DN
training for advanced skiers (and those intermediate skiers preparing for an event or adventure!) over the next few months – we will have interval sessions each Tuesday
night
General
goal: build efficient & relaxed speed on skis in a long-term healthy way
For some,
the goal might be a big ski trip to the mountains in March, for others it might
be a specific event like the Finlandia or the Birkie. A few principles to keep in mind throughout
all your training:
1) Maintain injury-prevention strength
work year-round. We
tend to assume that we DESERVE to be able to do all the physical things we want
to do, but that’s not the case! Our bodies were not built to be skiers,
cyclists, rowers, etc., so a small amount of injury-prevention strength work
once or twice a week needs to be maintained year-round – see our videos on the
things that have helped members build injury prevention strength for skiing and
other sports.
2) Regular easy aerobic activity.
Hard endurance training day-after-day leads to a lot of negative stress
that can turn into really unhealthy chronic stress. To help build your body’s ability to handle
a bit of harder training on other days, you should be aiming for 2 to 3
sessions every week of only light aerobic intensity – e.g. brisk walking or
light skiing for an hour+.
3) Enjoy the outdoors.
We are lucky to be able to be outside in the winter and enjoying the
beauty of beautiful winter days!
Plan – this plan can be modified for
specific goals and each person’s strengths and weaknesses – feel free to reach
out to discuss in more detail.
Interval
sessions should not be overly hard.
Goal is to maintain relaxed & efficient speed to the very last
interval effort. We want to ingrain
good technique, rather than push too hard!!
Week 1 – interval session – 4 to 5 x 30
seconds pick-ups with 1 to 2 minutes easy skiing in between – good technique
but at a faster speed; can add in a bit of terrain
Week 2 – 4 x 1 minute pick-ups with 2 minutes
easy skiing in between; should not be breathing too hard at the end of each
interval
Start
adding in a longer and hillier ski each week – these skis can get longer or a bit more
intense as you progress over the next several weeks. E.g. 1 hour hilly ski … then 1 hour 30
minutes hillier ski … building to 2 hours plus of hillier faster skis on
terrain closer to your goal
Week 3 – 4 x 2 minutes with 2 minutes easy
skiing in between; should have great relaxed technique throughout; should be a
bit faster than goal pace, but not too fast!
Week 4 – 4 x 3 minutes with 2 minutes easy
skiing in between; if goal is to race really fast, then you can be breathing
fairly hard at the end of these, but otherwise keeping technique relaxed and
efficient
Week 5 – 4 x 5 minutes with 2 minutes easy
skiing in between
Week 6 – 3 x 8 minutes with 3 minutes easy
skiing in between
Week 7 – 3 x 8 minutes with 2 minutes easy
skiing in between
Week 8 – 2 longer hillier skis
Week 9 – easier week of skiing before bigger goal skis / event
See below for one injury-prevention exercise Jessie Diggins does year-round - go to 5:50 into the video for the exercise
