 85–90% of max) or feel (comfortably hard — talking is barely possible) as your guide. Staying below threshold is non-negotiable; push too hard and you damage the next day’s session.

Where to Start

The first step for anyone wanting to try the Norwegian approach is building weekly mileage. If you are under 60km (37 miles) per week, that comes first — nothing else.

Once 60–75km per week is consistent, introduce two threshold sessions per week. Formats like 4–6×1km (1–2 min rest) or 2×15 minutes work well — pick something you can sustain at threshold intensity. Above 75km per week, you can consider adding a third threshold session, but always prioritize building low-intensity volume before adding more structured sessions.

References

※1 Kjøsen Talsnes R, Torvik PØ, Skovereng K, Sandbakk Ø. Comparison of acute physiological responses between one long and two short sessions of moderate-intensity training in endurance athletes. Front Physiol. 2024;15:1432918. PMID: 39139482

※2 Casado A, Foster C, Bakken M, Tjelta LI. Does Lactate-Guided Threshold Interval Training within a High-Volume Low-Intensity Approach Represent the “Next Step” in the Evolution of Distance Running Training? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):3782. PMID: 36900796

※3 Haugen T, Sandbakk Ø, Seiler S, et al. The Training Characteristics of World-Class Distance Runners: An Integration of Scientific Literature and Results-Proven Practice. Sports Med Open. 2022;8(1):46. PMID: 35362850

※4 “Inside the Training of One of Europe’s Fastest Runners” – Marathon Handbook (February 2026) https://marathonhandbook.com/inside-the-training-of-one-of-europes-fastest-runners/

※5 LetsRun.com Discussion Thread: Andreas Almgren training week (2024–2025) https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=12538338

※6 Maratonlabbet Podcast Ep.151 “Andreas Almgren” (March 2023) https://maratonlabbet.se/ / Running Effect Podcast: “Andreas Almgren on Five-Hour Bike Weeks”