Non-Specific Lactate Work

Non-specific lactate work (NSLW) allows athletes to build higher lactate tolerance without the performance penalties of traditional speed work. By shifting muscle recruitment (hills, circuits, compound exercises), you stress different fibers, allowing lactate buildup without destabilizing the aerobic-anaerobic enzyme balance.

The Aerobic-Anaerobic Balance Problem

There’s a fundamental trade-off in training: aerobic enzymes and anaerobic enzymes can work against each other. This is the “seesaw” principle:

  • Too much aerobic work → aerobic enzymes dominate, anaerobic capacity atrophies
  • Too much anaerobic/speed work → anaerobic enzymes dominate, aerobic base deteriorates

This is why coaches traditionally see athletes peak early when doing too much speed work too soon—their aerobic system degrades. Conversely, building aerobic base in a middle-distance runner can make them lose their ability to sprint.

Arthur Lydiard solved this partly through periodization (base building first), but there’s a more nuanced solution: non-specific lactate work.

The Concept

Non-specific lactate work (NSLW) creates higher lactate levels without recruiting the specific muscle fibers that typically power fast running. This allows you to:

  • Get lactate accumulation (stimulates anaerobic enzymes)
  • Prepare the aerobic system to handle that lactate
  • Avoid the seesaw shift that kills either speed or endurance

The mechanism: When you produce lactate in muscles that aren’t normally driving your running speed, those muscles don’t experience the same enzymatic shift. Meanwhile, muscles that normally slow-twitch can practice clearing lactate (the lactate shuttle).

Practical Examples

Lifting Then Running

Run bench press hard until local muscle failure (8-10 reps). Blood lactate rises, but your legs aren’t feeling that lactate directly. Then immediately go for a run—your legs must clear that lactate while running.

Result: Legs practice lactate clearance without experiencing the same speed-work penalties.

Hills and Hill Circuits

Running uphill shifts muscle recruitment. The steeper the hill, the greater the shift away from normal running mechanics. This produces lactate (hill training is metabolically demanding) but through different muscle fibers than flat-ground speed work.

Steve Scott’s classic hill workout: 20 x 200m hard uphill, jog down. Why? Hills are “speedwork in disguise”—you get the lactate-building stimulus without the specificity of track intervals. It takes far more hill repeats than track repeats to shift the aerobic-anaerobic balance negatively, so you can use hills as a bridge between base work and specific speed.

Canova-Style Hill Circuits

Renato Canova uses elaborate circuits: running uphill hard, then squat jumps, then near-sprint, then heel-to-butt drills, then moderate hill running, then hops, then fast running, etc. Over 6-8 minutes, then rest and repeat 4-5 times.

What’s happening: You’re throwing lactate into the system through multiple mechanisms (running, jumping, explosives) so that your legs aren’t the sole source. Then you run in the middle—forcing your running muscles to deal with lactate produced systemically.

Simple Track Circuits

Run 100-200m, do strength exercise (medball toss, squat, bounds), then steady running. Rest and repeat. The strength work creates general fatigue and lactate. Then the running has to happen in a slightly depleted state, building lactate tolerance without being “speed work.”

Why This Works Historically

Lydiard’s original periodization included a hill phase between base and track phases. The hill phase used circuits with sprints at the top, downhill accelerations, wind sprints at the bottom—classic NSLW. Bowererman’s athletes used similar circuits. Scott Rasco (coach of Allen Webb) incorporated them.

These coaches weren’t calling it “non-specific lactate work,” but that’s exactly what they were doing: bridging the gap from pure aerobic base to specific speed work through exercises that built strength and lactate tolerance without the traditional speed-work penalties.

Modern Applications

Standard progression:
1. Build aerobic base (easy runs, long runs, general strength)
2. Add non-specific lactate work (hills, circuits)
3. Layer in specific speed work (track intervals, race-pace work)

The NSLW phase lasts 4-8 weeks and serves as insurance—you get some of the speed-work stimulus while protecting your aerobic foundation.

Why Most Runners Miss This

Many modern programs jump from base to speed work. This can work, but NSLW reduces the injury risk and protects the aerobic system during the transition. It’s especially valuable for:

  • High school athletes building foundation
  • Distance runners (5K+) who can’t afford massive aerobic loss
  • Athletes with injury history where volume causes problems
  • Competitive fields where you need more lactate tolerance than pure speed

Creative Combinations

The beauty of NSLW is flexibility. You’re not limited to hills:

  • Hill repeats (classic)
  • Hill circuits with drills and exercises (Canova-style)
  • Strength work then steady running (John McDonald’s approach)
  • Track circuits (100-200m run, 100m walk, strength exercise, repeat)
  • Bounding progressions or plyometric circuits followed by moderate running

The common thread: use non-running-specific movements to create systemic fatigue and lactate, then run through it.

Key Takeaway

Non-specific lactate work is the missing piece in many training programs. It allows you to build lactate tolerance and strength endurance without destabilizing your aerobic base. Use it as a transition phase between base and specific work, and you’ll often see better adaptations, lower injury rates, and better-preserved aerobic capacity into your speed phase.