Finally, a Norwegian Method We Can All Try

On August 7, 2021, a 20-year-old from Norway won the men’s 1500 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in a record time of 3:28.32. That runner, of course, is Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who’s gone on to win eight additional medals in Olympic and world championship events, setting five world records and world bests along the way.

Whenever a young runner comes along and dominates the competition the way Ingebrigtsen has, others want to know, “What’s their secret?” And in this particular case, others have decided that the secret is lots and lots of controlled running at moderate intensity coupled with lots more easy running at low intensity—an approach that’s been dubbed “the Norwegian method.”

At the center of this approach is a practice known as double threshold training, where a morning session of moderate-intensity intervals is followed by an afternoon session of the same. Blood lactate testing is done to ensure the effort is not too intense. Elite runners everywhere from Lisbon to Flagstaff now do double threshold workouts once or twice a week, having found that what works in Oslo works elsewhere.

But what about the rest of us? Most runners lack the time, durability, or inclination to run twice a day at any intensity. Is there a Norwegian method for mortals?

A Crowdsourced Solution to the Norwegian Method

The answer, according to some once-a-day runners who have experimented with scaled-down versions of the Norwegian method, is yes, there is something the rest of us can try.

One such runner is Sirpoc84, as he is known on the Letsrun.com message board. (Outside Run has reached out to Sirpoc84 for comment but has not heard back at the time of publishing.)

Early on, Sirpoc84 contributed to a now-epic, largely sprawling 263-page thread on the subject; later, he summarized the key points in a Google Doc titled “The Norwegian Singles Method” (“singles” as in single runs each day). And while this isn’t the first time a community has discussed and dissected training methodology, it’s worth noting that the Norwegian singles method is a thoroughly modern invention itself—a largely crowdsourced training system.

Through individual experimentation, the poster landed on a system that he says lowered his 5K time by more than 80 seconds. In place of double threshold workouts is a manageable weekly routine comprising three easy runs and three moderate-intensity interval workouts, all done on separate days, plus a rest day, like so:

Additionally, blood lactate testing is dispensed with in Sirpoc84’s system in favor of pace-based intensity regulation. The goal in Norwegian-style intervals is to stay below lactate threshold, which for most runners equates to a pace that is sustainable for 45 and 60 minutes in competition. Workouts are designed to maximize time spent near LT without overtaxing the athlete.

According to Sirpoc84, this objective can be fulfilled with “a virtually unlimited combination of interval distances, paces, and rest periods.” In practice, however, Norwegian-style workouts always entail longer intervals (up to 12 minutes), controlled paces (think 10K to half-marathon race pace), and shorter rest periods (30-60 seconds).

As for easy runs, Sirpoc84 recommends keeping the heart rate below 70 percent of maximum heart rate throughout, as the pros using the full Norwegian method do. In pace terms, this equates to about 65 percent of maximal aerobic speed, or the fastest speed a runner can sustain for six minutes, give or take.

For example, if the fastest speed you can sustain for six minutes is 10 miles per hour (6 minutes per mile pace), then your easy runs should be no faster than 6.5 miles per hour (9:13 minutes per mile pace). Chances are your current training looks rather different from Sirpoc84’s. If so, should you consider trying his Norwegian method for mortals?

My Take on Norwegian Singles

What I like about the Norwegian method and its derivatives is that they encourage runners to train with three key things: intention, discipline, and restraint.

In my experience, most runners do everything a little too hard. Studies show that the typical runner does their “easy” running at about 85 percent of maximum heart rate, which is not that easy, generating fatigue that gets carried from one run to the next, limiting the body’s ability to adapt to training and lowering the quality of harder workouts.

In harder workouts, most runners automatically try to beat their pace targets instead of hitting them, mindlessly putting out 90 percent effort, regardless of the specific format. As a result, they tend to lose speed both within each interval and across sets—in essence they are practicing slowing down. And what do they say about “practice makes perfect?” If you practice going out too hard and slowing down in training, guess what you’ll do on race day?

The Norwegian method (single or double) helps runners break these bad habits by requiring them to approach each run with intention and execute it with discipline and restraint. Give it four weeks to prove itself and you’re likely to see measurable improvement in your fitness with less strain during runs and less fatigue between them. And if you don’t, you’ve only lost four weeks, with theoretically less risk of injury, so no harm done.

The table below offers an example of how you might go about testing the Norwegian singles method.

I suggest you run the Tuesday intervals at a pace you could sustain for 60 minutes in competition, the Thursday intervals at a pace you could sustain for 45 minutes, and the Saturday intervals at a pace you could sustain for 30 minutes (which is faster than lactate threshold pace, but you won’t exceed your LT heart rate because the intervals are short and broken up with rest opportunities).

A Sample 4-Week Norwegian Singles Method Test Plan

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

The Fine Print on the Norwegian Singles Training Method

Note that Sirpoc84’s version of the Norwegian singles method doesn’t include any running at intensities above LT. Yet Ingebrigtsen and other elite practitioners of the method are known to supplement their threshold workouts with modest doses of VO2max intervals, race-pace intervals, hill sprints, and other high-intensity efforts. Research has shown that these stimuli boost fitness in ways that moderate-intensity training doesn’t, so you’ll want to introduce them if you choose to continue with Norwegian-style training.

Other decisions you’ll need to make include tailoring the method to different race distances and evolving your training as you progress from the base period to the pre-competition phase to peak training. Indeed, there’s a lot to think about, and as Sirpoc84 can tell you, emulating the pros is never quite as simple as monkey see, monkey do.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Sirpoc84’s forum handle.