A Norwegian Like Training Method for Triathlon.
You properly already heard about the Norwegian Training Method, if not, the method went very popular after the success of Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt in triathlon, but the method goes even further back, to around 1998. The track runner Marius Bakken write about it and its history, in his article "The Norwegian model of lactate threshold training and lactate controlled approach to training".
Maybe the most famous part of the method is the continues lactate measurements in training, used for a precise and controlled training intensity. The assumption is that blood lactate is a better measurement of intensity than heart rate, power, or Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).
The method begin with finding two lactate thresholds LT1 and LT2 and defined tree training zones: Zone-1 below LT1, Zone-2 between LT1 and LT2, and Zone-3 above LT2. Sometime the tree zones are also called: FatMax Zone, Anaerobic Threshold Zone, and VO2max Zone.
LT1 also called Aerobic Threshold, is the point at which your body switches from aerobic metabolism to a mix of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, clearing lactate at a slower rate due to the increased intensity. LT1 occurs at a lactate level of roughly 2 mmol, or 80% of maximum heart rate (HRmax).
LT2 also called Anaerobic Threshold, is when your body begins to produce lactate at an unsustainable rate. Just below LT2 is the intensity that you can hold for roughly an hour, or longer for well-trained endurance athletes. For most, LT2 occurs around 4 mmol lactate, or 87% of Hrmax.
LT1 and LT2 will typically be found in the laboratory, on a treadmill and indoor bike, then the values are applied to the individual training sessions and the athlete will use a lactate meter under the training session to control the sessions intensity.
The method is often compared with the Pyramidal training approach, even though some of the Norwegian athletes say it has more in common with the Polarized approach. I believe it's come down to how you define where Zone-3 ends and Zone-4 starts in the more traditional five zones model, typically used by both Pyramidal and Polarized approaches .
Here are a few key principles from the Norwegian method for endurance training:
- Key-workouts: are performed as intervals in Zone-2, slightly below LT2 to increase the threshold without accumulating too much fatigue, as you can spend more time at this intensity than above LT2.
- High-volume, low intensity training: This is the bulk load of sessions and will be done in Zone-1 below LT1.
- Double threshold days: are two key workouts sessions in one day - one in the morning and one in the evening.
- Lactate-controled intensities: Perhaps the most infamous aspect of the Norwegian Method is the constant finger-pricking that is required to test blood lactate during training. Athletes will stop their swim, bike, or run workouts multiple times in a single session in order to get a lactate reading, ensuring that their body is working at precisely the correct intensity.
NOTE: No workouts should compromise the Key-workouts. It is better to drop a Low-intensity workout than to drop a Key-workout. Also workouts at goal pace are not seen as important as the Key-workouts
The Norwegian Method does include high intensity work in Zone-3 every now and then. However, it’s clearly not the main focus. If athletes do intervals above LT2, it’s still in a controlled way (rarely all-out).
The method was developed for elite endurance athletes witch often use more than 30 hours per week in training. The high-volume training and strict intensity discipline are often cited as the main reasons athletes quit using the Norwegian Method.
Can you make a Norwegian Like Method?
As an amateur athlete, without the amount of time a professional has, and without a lactate meter, you might ask your self: Can I use the Norwegian Method? Yes - Aleksander Bu, Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt’s coach, has explained how everyday triathletes can channel the essence of the Norwegian Method into their training.Lets look at the key principles above: Point 1 to 3 are fairly easy to implement in a training program, while for point 4 you will need a lactate meter, even when you are out training alone. The use of a lactate meter has a price and repeatedly stopping your training to take a blood sample alone in the field, sweating, a bit exhausted and without contaminate it, is not easy. Even if you invest in a lactate meter, and the strips there is needed, you still might need someone to help you to take the blood samples, at least until you are more skilled.
An alternative for us amateur athletes is to use a Time-Trial test to find LT1 and LT2 using a sport watch, a heart-rate monitor and eventual a power meter. A 2005 study by scientists at East Carolina University found that this method of determining Lactate Threshold heart rate and pace is fairly accurate.
Aleksander Bu also advise to build a power/pace profile based on different length of time-trial tests, to determine where your training should be concentrated.
