Written by JJC/PDS Training
To give yourself the best chance of succeeding and progressing throughout the season, you need to be working towards making yourself physically strong, right now. Below is a selection of circuits made up of exercises which I recommend to use in order to prepare you so that we can make the most out of this season.
These specific workouts are based on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT):
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat, in less time.
HIIT training is one of the most effective forms of training to gain muscle, lose fat and increase both endurance and power. HIIT is also pretty much identical to skiing a GS course; you are giving 110% effort through making quick, powerful movements between the gates and by the end of the course you are out of breath and your heart rate is through the roof, hence why I think it is the most appropriate way to get our bodies into the best condition for the very first day of race training!
As this programme does not include any specific weight training, anyone who is already doing their own pre-season weights training should try to incorporate these quick 20/25 minute sessions into their workouts, but obviously, don’t kill yourself!
Training Layout/Schedule
As stated above, HIIT training is based on a period of work directly followed by a period of rest. This programme is based on completing 1 session a day, in which a session consists of repeating a circuit from below 4 times (1 circuit x 4 = DONE!). The idea is to perform each exercise during the ‘WORK’ time, then rest during the ‘REST’ time.
The best results from this programme will be gained by completing 4-5 sessions a week and giving it your all each day. A major benefit to HIIT training is that it takes less than 30 minutes to complete, so there is no excuse that it can’t be done! Depending on the timings that you choose, a session will range from 16 minutes (+ warm up/cool down) to 22 minutes (+warm up/cool down). It will be hard work but it is the best feeling when you’ve smashed the workout!
Below are the 4 different timings, ranging from 25 seconds to 45 seconds that you can use for the session. If this is the first time you’ve tried HIIT then I’d recommend starting with the timings in row 1 and as you complete each week and become fitter, try to increase the time of your ‘WORK’ period so that you work harder for longer!
As you complete each week and become fitter, try to increase the time of your ‘WORK’ period so that you work harder for longer!
| HIGH INTENSITY
(WORK) |
LOW INTENSITY
(REST) |
Total Time | CLICK FOR
TIMER |
|
| Timing 1 – 20 sets | 25 seconds | 30 seconds | 17mins 50secs | Timer 1 |
| Timing 2 – 20 sets | 30 seconds | 20 seconds | 16mins 20secs | Timer 2 |
| Timing 3 – 20 sets | 40 seconds | 20 seconds | 19mins 40secs | Timer 3 |
| Timing 4 – 20 sets | 45 seconds | 20 seconds | 21mins 20secs | Timer 4 |
As you know, it is super important to also include a warm up and cool down into the workout – attempting 100% maximal effort whilst ‘cold’ is asking for an injury.
The Circuits
Below are the 6 different circuits which are specific to skiing and being able to attack the Eurotest. It is up to you which circuit you use, but try not to stick to just 1 circuit over the next few weeks as the best way to make changes to your body is to constantly test it and mixing up which circuit you do is a great way to do it! Once again, none of these circuits are easy, so give it everything you’ve got; in the end it could mean success at the Eurotest.
| Circuit #1 | Circuit #2 |
| ® Sprint on the Spot (High Knees)
® Burpees |
® 10 High Jumps, 4 Lunges |
| Circuit #3 | Circuit #4 |
| ® Flutter Kicks(2) into Squat | ® High Power Jumps |
| Circuit #5 | Circuit #6 |
| ® Power Squats | ® Plyo-Squat (Out&In) |
Each exercise is hyper-linked which will take you to a video, so that you can view how to perform the exercise correctly (Most videos show the exercise toward the end and some guys don’t have the best form. However, it should give you an idea as to what needs to be done!).
It is important to point out that you have to focus on form to gain the best results, it is better to go a little slower and perform the move properly than go super quick and have poor form! It’s all about being able to have good form whilst working at your very hardest!
Balance, Flexibility and Agility
We all know that being strong and powerful as skiers is no use unless we also have balance, flexibility and agility. Leading up to the camp, it is essential to also work on and improve these 3 elements; it will pay off as soon as you clip those skis on. Below are some simple workouts from YouTube that can be done quickly at home before or after your HIIT session. We will continue to work on these in more depth when we get to Austria.
Balance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PIVgUe6z3E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQLiXC31Nrk
Flexibility
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L2lnxIcNmo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EBhxreiSHQ
Agility
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VchxPuX24HY
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
