This plan is designed for the avid cross-country skier that already has a solid general fitness background and who is ready to accelerate their ski-specific fitness. If you’re not familiar with training zones, there is an aerobic and anaerobic threshold test to hep you define your individual zones. The volume and intensity training of the plan is geared towards competing in a longer marathon-style race, at least 20-50 kilometers. Because this is a 12-week plan, we recommended that you have a decent foundation of aerobic fitness built up over the summer and fall months.

We include technical and tactical pointers and guidelines; however, athletes that choose this plan should feel confident in their technical abilities so they can get the most out of the physical and mental demands of the plan. An athlete can get even more out of this plan by working on their technical skills throughout the summer on roller skis.

You can easily extend the plan by repeating weeks 1-4 before progressing to week 5 if your objective is farther in the future.

This plan includes an anatomical adaptation period of strength training (4 weeks), then progresses into a max strength phase (4 weeks), followed by a more ski-specific and plyometric strength program (2.5 weeks) that is geared towards ski-specific movements. For the final week and a half, the focus turns to applying that power into high-intensity speed training, while reducing the overall training volume.

This training plan requires you use a chest-strap heart rate monitor and GPS watch to log all your training.