Cross Country Skiing

The Key to Training Success: Quality Hours Over Quantity

This is different every single year. We actually dropped my hours in the Olympic year to help me do kind of a four-year super peak cycle. This year, it will be around 875 hours a year. However, the one thing I will tell, especially young skiers is it really-- the hours that you train is super individual. It will be different for every single athlete. It will probably be different every year of your life. And I think it's really important to make sure that it's quality hours. Don't just chase the number. Don't just chase bigger and bigger hours. Make sure that what you're doing in those hours is right for you and that you recover from it, because it's recovering from the hours of training, that is where the magic is going to happen. And that's where you're actually going to get faster and stronger.

The number of hours spent training each year is unique to each athlete and should be tailored specifically to their needs. Quality of training is more important than quantity, and it is important to make sure you are properly recovering from your training.

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The number of hours I train in a year varies. In an Olympic year, we actually reduce my training hours to support a four-year super peak cycle. Currently, I train around 875 hours per year. However, it's important to note that training hours are highly individualized. They differ for each athlete and may even change from year to year. Quality of training is more important than simply chasing a higher number of hours. It's crucial to ensure that the training is right for you and that you prioritize proper recovery. The magic happens during the recovery phase, where you can become faster and stronger.

Commit with your whole heart, no matter the timing - advice for success

Hey Michael. What is my single best piece of advice in life? I really like this quote that my mom shared with me years ago about basically if you have a committed heart, you're going to make something happen. Even if the conditions aren't perfect because often times in life, the timings never exactly right? You know, like, for example, at the Olympics, I had food poisoning 30 hours before the timing was not right? But if you really want something to happen, it's Worth committing your whole heart to it and committing everything you have and really going after it. So essentially if something is worth doing to you then go all in and really just commit to it because then, you know, that you've really tried and you've given it your absolute best shot and you don't have to wonder, you know, what, if I had tried this, what if I had just done it, you know, you know, I tried it. Here's what happened. And you get to live at peace with that answer. So, even if If it's not the outcome you wanted, you know that you gave yourself the best chance of success in whatever it is that you're going after. So yeah. Basically the advice I would give is if you if you want to commit to something commit with your full heart. Even if the timing isn't right and just see how far you can take it.

If you want to commit to something, commit with your full heart and see how far you can take it.

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My single best advice in life is to have a committed heart. This quote, shared by my mom, has stuck with me over the years. It means that if you truly want something to happen, even if the conditions aren't perfect or the timing isn't right, it's worth committing your whole heart to it and giving it everything you have.

Life often presents imperfect circumstances, just like when I had food poisoning before the Olympics. But if something is truly worth doing to you, then go all in and commit to it wholeheartedly. By doing so, you can rest assured knowing that you've given it your absolute best effort. You won't have to wonder what if because you'll have tried and can live at peace with the outcome.

Even if the result isn't what you desired, you'll know that you gave yourself the best chance of success in pursuing what you truly wanted. So, my advice is to commit with your full heart, even if the timing isn't right, and see how far you can take it.

What does your strength training plan consist of?

US Ski Team's Incredible Strength Training Plan: A High Performance Overview

So, my strength training plan is written by to Shawna Schiller. She's amazing. She's an Incredible strength coach and high performance director for the US ski team. So we actually go in phases. So in the spring were building up and trying to make sure that I have all the strength that I need. Then we try to get the muscles. I have incredibly strong and right now we're trying to make them really Snappy and fast. I think that's sort of a high level overview of it, but um, so I warm up for about 30 minutes, it's either a spin bike or run. And then we do a little Dynamic warm-up. We make sure we hit my postural muscles, so a lot of band pulls that activate the muscles in between my shoulder blades to help pull my shoulders back and down. So I don't end up like this from all the cross-country skiing. I want my I want my muscles to be strong so my back can be straight and have good posture. So that's a little bit of the life strength that we do at the start. And then I have a lot of jumps that I I do right now and then we get into some heavier lifting. So right now I'm doing some isometric holds its really working on improving my tendon strength and overall joint health. As well. As then I'm doing some quarter squats. I also do a lot of things that are on one leg to work on balance and hip strength and core stability. I have some really fast pull-ups and Med ball slams for kind of that Snappy. Upper body strength, especially because cross-country skiers need a lot of that lot strength because we do so much of that pulling motion. And then I have a lot of core and a lot of it's very full body courts. Not just sitting on a mat doing sit-ups or crunches but it might be using a TRX. And so my whole body has to be engaged a lot of plank work. We might use bands for resistance and a lot of things where you're putting your body in a position where it needs to work to be. Well, as well.

