Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health & Fitness
  3. News

Built like a Viking: Science-backed benefits of the Norwegian 4×4 workout method

Boost your VO2 max and cardiorespiratory fitness with this easy-to-follow interval training

By
man dressed as Viking
TrashMash / Pexels

Sometimes you just want a slow and gentle workout, and other times you’re ready to kick it up a notch and pump up the volume. High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, refers to short bursts of intense exercise with recovery periods, with the goal of ramping up your heart rate to at least 80% of your maximum heart rate. You’ll combine moves like high knees and speed squats with strength training exercises using dumbbells, resistance bands, or your own bodyweight.

Researchers have revealed that HIIT is beneficial for both heart health and brain health. You’ll burn calories and get your muscles moving, blood flowing, and heart pumping. Lately, fitness buffs everywhere are talking about the Norwegian 4×4 workout method, which is essentially a type of interval training protocol typically completed at a higher intensity. Let’s examine how it works and its potential benefits.

What is the Norwegian 4×4 workout method?

Athlete makes low cable pulley row seated in gym.
Martvisionlk / Shutterstock

The Norwegian 4×4 method is a type of cardio workout featuring four rounds of hard four-minute intervals. You’ll rest for three minutes between each interval.

Here’s how it works:

  • You start with a low-intensity 10-minute warm-up, such as a light jog and some stretching. 
  • Power through four rounds of hard four-minute intervals, such as rowing, running, swimming, cycling, or high-intensity bodyweight exercises. You can also try running at your 5K or 10K pace. 
  • Don’t forget to rest for three minutes between each hard interval with low-intensity movement, such as jogging or brisk walking. For the rest intervals, it’s best to lower your heart rate to around 60-70% of your maximum.
  • Start to cool down and lower your heart rate slowly before finishing your workout with some stretching. The five-minute cool-down is just as important as the warm-up. 
Recommended Videos

This method is a VO2 max interval workout designed to enhance your VO2 max and cardiovascular endurance, as you push yourself to 85-95% of your maximum heart rate.

What does the research show?

man running in the sunlight
NHP Co / Pexels

While it isn’t the only interval training protocol, it is easy to remember and one of the more widely studied. These are some of the reasons to try the Norwegian 4×4 method.

Boost your VO2 max and cardiorespiratory fitness

Man swimming in a pool.
Jacob Lund / Shutterstock

Researchers found that the 4×4 protocol is a feasible and effective way to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness, even for individuals with limited workout experience. This study is interesting because it wasn’t performed on top athletes, yet the individuals were able to achieve a heart rate of between 85-95% during the 4×4 workout.

Simple plan to follow

shirtless man outside sunset doing incline pushup on wall.
Perpis / Shutterstock

The Norwegian 4×4 workout method is simple to follow, and you can get some exercise with friends or as a lone ranger.

Good for heart health

man doing squats HIIT
Ivan Samkov / Pexels

Researchers found the 4×4 method to be superior in improving VO2 max in 60% of patients with coronary artery disease; however, they reported one prevailing problem was the low adherence to the exercise intensity required for this method. Some researchers suggest that an individualized approach to exercise is always best, as the duration and intensity of workouts can be too long or too intense for some patients with certain cardiac diseases.

Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and… Read Full Bio
Topics
Health & Fitness
Tired of shaky workouts? Meet the MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus – a walking pad built to last
Animal, Canine, Dog

Finding time to exercise is hard enough. The last thing you need is fitness equipment that feels unstable, sounds like it’s about to fall apart, or struggles to keep up with your pace. Yet that’s exactly what many budget walking pads deliver. Lightweight frames, noisy motors, and limited performance often turn what should be an enjoyable workout into a frustrating experience.

The MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus aims to change that. Instead of simply offering another compact walking pad, MERACH has built a treadmill-grade under-desk fitness machine designed for long-term reliability, stability, and everyday convenience. Whether you’re walking while working, squeezing in a quick cardio session, or looking to stay active without leaving home, the W60 Plus is engineered to make movement feel effortless.

Read more
Health & Fitness
From wheelchair to walking: The power of mindset, movement, and never giving up
Steph Zee Christmas Secret Music Video Steph Green

I never expected I’d have to learn how to walk again. That journey took me from writing for doctors and magazines to spending thousands of hours researching health and autoimmune disease. When we have excellent health, many of us don’t give it much thought until those sneaky symptoms start to show, and one day it all comes crashing down. Now, our health becomes one of the most important priorities. When we feel good, we can be more productive and chase our dreams. When our health declines and we don’t feel so good, one of our biggest dreams is just to feel better. 

I became a health writer 12 years ago, shortly after graduating with my creative writing degree and getting a diagnosis of the autoimmune bone condition, ankylosing spondylitis. In an effort to improve my health, stay mobile, and help prevent my bones from calcifying and fusing, I spent thousands of hours studying everything from nutrition and naturopathy to conventional medicine and holistic healing. I heard this somewhere, so I can’t take credit, but I like to say I went to “save my ass university”, because pain and illness are some of the biggest motivators.

Read more
Health & Fitness
I tried Magic Mind for a month and here is what happened to my productivity
Furniture, Business Card, Paper

I am proudly an all-brown beverage man. I say it often: I am coffee in the morning, bourbon in the evening, and Pepsi/Coke in between. I know what you’re thinking: What about water? Well, all of those are mostly water. And who wants to drink the same thing they bathe in? That sounds gross. All jokes aside, the coffee addiction is real, and I am not alone. Who thinks they can truly conquer a day without a hard shot of caffeine? I would get it in an IV if it were feasible to do on the subway instead of a cup to go. But that doesn’t have to be the only way you develop your productivity. Instead, you can look to the more natural and healthy methods to maintain and increase your effectiveness. I got my hands on some Magic Mind recently, one of the many different products that claim to elevate brain health, increase mental performance, and, of course, replace the coffee without losing the energy boost. But does it work?

The scientific hoolah

Read more