Training foR long Distance skiing - Part 1

A Feb. 2021 original research article that analyzed the training characteristics of twelve world-class Visma Ski Classics athletes is the focus of our first article in a three-part series on training for loppet racing. While it seems most recreational American skiers have a tendency to focus on skate ski races, the classic marathon is the foundational event to all ski racing, dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Russia lays a particularly rich claim on the history. Dr. William Frank’s book Everyone to Skis! cites a mass participation race from Nizhnii Novgorod to Moscow in 1936 - a 437-kilometer trek - which attracted sixty thousand participants. In the 20s and 30s, various teams in Russia were known for racing across different parts of the country, often at distances ranging from 2000-8,000 miles! Frank writes, “Soviet interest in long-distance skiing was codified in a number of traditional ski races. A yearly 60-kilmeter race began as early as 1922. Moscow’s annual 100-kilometer Great Race, consisting of five loops around a 20-kilometer course, had its initial run in 1938, as did a four-day stage event on the Iaroslavl to Moscow route.”   

Recently, the Visma Ski Classics has grown in popularity, and thanks to creative programming, efficient media coverage, and the emergence of new stars and former World Cup athletes joining the circuit, it is becoming increasingly the ski league of choice to track for casual fans. In those events, the top athletes exclusively double-pole all of the races, no matter the distance or the climb. 

How do they train to do this? Could you train and race using primarily the double-pole technique? Perhaps reading this will have you reconsidering your strategy, reconfiguring your wax box, or ….throwing both out altogether and grabbing a pair of double-pole skis. 

A 93-question survey was used to collect information about the athletes’ training characteristics and performances during their most successful VSC season. They also shared detailed designs of typical training sessions used to meet the demands of the VSC races.

Training data was organized into periods:

GP - General Preparation Period (May-August)

SP - Specific Preparation Period (September - November)

CP - Competition Period (December - April)

Training was also organized into intensity:

LIT - below the first lactate threshold (<2mM blood lactate, 60-82% of maxHR)

MIT - between first and second lactate threshold (2-4 mM blood lactate, 82-87% maxHR)

HIT - above second lactate threshold (>4 mM blood lactate; >87% of maxHR)

Strength training = heavy strength training and core stabilization

Speed training = max efforts of 10-20 second sprints or series of 10-15 plyometric jumps using ski-specific movements

Illustration of the annual cycle in long-distance XC skiing with the timing of the competitions in the Visma Ski Classic 2019. Competition duration and speed are calculated based on the average for the three best skiers in each race and the course length reported in the official result lists (www.vismaskiclassics.com) of the 2018–2020 seasons. *The Livigno Team Tempo is excluded from the calculation of average race duration (dotted line) with 95% CI (gray area).

-       Training volume: 861+/- 90 hours

-       Distribution: 92% endurance training, 6% strength training, 2% speed training

-       Intensity Distribution: 88.7% LIT, 6.4% MIT, 4.8% HIT

-       50-60% of endurance and speed training was performed using the DP (and usage of DP dramatically increased in SP and CP compared to GP)

-       Training was comprised of many long-distance sessions, typically a daily 3-5 hour session.

Training distribution (A) across the annual period [general preparation period (GP: May–August), specific preparation period (SP: September–November), and competition period (CP: December–April) during the athletes' most successful seasons distributed as endurance [low- [LIT], moderate- [MIT], and high-intensity [HIT]], strength, and speed training, as well as the proportion of training using the double poling (DP) subtechnique (B) for world-class long-distance cross-country skiers.

-       Athletes kept their volumes fairly even week-to-week. Microcycles = 20-25 hr/week for three weeks followed by a lower training load every third or fourth week. 

-       May and June are the “off” months

-       Five skiers reported blocks with emphasis on specific qualities during the GP

-       Three skiers included blocks of strength training

-       One skier used a HIT block which included 5 HIT sessions in 6 days (based on a recent podcast, I believe it’s possible this is Tord Asle Gjerdalen...but, who is speculating….)

-       All skiers had more accurate and structured intensity control during SP than GP, which was maintained during CP. 

-       Competition schedule affected training volume during CP; 10-12 hr/week during race weeks and 20-30 hr/week when no races were held.

-       Strength and Speed training: Athletes kept speed training going all year. They had higher strength training volumes during the GP(5.8 hr/month) and SP (5.7 hr/month) compared to CP (2.1 hr/month)