My strength training plan is written by Shawna Schiller, an incredible coach and high performance director for the US ski team. It involves a warm-up, dynamic movements, isometric holds, quarter squats, one leg exercises, fast pull-ups, med ball slams, core work, and using TRX and bands for resistance. All of these exercises are designed to improve my joint health, tendon strength, balance, hip strength, core stability, upper body strength, and overall full body engagement.

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My strength training plan is designed by Shawna Schiller, an incredible strength coach and high-performance director for the US ski team. The plan consists of different phases. In the spring, we focus on building up overall strength. Then, we work on making the muscles strong and snappy.

The training session starts with a 30-minute warm-up, either on a spin bike or through running. We also include a dynamic warm-up and exercises to activate my postural muscles, particularly the ones between my shoulder blades, to maintain good posture.

The training includes jumps, heavier lifting, isometric holds to improve tendon strength and joint health, quarter squats, single-leg exercises for balance, hip strength, and core stability. I also incorporate fast pull-ups and med ball slams to develop upper body strength, which is important for cross-country skiing.

Core work is a significant part of the training, focusing on engaging the entire body rather than just doing sit-ups or crunches. We use tools like TRX and resistance bands to challenge the body in different positions and ensure overall engagement.

Overall, the training plan is comprehensive, targeting different muscle groups and emphasizing full-body engagement for optimal performance.

How do you handle being in so much pain during a race?

Mastering Mental Toughness: Overcoming Pain in Endurance Sports

Hey, so how do I handle being in so much pain during a race? This is like the mother of all questions for cross-country, skiing and Endurance Sports. And honestly, honestly, it's really mental because physically your body has its own limits, but your brain has its own idea of what it can do or not do. So the biggest thing is I come up with a mantra and a mental goal Before the Race, well, before the race starts of what am I going to say to myself? When the going gets really hard, What am I going to remind myself of? And usually it will be something like how do I want to feel the Finish? Because when I crossed that Finish Line at the end of the race, I want to be able to honestly look back and know that I could not have given more of myself and I'm the only one who's ever going to know but I'm going to also be my harshest critic, right? And so I want to look back and know without a shadow of a doubt. I left it all out there. I don't have to wonder what if I tried as hard as I could and I did. Back down. I went all in on this especially if it's a relay where my teammates career goals are on the line, not just mine. So that's one thing. And then the other thing I do is in the moment, I try to really break it down to being in the moment. So if your 5K into a 10k race and you're in a lot of pain, I don't worry about how am I going to get through the next 5K? I just think about right here, right now, how fast can I see up this hill? The pace that I think I can sustain and sometimes I literally break Down to 10 seconds. And I just count to ten over and over again because you can do 10 seconds of anything. And then I try to reset and ski the next 10 seconds as well. And efficiently as I can,

To handle being in a lot of pain during a race, I come up with a mantra and a mental goal before the race starts. During the race, I try to break it down to being in the moment and counting to ten over and over again.

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Handling intense pain during a race, especially in endurance sports like cross-country skiing, is primarily a mental challenge. While your body has its physical limits, your brain plays a crucial role in determining what you can push through. 

