As runners, we are always looking for new ways & methods to improve our running. The Norwegian method has been wildly successful and is a hot topic in training recently. This is the method that has propelled Jakob Ingebrigtsen to multiple world-record breaking feats.
At the simplest level, the Norwegian method is about improving the threshold pace i.e. the pace at which you race in distances from 5K to Half Marathon. In this article we focus on the foundations of the Norwegian method, and a specific way of using it in our training known as ‘Norwegian Singles Method’.
The key emphasis of the method is the focus on threshold interval workouts and how we can handle and manage lactate. You might wonder, isn’t Lactate the bad guy and hence we should be avoiding it vs learning how to handle it?
Before diving further into this lets quickly look at the Zones system because that’s an important part of this puzzle. And for simplicity sake, let us work with a 3-zone system instead of a 5-zone system.
Image credit: https://bandanatraining.com/heart-rate-training-zones/
The Norwegian Method is squarely focused on the meaty-middle i.e. the range where you are generating more lactate than steady pace (LT1) but less lactate than your anaerobic threshold (LT2). LT2 aka “threshold” is defined as the highest amount of lactate that your body can clear efficiently. If you go above LT2, you produce more lactate than you can clear, leading to acidosis, fatigue, and eventually slowing down.
This method trains to improve our ability to clear more lactate over time; increasing the pace at which you can run, known as “raising the threshold”. The workouts used to train this ability are called sub-T i.e. sub Threshold, which refers to LT2. The pace at which these workouts are executed is very important, and unlike VO2Max intervals these have to be run BELOW the threshold pace (hence the “sub-T” naming)
In the Norwegian Singles method, there will be one “sub-threshold” session per training day. It is a less intense variation of Norwegian Doubles Method, which is typically used by Elites.
Workout Design
The threshold workouts are usually done as intervals with short rests instead of long tempos. For example, a session might be 6 repeats of 5 minutes sub-threshold pace with a brief recovery period. Total accumulated fast time per workout is ~20–30 minutes.
Here are a few sample workouts that are bread and butter in this method.
PS: Do remember to add warm-up & cool-downs to these workouts.
The salient feature of these workouts is not in the rep count & duration, the secret sauce lies in the 60s rest, which is long-enough to provide a “break” but is short enough to offer recovery while keeping the lactate levels elevated.
Pacing the workouts - Find my Threshold Pace
Now that we know how the workouts are structured, Let’s get to the next piece of the puzzle - how to pace the workouts and that involves finding out your Threshold pace!
There are a variety of ways to determine your threshold pace, in decreasing order of accuracy
Regardless of which approach you use, after establishing your Threshold pace, plan to run your sub-T workouts slower than the said pace, say, 5-10s/K slower. If in doubt, go slower, because the aim is to teach the body to generate AND clear the lactate.
Planning the training week
The method calls for two to three threshold workouts in a week, plus one long run. The combined quality running volume of these sessions, excluding warm-up and cool-down, should not exceed 20-25% of your total weekly mileage. By limiting hard sessions to 20–25% of weekly training time balances intensity and recovery.
All other non-workout runs are kept very easy (Zone 1). Easy runs are typically done at <70% of max heart rate (a pace where conversation is comfortable). This ensures recovery and builds an aerobic base without adding extra fatigue.
A sample weekly plan might be structured as follows for a runner who runs 4:00”/K sub-T pace and easy runs at 6:00”/K pace
| Day | Workout | Quality work | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 2K WU + 6 × 4 min with 60s rest + 2K CD | 6kms | 10kms |
| Tuesday | AM: 120’ Easy PM: 60’ Easy | 15kms | |
| Wednesday | 2K WU + 4 × 6min with 60s rest + 2K CD | 6kms | 10kms |
| Thursday | 90’ Easy | 15kms | |
| Friday | 2K WU + 3 × 12min with 60s rest + 2K CD | 9kms | 13kms |
| Saturday | 150’ Easy Long Run | 25kms | |
| Sunday | Rest | ||
| Total mileage | 21kms | 89kms | |
| Quality work | 24% |
If you are a low mileage runner, 3 Quality sessions in a week might be too much and you should consider starting with 2 quality sessions and build up the volume over 4-6 months.
The Norwegian Singles Method is best suited when training for 5K to Half Marathon distances because in these distances the race is run around LT2 pace. This approach does not directly lend itself well to Marathon distances, because marathons are meant to be run at paces slower than Threshold, except maybe towards the end of the race.
However, there is significant upside to using this method as part of the base phase before starting the marathon specific training. By adopting this before starting a marathon training cycle, you start at a much higher level of fitness than just doing Z1/Z2/Easy runs in the base building phase.
At the core of the Norwegian Approach are 2 simple principles
These 2 principles are applied repetitively week after week with very similar workouts being performed each week.
From a Long Term Athlete Development perspective, these 2 principles are foundational and set up the athlete to race well over a variety of distances and continue improving over the long term.
Harish is a Bangalore-based technology consultant with a passion for B2B SaaS and product management, who also actively pursues distance running.