Authors
Gerasimos V Grivas, Walaa Jumah Alkasasbeh, Ioannis Trigonis, Konstantinos Karakatsanis, Adam Tawfiq Amawi
Published in
Frontiers in physiology. Volume 17. Pages 1878492. Epub Jun 17, 2026.
Abstract
East African and Norwegian endurance training systems have both produced world-class distance runners, despite substantial differences in how training is organized, regulated, and executed. East African training is commonly characterized by group-based execution, variable pacing, fartlek-style sessions, and internally regulated intensity, often within altitude-associated environments. In contrast, the Norwegian model emphasizes threshold-density training, lactate-guided intensity control, structured interval formats, and repeated moderate-intensity sessions embedded within a high volume of low-intensity work. The purpose of this narrative review was to compare these two endurance training systems, examine their underlying physiological characteristics, and propose a conceptual framework describing distinct pathways to elite endurance performance. The available literature suggests that variability-driven training may favor adaptability, recruitment diversity, and tolerance to pace fluctuations, whereas threshold-density training, embedded within a high volume of low-intensity work, may promote metabolic efficiency, lactate regulation, and steady-state durability. Although these systems differ markedly in training organization, both appear capable of supporting world-class endurance performance. These observations suggest that elite endurance performance does not depend on a single optimal training model but may emerge through different organizational routes to physiological adaptation and performance development.
PMID:
42389749
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Jul 2026.
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