The creator of this popular and highly effective training system has published a brilliant guide that will appeal to runners of all levels.
In about 30 years AW: every month there is a constant trickle of about three or four books landing on my desk for review. Most are fine. Increasingly, they are self-published. In a blue moon, however, comes an absolute gem.
I mean The Norwegian method was used by Marius Bakken and, keeping with the digital age, it arrived via email as a PDF from the author himself. However, after reading page after page on my laptop, I now have the urge to buy the actual copy as well to sit in my library. Yes, it’s that good.
Not only is Bakken’s book one of the absolute best training books I’ve ever read, and I’ve been devouring such publications since the early 1980s, it’s also one of the best books on running.
Other articles and books have been written about the Norwegian method in recent years, in addition to thousands of social media posts and videos, but Bakken is widely regarded as the father of the system. In addition to being a 13:06 5,000m runner and two-time Olympian at the turn of the millennium, he is a qualified physician and has spent several decades testing the Norwegian method, which involves running around 5,500 lactate tests.
The book begins with a wonderful story. He remembers training in Ingrid Christiansen’s group at Frogner Park in Oslo, and while everyone pushed themselves hard during each session, Bakken patiently settled in the middle of the pack. However, the following summer he ran 13:22 for the 5000m, more than a minute faster than the next best runner in the group.
“I was watching something that most runners never notice,” he explains. “The line where training stops building you and starts breaking you. Most runners cross that line without ever realizing it.”
The book is filled with such great anecdotes. A few years ago, for example, he spent a period training under Peter Coe. During that time, he discovered Coe’s theory of giving athletes like his son Seb “loading weeks” to increase their running at certain times of the year;
What would Kou think of that if he were still alive today? Bakken told AW:“He’s sure to love it. Peter was a special person, a brilliant mind and someone who challenged the way others thought. Although he was much more into varied and anaerobic work than I was, he liked to think differently and try to build something out of the exact.”
Relatedly, Bakken also drew on the knowledge of another British coach, Alex Stanton, who managed Paula Radcliffe’s career, at one point having what he describes as “a long conversation where he dissected their (Stanton and Radcliffe’s) experience before we looked at how it could solve my challenges”.
So what are the principles of the Norwegian method? Most people associate this primarily with the “double threshold sessions” popularized in recent years by Jakob Ingebrigtsen. But as Bakken explains in his book, there is much more to it than that.
One key principle is that Bakken believes that the muscular system, as opposed to the cardiovascular system, is the real limiting factor in runners. He writes: “The Norwegian method is about managing the load over time. Threshold work is done at an internal intensity, high enough to adapt, but steady enough to be repeatable in quality. The goal is not the individual sessions that impress, but the weeks that hold together.”
When it comes to double threshold sessions, Bakken uses a great analogy of studying for an exam. After all, isn’t it better for a student to do two three-hour sessions than one continuous six-hour course where concentration is likely to wane? Similarly, why not split the number of thresholds performed in a given day into two sessions?
“Think of it this way,” Bakken says. “A double header is really one long session with a long break in between.”
He adds: “The body adapts to stress, but only when given the chance. Train too hard and the opportunity closes. The body spends its energy on recovery instead of adaptation.”
There are several new expressions and concepts in the book. One of these is what Bakken calls a “golden zone” or “sub-threshold” pace to stick to during so-called threshold sessions.
“When I talk about threshold training in the book,” he says, “I mean training just below threshold, never right. Many call this sub-threshold or sweet spot training. I call it the Golden Belt. The pace is hard enough to adapt to, controlled enough to repeat.”
Of course, it takes discipline to stick to this pace. “It goes against our instinct to not give it our all during a session,” Bakken admits. But he believes the rewards are huge. Also, using the Norwegian method requires precision, as going too slow or especially too fast will backfire.
Muscle tone, or muscle tone Norwegian is another key concept in the Norwegian method, and Bakken says his interest in this area “borders on obsession”. He adds: “When it comes to muscle tone, I’ve been relentless, driven by the need to understand something so important to performance but so rarely described anywhere.”
