This plan has proven successful for Skimo racers who used it properly to compete at the regional level.

Recommended for those who have already had a season or two of structured endurance training and want to boost their performance in Skimo races. It is demanding in terms of time and energy. It will require considerable effort to complete. It is not for a novice as it starts off with over 7 hours of required training the first week and peaks at over 11 hours per week. It includes substantially more high-intensity training than the Beginner/Intermediate plan because it requires a better aerobic foundation. It will take you through ski specific strength to help you best prepare. The aerobic system supports the hard work of this muscular endurance work and later the high intensity race specific training. Neither the high intensity workouts nor the aerobic work can be compromised or the training effect will be compromised. The two have to fit together and support one another.

At the end of the 16 week plan you will find 2 added example weeks that you can use for planning your mid season training. One is for when there is a multi week break between races and you can return to normal training and the second is for when you have races separated by only a week and normal training is not possible.

While all the workouts are listed as running or hiking to allow for preseason dry land preparation, you can and should substitute skiing or roller skiing wherever possible.

Do not increase the intensity of the early aerobic base-building workouts and hope to gain more benefits or squeeze a 1 hour workout into 30 minutes. There is no shortcut when it comes to aerobic adaptation.

This plan is based on your RPE, or “Rate of Perceived Exertion,” where workout intensities are guided by how hard you are working based on your perception of effort (how hard the workout feels to you) rather than by heart rate. This plan is an adapted option for those who want to learn to calibrate their true effort levels in their workouts.

Whether you use an RPE-based or heart rate-based training plan, we recommend that you use a chest-strap heart rate monitor and GPS watch to log all your training.