To cope with the pain, I develop a mantra and mental goal before the race begins. I remind myself of how I want to feel at the finish line. I strive to give my absolute best, leaving no doubt that I couldn't have given more. Being my own harshest critic, I want to know that I went all-in and didn't hold back, especially in team relays where my teammates' goals are at stake too.

In the midst of the race, I focus on being in the present moment. Instead of worrying about the remaining distance, I break it down into smaller increments. For example, if I'm 5 kilometers into a 10-kilometer race and experiencing significant pain, I don't think about how to get through the next 5 kilometers. Instead, I concentrate on the current moment and set a pace that I believe I can sustain. Sometimes, I even break it down to counting to ten repeatedly, focusing on each ten-second interval. This helps me reset and ski as efficiently as possible.

By employing these mental strategies, I can navigate the intense pain and push through the challenges of the race.

Fueling for Success: A Flexible Pre-Race Meal Plan

Monty wants know my pre-race meal is so this is really a cool one because I try to be really flexible and have multiple pre-race meals that would work for me. So I've got a plan to be planning to see plan because sometimes on the road, you don't know what you're gonna get, and you don't really have control over the foods, you're provided with, at different hotels, in different countries around the world. So my go-to is oatmeal with some sort of nut butter, like peanut butter, almond butter, or something, and a banana. And maybe some plain Greek yogurt. And if it's quite a while before I raise, I might also have some eggs on the side. So I'm getting a mix of proteins, some carbon carbohydrates and some fats for staying power, but it's all pretty easy for me to digest especially like, I know, banana peanut butter oatmeal, like, that's gonna stay down. No matter what my backup plan is. I actually travel with jar peanut butter so it's peanut butter. Butter on toast on otherwise like muesli if I can soak it the night before in almond milk or oat milk or something, to make sure it's easier to digest. So I've got a number of options that I know are going to work for me.

My pre-race meal typically consists of oatmeal with nut butter, a banana, and some plain Greek yogurt. If it's quite a while before I race, I might also have some eggs on the side. The mix of proteins, carbs, and fats will give me staying power, while being easy to digest. As a backup plan, I travel with jar peanut butter and either toast or muesli that I can soak in milk the night before.

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My go-to pre-race meal is oatmeal with nut butter (such as peanut or almond butter), a banana, and sometimes plain Greek yogurt. If it's a while before the race, I might also have some eggs on the side. This combination provides a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats for sustained energy. It's easy for me to digest, and I find that banana peanut butter oatmeal is always a reliable choice. In case I don't have access to my preferred meal, my backup plan is to have peanut butter on toast or muesli soaked in almond milk or oat milk. I like to be flexible and have multiple options that I know will work for me, especially when traveling.

What kind of sports do you do to cross train in the summer?

Unlock the Secrets of Summer Cross Training: From Dance to Roller Skiing

This is the super fun part. We get to do so many things. Cross-country skiing because it's so aerobic, anything that gets your heart rate going really works as great cross training. So in the spring, I do a lot of dance classes, which I very much enjoy. In the summer we do a ton of trail running. We also do a lot of gravel biking, sometimes swimming when it's really hot. And of course, a lot of roller skiing to train for cross-country skiing in the summer.

In the winter I like to do cross-country skiing, in the spring I enjoy dance classes, and in the summer we do a lot of trail running, gravel biking and swimming. We also roller ski to train for cross-country skiing.

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In the summer, I engage in various sports for cross-training purposes. Cross-country skiing is a fantastic aerobic activity that gets the heart rate up, making it an excellent choice. During the spring, I enjoy taking dance classes as part of my cross-training routine. In the summer, I focus on trail running and gravel biking, both of which provide great workouts. When the weather gets hot, swimming becomes a refreshing option. Additionally, roller skiing is a key activity for training in preparation for cross-country skiing during the summer months. Overall, I have the opportunity to participate in a range of enjoyable and beneficial sports during the summer for cross-training purposes.

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Jessie Diggins