Muscle tone goes up and down depending on how hard the runner is training. Therefore, a large part of the Norwegian method is aimed at controlling this.
One thing I was wondering when reviewing this book is whether the Norwegian method suits every runner, or whether certain physiological types such as Bakken, Jacob Ingebrigtsen and British 5000m record holder George Mills respond positively to it. In the middle of the book, Bakken answers the question.
“This is not a recipe to follow blindly,” he writes. “This is a framework you have to create your own. The principles are set, but how you apply them depends on your level, routine, and body. A recreational runner with four workouts a week will make different choices than an elite athlete with twenty. Both may follow the same philosophy.”
I also wonder if it would suit the more “sharp” middle distance runners, especially Keeley Hodgkinson’s “400m/800m types”. Bakken acknowledges that Norway’s method may not be the best plan for this type of runner, and he uses the example of Vebjörn Rodal, the 1996 Olympic 800-meter champion from Norway, in his book.
“By the 1999 season, Rodal’s training had shifted from a relatively intense focus to a bit more threshold-based work,” Bakken says. “I remember the proud athletic director showing me his measurements in the spring. Threshold numbers were better than ever. But the results of the competition. They have fallen significantly from his level.”
He continues. “Rodal was probably more ‘Type II-dominant’, explosive, fast, built for shorter, more intense bursts. As some of his training evolved into longer, monotonous threshold sessions, some of what made him unique disappeared.
“Many runners thrive and thrive on long threshold sessions and high volume. Some tolerate it poorly, regardless of training experience or understanding. Most likely, the difference is in the composition of the muscle fibers. There are also options for Rodal recreational runners.”
This caveat aside, the Norwegian Method will benefit most endurance runners. Bakken describes it all in a way that will appeal to runners of all standards.
What criticisms can I find about this book? First, I would love to read more anecdotes about his training and conversations with top coaches and athletes. There are in the book and they are like gold dust.
Also, there is a good reason for you to save your money and not buy this book, because Bakken has already provided a lot of theory and information. its own website and in past articles. He also wrote the Norwegian version of the book called Running. Faster and damage free for all levelswhich is translated Running. Faster and injury free for all levels.
Writing these thousands of words about the Norwegian method, however, helped him achieve the finished product I’m reviewing here.
Maybe it is not quite a finished product. The drive to improve the system continues, and things will be easier to measure in the future if, or rather when, continuous measurements of lactate become commonplace. Currently, athletes prick their finger or ear to draw blood to measure lactate mid-session, an inconvenient and expensive process, or amateur athletes simply maintain a certain pace or heart rate zone. But it’s only a matter of time before smart wearables like glucose monitors that offer real-time lactate readings come into play.
“Find Your Gold Belt! Exercise there regularly. Keep the easy days easy. Be patient.”
Finally, I wonder if Bakken has welcomed or been disappointed by the vast number of articles, social media posts, and even books that have attempted to explain the Norwegian method. At the end of 2024, for example, I reviewed a Brad Culp’s book on the Norwegian Method.
Bakken says:
“The simple reason is that we know it’s an effective general way of training for top athletes, if you look at the times of athletes like Jakob and Andreas Almgren. But I think it’s a safer way for younger runners and recreational runners as well.
“It’s built on a different way of thinking about workload, diversity and precision. And if you try to respect those boundaries and take into account the muscle component, which I talk about at length in the book, most runners will stay injury-free, feel better on days, and run faster.”
As a former club-level 800m runner, now 56 years old, I was inspired by Bakken’s book and have been trying to follow this system for the past few months. I always felt that as a young runner I responded best to high quality training and didn’t run as well after longer, slower reps and higher mileage. But Bakken’s theories are so strong that I want to put the Norwegian method to the test as I look to improve my 5km and 10km runs.
As Bakken says, Norway’s method is simple to understand but difficult to implement. “Find your Gold Belt,” he advises. “Work out there regularly. Keep the easy days. Be patient.”
Applied Norwegian method. Threshold training and intensity control by Marius Bakken for faster and more durable running at every level. out here now
