Beyond Limits: How Norwegian Athletes Are Redefining Human Performance

“How do we achieve peak human performance?”

This is the question that keeps sports scientist and coach Olav Aleksander Bu busy as he trains two of the world’s most impressive athletes—Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden.

Kristian won the triathlon in the Tokyo Olympics, is the 2021 Ironman world champion, and holds the fastest recorded Ironman race time. He also has potentially the highest ever recorded VO2 max at somewhere around 103.

(VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise. For reference, my estimated VO2 max is somewhere between 53 and 55.)

Meanwhile, Iden is the 2022 Ironman World champion and two-time winner of the Ironman 70.3 world championship.

But Kristian and Iden aren’t the only world-leading athletes to emerge from Norway recently…

24-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen is arguably the most promising runner of this century.

He holds the 1500 European record, 2000m world record, 3000m world record, and is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. At age 16 he became the youngest person to run a sub-4 minute mile. Oh, and he recently set a Norwegian record in the 10k…during a half-marathon!

His brothers Henrik and Filip are also former European champions in the 1500m.

Our question is simple: what are the Norwegians doing so well?

There are many factors that have gotten these athletes to where they are, and it’s an oversimplification to attribute it all to one thing.

But if there was one thing all of these people have in common it’s the way they use data to meticulously track everything they can think to track.

In fact, their data-driven approach has been called ‘The Norwegian Method’, and it’s changing the way athletes around the world think about training.

The Norwegian Method

“I don’t believe in the human limits that have been established so far in research. I think we can go far beyond it…it’s truly a cool project searching for peak human performance. Not winning a race, but actually peak human performance. How far is it possible to push humanity?” - Olav Aleksander Bu

The most famous technique used in the Norwegian Method is lactate testing—a key part of threshold training.

(A technique which another Norwegian athlete, Marius Bakken, is largely thought to have pioneered.)

Lactate is a byproduct of the body’s energy production during high-intensity exercise, and by testing blood samples during workouts, athletes can determine how much lactate is building up in their system. Too much lactate indicates the athlete is pushing past their lactate threshold, a point where performance quickly deteriorates.

By tracking lactate levels, athletes like Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden can train right at their threshold, pushing their limits without tipping into exhaustion—allowing for the maximum possible performance gains while still allowing for solid recovery between sessions and avoiding injury.

So, how do they do this? The process involves stopping mid-workout to prick the athlete’s finger or earlobe to collect a tiny blood sample, which is then analyzed on the spot.

(When you see how many wearables, patches and pin-pricks these athletes go through on a single day of training, you could be forgiven for thinking they’re testing the world’s weirdest acupuncture routine.)

But the Norwegian Method goes far beyond just lactate testing.

The Norwegian Method is a mindset—a philosophy of getting every possible performance gain they can out of the data.

To this end, they’ll also test and track things like VO2 max, thermal regulation, heart rate, power output, nutrition, and much more.

We don’t want to make this email overly long by diving into each of these metrics, but let’s talk about thermal regulation really quick as this is something that was news to us when researching this piece…

During exercise, only 20-25% of the energy we produce goes to mechanical work—actually moving our muscles—while the other 75-80% is lost as heat. By using a device to track core temperature during intense workouts, athletes can see how efficiently their bodies are converting energy from glycogen into useful movement. This kind of data allows them to optimize hydration, nutrition, and pacing strategies to get the most out of their bodies without overheating or wasting energy.

Ultimately, what all of this comes down to is finding the maximum return on investment (ROI) for the hours spent training.

If these athletes can use data to figure out exactly what their strengths and weaknesses are, they can create custom training plans that will give them much better improvements in performance for the same amount of time spent training.

While every athlete is dealt the same number of hours in the day, it’s the return they can get on those hours that makes champions.

This method of relentlessly measuring, analyzing, and iterating their training program means they’re constantly honing in on what works. They don’t just train harder—they train smarter. And when they see diminishing returns in one area, they shift focus to another aspect of their training, compounding their gains and ensuring steady progress over time.

What’s unique about the Norwegian approach is that athletes like Kristian don’t just rely on their coach to interpret this data—they study and understand it themselves. It’s a collaborative effort where the athletes become as invested in the science as the coaches.

But make no mistake—data alone doesn’t take you over the finish line.

Kristian is often seen wearing a shirt that reads, 'it hurts more to lose.' While data is a critical tool in their arsenal of these athletes, it’s their determination, drive and mental toughness that push them beyond what’s measurable—transforming them into champions.

We hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter! Let us know what you thought :)

Your friends, 

Benji and Jacob