Cross Country Skiing

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.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/thnewdpp9z14esvdhdmu.vtt

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

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.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/u6za6pmlmytlyqiwxjxx.vtt

Do you track your training and recovery with data? If so, what do you do with it?

I do track my training and Recovery with data, I actually have an aura ring and to switch hands. I'll show you. It's on this and and so I sleep with it and I follow my heart rate, my HRV. How much deep sleep and REM sleep in my getting and how much sleep over all? I also try to make sure that I don't rely solely on the data. So, I fill out a questionnaire in my training log, where I subjectively rate, how do I felt like I slept, what is my stress level in everyday life? Am I packing up and moving? Do I have a lot of other things going on? That is going to make it harder for my body to recover. So then I combine the data with how I feel and do my best to react accordingly in my training plan. So if I'm feeling a little off and the data is also saying yeah, you know you're a little off then maybe I push back intervals a day or two because it's important to make sure that when I'm training I'm getting the most out of it and not Not just blindly following the plan without checking in to see how my body actually feels.

I use data from my aura ring to track my sleep and recovery, as well as subjectively fill out a questionnaire in my training log to see how I'm feeling. I combine this information with my training plan to make sure I'm getting the most out of my training and not just blindly following it.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/mwt1csiadzvw1kzh4dqs.vtt

What do you think are some general keys to success?

Hi, Joanne has some general keys to success that I found to be really helpful. Our first of all, have some goals, and a plan. So you wouldn't just get in the car with no idea of where you're going, or maybe. I don't know. But personally, I like to have a road map. I like to know I'm trying to get from point A to point B. Here's my plan. Here's how I'm going to get there. That really helps me to have some Direction, with whatever it is that I'm talking like, have a plan and then, Build your team. And so, I don't, I really don't think anything important in life is ever achieved alone. And so I think it's really important to know, hey, who's my support network? Who are my teammates in this? Who's my coach, you know, if it's whether it's a project work initiative, musical Endeavor, or a sporting thing, you know, you still want someone to instruct you and guide you and help you and give you feedback when you need it and you want teammates to have your back and support you along the way.

Have some goals, a plan, and build a team. Having a plan and support network is important to achieve anything in life.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/ao5augl9dyp0xji4gqun.vtt

What does effective strength or weight training look like for xc-skiers? Any specific exercises that are particularly important?

I think, strength and weight training is so important for cross country skiing, so I do think it's a little bit different for different skiers in different stages of life. Like, for example, I do a few more Olympic list now that I'm in my early 30s and have had years to work on the technique. And when I first started, when I was younger, it was a little more body weight based which is awesome. So I do think though a few things are really, really important in this sport. We spend almost all are Our time just balancing and gliding on one foot at a time, right? Like when you're skating, you're on one foot, then the other foot the same with classic when you're striding. So a lot of things like single leg already owls or box step UPS where you hold weights up in your shoulder so it's really activating your balancing muscles. Your core has to be turned on but you're doing step UPS or rear foot elevated split leg squats. So you got your back leg up on a box and you're just doing a squat with your front. Egg, those are really really awesome and you really have to be on it and engaged with your core as well. And then forearms pull-ups. And dips are always really awesome medicine, ball. Slams those really activate the lats and help you build that power. And then with core, I like to think of more full body course. So, not just like, crunches or sit-ups, but more like a plank or things that really like rollout or on a TRX. I swear you know kind of do like a Superman where you roll your arms out. I really like those things that really engage the full body and turn on all the muscles that wrap around your core and help you balance.

Strength and weight training is important for cross-country skiing, but it can vary depending on age and experience. Some great exercises to focus on are single leg box step ups, rear foot elevated split leg squats, pull-ups, dips, medicine ball slams, planks, rollouts, and TRX Supermans. These exercises engage the core, balancing muscles, and lats to help build power and balance.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/sj50ajovs75vq1wghfvb.vtt

How are your intensity sessions distributed in terms of HIIT/Threshold?

So how are my intensity sessions distributed in terms of high intensity or threshold? So quick background for cross-country skiers we tend to work in levels. Level one is super, super easy. You could have a conversation while you're training level 2. We kind of stay away from Level 3 is sub-race Pace. It's that lactic acid threshold and then level 4 is race pace and level 5 is like your all-out Sprint, like the 15-second, like get up and go. Oh that so level 5 you're only ever in it for you know 15 to 30 seconds. So in the spring we tend to do a lot of level one, just building up that big big base and then starting in June we really get into a lot more threshold intervals were not really doing a ton of 04, a lot of L3 at that time and then kind of throughout the summer, they kind of start to change where the level 3 goes down and the level for goes up and so by Time we're in August, we're probably doing one interval set of L3 and one interval set of L for every week and then by the time we're getting into October, maybe both sessions are L4 and maybe they're a little more time trial based to because we're starting to really think. How can we apply this forward into racing specifically with the goal setting and the pacing in the mindset. We do time, trials, all year round but in the fall we might start to run, you know. More like Sprint time trial simulations, not just a 5k or 10K time trap. So I hope that's helpful.

In the spring, cross-country skiers typically focus on Level 1 (easy) and Level 2 (conversational pace) training. By June, they start doing more threshold intervals at Level 3. Throughout the summer, the amount of Level 3 decreases while the amount of Level 4 increases. By October, both sessions are usually Level 4, with more time trial simulations focusing on sprinting.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/pqaxmjkaphgqggmbhc8k.vtt

Jessie Diggins answers your Cross Country Skiing questions. See all the advice Jessie Diggins has and get answers to your own Cross Country Skiing questions.

How many hours do you train a year?

Jessie Diggins