How to improve v02 max with the formation of the Norwegian method: Elite Coach

For the gold medalist of the Olympic triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt, training is a full -time job.

He exercises up to 10 hours a day to keep his heart and high -shape lungs, and doubles difficult sessions as part of a training strategy known as “Norwegian method”.

This same method can help you, a simple mortal, to improve your own longevity and your fitness expenses just a fraction of the time to work, according to its trainer, Olav Aleksander BU.

“We consider elite athletes as nature monsters. In reality, what we see is working with elite athletes works with everyone,” he told Business Insider in an interview linked to a partnership with the Fitness Core Technology Company.

BU, which led to some of the best endurance athletes on the planet, uses the Norwegian method to compose the intensity of training while avoiding injury or professional exhaustion.

The same principles can help you determine more effectively.

What is the Norwegian method?

At the most basic level, the Norwegian method is to balance the volume – the amount of work you do – with recovery. The key principle is alternated by periods of high intensity with periods of intensity and lower rest.

To train with the Norwegian method for a higher VO2 max (the ability to circulate and effectively use oxygen) and better endurance, you need the good type of stress on your body, which means being able to measure the intensity.

The way you feel tired is not necessarily a precise measure of the difficulty you work, said BU. The pace may not be a good measure of intensity either because it varies so much to the other, and even for the same athlete in different conditions.

Running five miles in 40 minutes could be easy for pros, but difficult for a beginner.

To stay on the target, BU uses measurements such as body temperature and lactate, a by-product that the body produces during an intense exercise, to assess precisely how hard athletes can push during training.

Although you can buy a device to measure lactate, the heart rate can also measure the effort and it is easier to do at home with a smartwatch or a fitness tracker.

How to increase your VO2 max

An example of a training plan to increase VO2 Max implies three sessions per week of your favorite cardio exercise, such as race or bicycle.

You aim to spend time at your heart rate, the maximum effort that you could support for about an hour of work. The pros test their threshold in a laboratory, but you can estimate it.

A popular technique is to run or go hard for 30 minutes and record your average heart rate for the last 20 minutes. Your race or bicycle threshold may be different.

For threshold sessions, alternate between work periods at this intensity and rest to recover. Certain examples of intervals from different Norwegian training plans include:

• Four minutes of hard effort, followed by three minutes of rest, repeated for four sets in total, popularized by coach Ulrik Wishøff.
• An effort of 1,000 meters, followed by one minute of rest, repeated 10 times, is a must for the athlete Marius Bakken.

In one of these sessions, you can integrate heat training – one of the favorite ways to get the right training intensity, both in your own training sessions and for its athletes. The addition of heat also works the heart and the lungs while preventing joint pain during the exercise.

You can be the most precise using a sensor to monitor your body temperature. Aim for around 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit, building around 102.2 during your session, but not exceeding this temperature, said BU. Increase the heat by exercising in hot weather or by wearing more diapers.

Over time, you can safely challenge your body to continue to become stronger by gradually spending more time at this threshold intensity.

The key is to think in the long term. Working for an hour or two once a week will not make much difference in your physical form. Progress comes from the rehearsal of the routine for weeks and months.

“People who find great pleasure in training have a lasting intensity, and they can perceive the enormous effect he has on their physique,” said BU.