'Stresses the body without fatigue' - Jakob Ingebrigtsen plans perfect season for 1500m dream

'Stresses the body without fatigue' - Jakob Ingebrigtsen plans perfect season for 1500m dream

Festus Chuma 20:00 - 10.11.2024

Jakob Ingebrigtsen has made altitude training a key component of his preparation, focusing on pace consistency and controlled intensity as he sharpens his form for an ambitious 2025 season.

Norwegian middle-distance track king Jakob Ingebrigtsen is wasting no time in preparing for the upcoming season having launched into a high-altitude training regimen in Sierra Nevada, Spain.

Ingebrigtsen, the reigning Olympic champion in the 5,000m and Diamond League title holder in the 1,500m, is in the early stages of preparing for another intense season of competition.

The 24-year-old began his altitude training in Sierra Nevada this week, hoping to unlock even greater potential in the months ahead.

"After a couple of weeks with good training in Sandnes, we traveled to Sierra Nevada for some altitude training. One week done, three to go," he shared, revealing a strategic shift to the high-altitude conditions designed to enhance his endurance and adapt his body for the rigors of elite competition.

Ingebrigtsen’s career has been defined by precision, consistency and a deep understanding of his body’s limits and capabilities, honed over years of focused preparation.

His training approach is methodical, as evidenced by one of his hallmark workouts: 25 sets of 400-meter repetitions run at a controlled pace, designed to push his limits without risking overexertion.

“The goal is to reach your desired pace as soon as possible, and then run as even as possible for the session,” he explained in a past interview with Coros.

“After 15 years of doing this, I know the pace I need to hit, and the goal is to have as much time at this specific pace as possible.”

This workout, Ingebrigtsen notes, serves as a critical component of his training, allowing him to build race-specific endurance for distances from 5,000m to 10,000m.

While he started with 16x400m sessions in his teenage years, he has gradually expanded the workout to 25 repetitions, targeting an interval pace of 2:33 to 2:39 per kilometer, with only a brief 30-second recovery between each rep.

The structured, repetitive nature of the session allows him to find and maintain his optimal pace—a skill he credits as essential to his success.

"You don’t want to increase the pace the whole session,” he emphasized. “After 4-6 reps, you want to find that pace and hold it for the remaining reps."

Ingebrigtsen’s methodical training paid off handsomely last season, as he broke the 3,000m world record and continued to perform at an elite level across events, securing the European Championship in the 5,000m.

His ability to maintain speed with a structured, consistent pace has become one of his key strengths.

Despite his accomplishments, however, the young Norwegian still sees room for improvement.

One of his long-term goals remains the elusive 1,500m world record, currently held by Hicham El Guerrouj, whose 3:26.00 mark has stood unchallenged since 1998.

Ingebrigtsen, whose personal best in the 1,500m sits at a remarkable 3:26.73, is acutely aware of the difficulty in breaking this record but remains committed to the challenge.

“You need to match the intensity with the pace to get the correct result. Initially, it’s 10k+ specific pace but can drop down to 5k,” he explained of his race-pace workout.

This careful balance, he believes, is critical in preserving energy and focus while working toward his goals.

Alongside other elite athletes like Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, with whom he was recently shortlisted for the Athlete of the Year award, Ingebrigtsen has become one of the sport’s defining stars.

His technical training approach and unyielding focus on goal-driven performance have set him apart as he targets new records and championships.