Norwegian Cross-Country Sprint aces Trond Einer Elden and Tor Arne Hetland get help from experts in the weight room.
– Yes, we have done more strength training than last year, says Elden
The warm-up is done with medicine balls weighing between 10 – 18 pounds.
– We do a variety of exercises with the medicine balls for 20 – 30 minutes. The weight of these balls seems light, so we go at max effort until the sweat drops.
Next up are the heavy weight bars, and a typical weight-lifter session with heavy loads.
– For a while we did sets of 6 repetitions, now we’re down to 1 – 4 repetitions.
One of the main focuses with such heavy lifting is correct technique, and the Cross-Country skiers are being taught and watched thoroughly.
– In May when we started this program, we got very sore after each session. However, today we feel much stronger, and actually are less tired and sore after a weight session than any other training session.
How do you feel this weight training will improve your ski results?
– It is difficult to say, since it is difficult to measure. We believe in getting overall stronger and more explosive, but “there are many roads leading to Rome”, says Trond Einar Elden. He also says that this type of weight training only adds up to about 5 – 10% of the total training volume.
Editor’s comment: Trond Einar Elden is the brother of US Ski Team Nordic Combined head coach Baard Elden.