These tests should be performed with regular period e.g. ones a month to measure progress, and should be performed while well rested. The tests can be rather demanding.
Time-Trial test
A Time-Trial test for running and biking is normal done by the following steps:- Warm-up for 10 minutes
- Start your sport watch and run/bike at the fastest pace/speed you feel you can sustain for 30 minutes.
- After 10 minutes press the Lap button on your watch.
- Press the stop button when you have run/biked the whole 30 minutes (10+20 minutes).
- Your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR) is the average BPM for the final 20 minutes of the 30-minute time trial and define the LT2 point.
- Your Lactate Threshold Pace/Speed/Power is the average for the whole 30 minutes and define the intensity at LTH2.
- To calculate your zones use an online calculator.
When you do your low intensity training, it should be done with a heart-rate below LT1 (end of Zone-1). When you end the workout, your heart rate should still be below LT1 heart-rate, which means you should start well below LT1 heart-rate, as your heart-rate will increase under the work-out. If it is a hot day your intensity should be lower than normal day, else you will risk to pass the LT1 heart-rate in the end.
Your Key-workouts should be done with an intensity, pace, speed or power, below, or at, the value for LT2 (end of Zone-2). If the intervals are shorter, you will use a higher intensity nearer, or on, LT2, while for longer intervals you will use a lower intensity but still near LT2.
Build a Power Profile
A Power Profile is build over a series of different time trials, when I'm training for a longer triathlon race, I use 5 minutes, 10 minute and 30 minutes time trails, where the last 30 minutes test also can give me my LT1 and LT2. I will normal do it over two days for each sport (running and cycling), so one day I will do the 5 and 10 minutes running trials, then after 2 days I will do the 30 minutes running trial. Then the next week I will do it for cycling. Isolate the 30 minutes test to a special day, means I can also use it to find my LT1 and LT2A Power Profile can tell you where to put your effort, you are working toward flatten the profile as much as possible, meaning the average pace/power for each trial should be as close to each other as possible.
In the beginning of a season, you might see you are much faster for the 5 minutes trial than the 10 minutes trial, there is much faster than your 30 minutes trial, which means you should put more effort into long runs. As you progress, you 30 minutes times are going nearer the 10 and 5 minutes times, your courve is more flat, which means you should switch and put more effort into short intencive sessions, to bump up the profile again.
One week Norwegian Like Training example
Below is a week where I use some of the principles from the Norwegian Method.My LT1 and LT2 intensity values where found by the 30 minutes Time-Trial test, and are:
- LT1:
- Heart Rate: 150 BpM
- Run pace: 6:00/Km
- Bike power: 185 Watt
- LT2:
- Heart Rate: 165 BpM
- Run pace: 5:15/Km
- Bike power: 220 Watt
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| Sunday | REST |
I will do this kind of weeks before I'm going into the Race Specific period of my program. In the Race Specific period I'm less concentrated on methodology and more on simulating the race I'm going to, I will tipically peak my Race Specific effort around a week or two before I'm going into Taper.
Swimming
I haven't talked much about swimming here, the reason is my technique is not good enough to find LT1 and LT2 and do Key-workouts. This does not means the Norwegian Method does not include swimming, but only reflect my lack of capacity. My swimming sessions is based on a Polarized (80/20) approach and I will take swimming lessons into my program, if possible, in these lessons I will ask the trainer to concentrate on my technique more than my fitness.To measure my progress in swimming i will do the below session:
- 200 m warm-up.
- 400 m all out.
- rest 2 minutes
- 200 m all out.
- Easy
I can then calculate my Critical Velocity (CV) as CV = 200/(400 time − 200 time) in meter/minute and my Swim Pace Range as 1000/CV in minutes/100m. You can also use an online calculator.
This method obviously has some flaws. If the 200m time is faster then 1/2 the 400m time, you will get a worst CV than if it's slower, but this method is not so demanding as the full 1000m test below.
An alternative, and much harder, test would be to swim 1000 m as fast as you can, then the CV = 1000/time.
Your Swim Pace Range should theoretically be your LT2 intensity pace.
As I said, I do not use the found LT1 and LT2 in my swim workouts, but use this session to see if I'm progressing.
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December 2024 - Henrik Baastrup