Facing a lack of snow? Writing your training plan for next year? Here are some bounding tips from three-time 2015 national champion Rosie Brennan that will whip you into shape.
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There is really only one way to become a faster skier. Train. We will keep you inspired with training reports from the best around, as well as articles on specific workouts and suggestions on how to improve your own training. Use the links below to view articles in a specific sub-category, or srcoll down to view all Training articles.
NorAm leader Michael Somppi shares a tool that can be used as a race-day warmup or post-interval cool down, and it's one Canadian World Cup coach Tor-Arne Hetland shared with him. "The recipe is 4 x 15 seconds on/45 seconds off, and the key to doing this effectively is the pacing," Somppi explains.
The reigning double-sprint champion from 2015 U.S. nationals, Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess talks about race prep and how he practices getting up to speed in training. "Personally I have an incredibly hard time replicating a race effort," he says. "The 15-15 is how I practice qualification."
Optimizing performance is a tricky business for winter-endurance athletes. Climate variations, equipment choices and training methods are all factors in a successful performance, and frequently leave nutrition at the bottom of a long checklist. For many reasons, hydration is an overlooked aspect of winter-sports performance.
A master skier learns a valuable lesson about aerobic training while blowing out the early season cobwebs at the start of the season in West Yellowstone, Mont.
Wednesday Workout: Tour de Ski Prologue Prep with Diggins
FasterSkierDecember 31, 2014
How does one get ready for the Tour de Ski, or more specifically, prep for a prologue? Jessie Diggins takes us through a "prologue practice day" workout, which she did about a week ago in advance of the 3 k freestyle prologue on Saturday, the first day of the 2015 Tour de Ski.
Wednesday Workout: Fast, Uphill V2
François Léger DionneDecember 24, 2014
There's snow in Quebec, and FS contributor François Léger Dionne gives us a great way to burn off the holiday treats and work on skate technique with the following workout, which he recently did at the Far Hills Ski Center in Val-David, Quebec.
Wednesday Workout: Race-Ready with Rosanna Crawford
FasterSkierDecember 17, 2014
After a career-best finish on Sunday, Canada's Rosanna Crawford takes us through a typical week on the IBU World Cup and explains how and when she fits in intensity sessions, a.k.a. race prep.
Lillehammer’s Pål Golberg on Finding Success at Home, Rollerskiing Year-Round (Exclusive Interview)
Inge ScheveDecember 11, 2014
Norway's Pål Golberg tells FasterSkier why Lillehammer has been good to him in the past (and it's not because he lives there) and why he rollerskis through the winter, at least once a week, and plays golf as much as he can.
Wednesday Workout: Mini-Tour Recovery with Alex Harvey
FasterSkierDecember 10, 2014
What does a World Cup racer do after, say, a mini tour for recovery? We asked Canada's Alex Harvey, who placed 10th overall in last weekend's Lillehammer triple. He opted for an hour-and-15-minute run on Monday in Davos, led by coach Tor-Arne Hetland, who lives in Davos.
While many in the nordic community flock to West Yellowstone each November, this New Mexico master describes what Thanksgiving skiing in Crested Butte is like, with individual attention and a homologated 5 k loop on the edge of town.
Wednesday Workout: Gelso’s Throwback Pre-Race Warmup
FasterSkierDecember 3, 2014
This gem comes from Matt Gelso, which he wrote three years ago after taking fourth in two distance races in West Yellowstone. Gelso, now 26, made the podium at this year's SuperTour opener with a 15 k skate victory in West last Friday. "I require a longer and very substantial warm-up, some simply need a few minutes to move around," Gelso explained. "It is important that you find your own unique methods and progression that gets you perfectly warmed up before a race."
Never fail, on Monday afternoon during a flight from Frankfurt to Denver, Noah Hoffman blogged. And not just any quick update, almost a whopping 2,000 words. The U.S. Ski Team’s top male distance skier got online to explain exactly what happened Sunday in Kuusamo, Finland, where he fell hard with slightly less than 2 kilometers to go in the first World Cup distance race of the season.
Freeman Back in West for First Time in Nine Years, Primed for Season After Summer of Camp Visits
Alex KochonNovember 27, 2014
On Friday, Kris Freeman, 34, will start the season in West Yellowstone for just the second time in his life. He's had quite a journey since his last visit in 2005, and even in the last year, and he explains how he's recovered from chronic fatigue and two procedures, and kept it all in perspective with his diabetes work.
This week's Wednesday Workout comes from West Yellowstone, where skiers are adjusting to altitude in order to prepare for Friday and Saturday's SuperTour races. FasterSkier caught up with the Montana State University Ski Team as they did their first Level 4 workout since arriving in West Yellowstone.
10 Questions with Men’s SuperTour Leader Reese Hanneman
FasterSkierNovember 20, 2014
Reese Hanneman spent most of last March on the World Cup circuit in Europe, so being in Finland is a little like coming home for the 24-year-old SuperTour leader -- except that he's 11 time zones away from home in Alaska.
Wednesday Workout: Throwback ‘Freaking Hard’ Rollerski Intervals with Kershaw
FasterSkierNovember 19, 2014
Good workouts never get old. This week, we bring back a Pro Workout of the past, which Devon Kershaw wrote almost exactly four years ago, just before leaving for Europe in early November. "A great workout this time of year – especially if you are coming off some volume (at altitude or not) and feel your body needs that lactate tolerance work to 'shock' the system," Kershaw writes.
The Hungry Skier: Pumpkin Pie Alternatives
FasterSkierNovember 18, 2014
With Thanksgiving just over a week away, we take some of the research out of making dessert by offering some not-so-mainstream pumpkin recipes (some of which are vegan and grain-free) from POPSUGAR.com.
10 Questions with Women’s SuperTour Leader Caitlin Gregg
FasterSkierNovember 17, 2014
We caught up with Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) before she hopped aboard several planes en route to Muonio, Finland, where she'll train with the U.S. Ski Team for the next week before the season-opening World Cup in Kuusamo.
Bouchard-Harvey Duo Prep in Switzerland Before Meeting Canadian Team in Sweden
FasterSkierNovember 17, 2014
Alex Harvey and personal coach Louis Bouchard were the first from the Canadian World Cup Team to arrive in Gällivare, Sweden, last Thursday. They spent the earlier part of the month acclimating to altitude in Davos, Switzerland.