The Norwegian Method

Two distinct changes can be seen in the lactate curve as intensity increases. The first is LT1 - the aerobic threshold, typically occurring at around 2.0mmol/L lactate. LT1 is the ceiling of 'easy' effort, a pace that could be held for many hours. As we pass LT1, we start to produce more lactate.

LT2 is the anaerobic or lactate threshold. This is the maximum intensity you could race for about an hour when fresh, and typically sits at around 4mmol/L. This is the ‘ceiling’ above which you produce more lactate than your body is able to clear, meaning you will eventually be forced to slow down as high levels accumulate (think about trying to hold your 5k pace for a half marathon). Bakken’s sub-threshold ‘Golden Zone’ sits under the LT2 threshold.

How can I find my Lactate Threshold (LT2)?

Lactate testing can be performed in a lab, on a treadmill set at 1% or ‘in the field’, using a slow stepwise increase in pace. Bakken outlines various alternative approaches to lactate testing in his book, ‘The Norwegian Method Applied’. These include using Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR) as a % of your maximum (HRMax), the Talk Test, and threshold estimates obtained from using recent race times or a 30-min field test.

Once you’ve established your 1hr threshold HR and pace, you can calculate your sub-threshold Golden Zone (lactate levels typically between 2.3- 3.0mmol/L). For medium length intervals, this is 4-7 bpm lower than 1hr threshold HR. It’s about 80-87% of your HRMax; you can manage short sentences but cannot speak freely. This is the intensity that the Kenyans call “three-quarter effort”.

Intervals: Why Sub-Threshold Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Running Slowly

Intervals commonly used in the Norwegian Method range from short (45sec- 3min) and medium (4- 10min) to long (11- 20min). The rest interval is usually short - eg 6x6min with 1min rest, 4x 10 with 90sec rest.

Interval length affects pace - the shorter each interval is, the faster you can run it, while staying sub-threshold. For example, very short intervals such as 30x 45 sec with 15sec rests may be near your 5k race pace.

For medium intervals, you will be running 8-12 sec/km slower than your threshold pace. Longer intervals are used sparingly, perhaps every 10-14 days.

The key is restraint in each session, including monitoring RPE, muscle tone and HR, and modifying as necessary to the conditions on the day.

How should I start Norwegian Training?

The typical Norwegian Method training week would consist of harder training on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Of course you can alter the days to suit, but always separate hard days, with at least one easy day in between.

1) Easy Days:

Keep easy days truly easy - all easy runs should be done at under 70% of your HRMax to stay under your LT1. You should comfortably be able to nose breathe, and hold a proper conversation. Easy days allow muscle tone to decrease, ready for the next harder session.

(2) ‘Norwegian Singles’

Developed by a Brit, James Copeland, to adapt the Norwegian approach for runners with limited time to train. As the name suggests, this consists of a single session per harder day containing around 30min of sub-threshold interval work, done 3 times per week.

(3) Norwegian Double Days

Advanced athletes with more time can complete 2 quality sessions - each containing around 30min of intervals - on the same day, separated by at least 6 hours. This allows accumulation of significantly higher weekly threshold volume, but with less muscular damage compared to a single session of standard training >LT2.

Example Double Threshold workout:

Morning Session (longer reps): e.g., 6 x 5min at a controlled sub-threshold pace (lower lactate, around 2.0-2.5 mmol/L).

Evening Session (shorter reps): e.g., 30 × 1min at a faster pace, still strictly under the threshold, lactate would generally be <3.5.

(4) The “X session”

Classically on Saturday. This session varies throughout the macrocycles. It can be more specific work towards race goals and may go significantly over LT2. For example, 45/15s or 30/30s to work on leg turnover, hill sessions to build strength, or longer repeats to build endurance for a marathon. Alternatively it can be another sub-threshold session.

The Muscle Tone Philosophy

Bakken emphasises that doing a hard workout increases muscle tone. The harder the session, the more muscle tone rises, and the longer it takes to return to baseline. One hard session above threshold can compromise the next several days of running.

The beauty of the Double Day is that tone does not rise in time to compromise the second session, but rather, is only raised by the following day. Very easy runs (<70% HRMax) on days in between sub-threshold workouts help to normalise muscle tone before the next workout.

Assess your muscle tone daily before training, and adjust the plan if necessary.

Another issue that Bakken identified is difficulty in timetabling strength sessions without compromising easy days. He likes building strength in hill training but agrees that formal strength training is increasingly important. The best days are probably Thursday and/or Saturday after the X session.

What is the Norwegian Method?

An approach to training pioneered in the late 1990s by Norwegian double-Olympian and GP, Marius Bakken and later adopted by Olympic and World Champions including Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden. The aim is to accumulate high volumes of quality work at sub-threshold effort, supplemented by high volume, low intensity miles on easy days.

The original ‘Norwegian Doubles” system involves running two controlled sub-threshold sessions on the same day, separated by at least 6 hours. These are run twice a week, with an additional “X” session day, involving either a small volume of training well above threshold, or another, more race-specific, sub-threshold workout.

What is ‘Sub Threshold’?

The Norwegian Method relies on intensity being strictly controlled, with intervals completed at a far lower pace/ intensity/ lactate level than typically seen in a hard club session. This sub-threshold intensity allows for consistent accumulation of larger volumes of quality work, without the physiological and muscular ‘cost’ of going over threshold.

To apply Bakken’s approach correctly, a basic understanding of exercise physiology is useful. As exercise intensity increases, lactate levels will build up in the muscle and seep into the bloodstream, where they can be measured using a lactate meter.

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