What is the Norwegian Singles method? A plain-English guide
2026-07-29
The Norwegian Singles method (NSM) is a recreational adaptation of the "double threshold" training that Norwegian elites made famous. Pros run two threshold sessions in a single day; almost nobody with a job can recover from that. The singles version keeps the idea — a lot of controlled work near threshold — but spreads it across the week as three single sessions.
The four rules
- Sub-threshold, not threshold. Every rep sits just below your lactate threshold. Fast enough to matter, slow enough to repeat.
- Never to failure. You end every session feeling like you had two or three reps left. If the last rep was a fight, you went too hard.
- Short recoveries. 60–120 seconds between reps — standing, walking, or a very easy jog. The short rest is what keeps lactate in the productive zone.
- The same week, repeated. No exotic periodisation. The consistency itself is the training stimulus.
The standard week
| Day | Session | Effort anchor |
|---|---|---|
| Tue | 10-minute reps (e.g. 3×10min) | marathon effort |
| Thu | 6-minute reps (e.g. 5×6min) | ~30K effort |
| Sat | 3-minute reps (e.g. 9×3min) | ~15K effort |
| rest | easy runs + one long run | truly easy |
Interval work stays around 20–25% of weekly time. Everything else is easy — and "easy" is where most people ruin the method by drifting toward threshold on recovery days, then failing the quality sessions.
Who it suits
Runners with a steady schedule who can commit to 4.5–9 hours a week and prefer a repeatable structure over heroic workouts. It is not a shortcut: the gains come from months of hitting the same controlled week, not from any single magic session.
Getting your paces
Paces are usually derived from a recent race result (5K and 10K are the most reliable). If you don't want to do the maths, we built a free calculator that turns a race result into the full pace table and a week plan, and exports Garmin FIT files — no account needed.