THE SHORT ANSWER
Bu is the scientist behind the Norwegian Method, and his message on threshold comes with a warning label: dosed correctly it's the single highest-leverage thing a trained athlete can do — but dosing it correctly is the hard part. That's why his programme is built on lactate testing. Two riders at the same FTP can need completely different threshold prescriptions, so generic zones leave gains on the table. He's also clear the method only works if recovery, fuelling and sleep are managed at the same level as the training. Test, individualise, repeat — and treat the threshold session as a precise dose, not a weekly beating.
WHO IS OLAV BU?
Olav Aleksander Bu is the sports scientist who turned a small Norwegian triathlon programme into the most replicated coaching template in modern endurance sport. The 'Norwegian Method' — high lactate-threshold volume, daily lactate testing, double-threshold sessions — produced Blummenfelt's Olympic gold, Iden's Ironman world titles, and a generation of imitators across cycling and running. His 2024 move to head coach of Uno-X Mobility makes him one of the few coaches who has run the same testing-driven, individualised approach across both World Tour cycling and elite triathlon.
BU ON THRESHOLD TRAINING
Bu’s key positions on threshold training.
- Threshold work, dosed correctly, is the single highest-leverage intervention for trained endurance athletes — but it requires lactate testing to dose right.
- Individualised lactate response trumps generic zones — two riders at the same FTP can need wildly different threshold prescriptions.
- Recovery quality is the rate-limiter — the volume and threshold work only land if sleep, fuelling, and stress are managed at the same level as the training.
IN BU’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Olav Bu’s appearances on the podcast.
“What you really are buying into or what you really have to have a buy into is the process the process and methods that is required to get there what does it require in terms of commitment to the everyday training the process everything around there to facilitate that in the best possible way.”
“You might have the best Pros or you might maybe have the best technology you might have the best methods or ability to or you have the best data or instruments or whatever but if you don't leverage that data in a way that resonates with the athletes it's much harder.”
“They don't make sacrifices per se because they don't perceive it as a sacrifice but if you start to make big changes to something then you might end up coming into that situation where you're starting to feel that you're sacrificing maybe ways or things that motivates you when you're working and then that's where you can still become good by just by discipline and pushing somebody all the time but I don't think you will become the best that way.”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Olav Bu covers threshold training and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Olav Bu say about threshold training?
Bu is the scientist behind the Norwegian Method, and his message on threshold comes with a warning label: dosed correctly it's the single highest-leverage thing a trained athlete can do — but dosing it correctly is the hard part. That's why his programme is built on lactate testing. Two riders at the same FTP can need completely different threshold prescriptions, so generic zones leave gains on the table. He's also clear the method only works if recovery, fuelling and sleep are managed at the same level as the training. Test, individualise, repeat — and treat the threshold session as a precise dose, not a weekly beating.
What is Bu's main point on threshold training?
Threshold work, dosed correctly, is the single highest-leverage intervention for trained endurance athletes — but it requires lactate testing to dose right.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Olav Bu on threshold training?
Bu discusses threshold training in this episode: "How To Create The Perfect Triathlon Training Plan | Olav Bu".