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interval training

Best Terrain for Skimo Intensity Interval Training: Groomed Ski Runs or Skin Tracks?

December 11, 2019 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Regularly including various technical aspects of skimo racing in your workouts is crucial to your improvement. ISMF photo.

In any competitive sport, once you want to improve your speed beyond a certain plateau, you will have to incorporate regular high intensity sessions into your training (Zone 3 to Zone 5).

Skimo is no different and its various technical aspects introduce even more complexity compared to running or cycling. Skimo race courses travel across a variety of terrain, with most including technical climbing than just going straight up groomed runs.

With that, you might be wondering whether you should do your intensity interval workouts on nicely groomed runs or in a skin track?

Comparing Terrain: Groomed Ski Runs vs Skin Tracks

Comparing the two, by looking only at the terrain, the difference is obvious. Groomed ski runs are easy to climb up even for a skimo novice while skinning in a skin track requires more skill, especially, if your are trying to go fast.

Here are a couple of less obvious points how skinning between these two “terrain types” differs:

  • It’s easy to set into a steady rhythm for long periods of time on a groomed run. Skin tracks with switchbacks break your rhythm often, whether that be your breathing or your stride.
  • Having a consistent skin traction and grip on a groomed run is much easier than in a skin track because keeping good balance is less challenging.
  • Skin tracks usually have switchbacks, thus, your proficiency in kick-turns is crucial to maintaining your speed throughout the climb or high intensity interval.

We can point out more differences but the bottom line is that skin tracks require you to be a much more proficient and technically skilled athlete than groomed ski runs.

Click above to check out our Skimo Manual for proven skimo training tips and advice.

How To Choose The Best Terrain For Your Interval Training?

Now that we are clear on the difference of the terrain types, let’s take a look at how you should decide which workouts to do on groomed ski runs and which ones in skin tracks with kick-turns.

Consider Your Goals and Upcoming Races

The two most important factors when “designing” your intensity workout should be:

  • The goals you have for that workout as part of your overall training goals.
  • What type of terrain you expect in your upcoming important races?

It should be obvious that if you are training for vertical races primarily then performing intervals in skin tracks is not critical to your improvement. In fact, in this case, it might be even be detrimental.

The opposite is true if you are training for technical race or a classic European skimo race like the Pierra Menta. PM’s courses take place almost exclusively in skin tracks and the race includes many technical aspects overall.

Interval Workouts Suitable for Groomed Ski Runs

Early season interval workouts, at least the first few of the season, are best done on less technical terrain, otherwise, you might simply not be able to hold the required intensity for long enough (which is crucial for further progress).

VO2max, or Zone 4 high intensity intervals (5x 5min), are also better performed on ski runs because holding the high intensity for the entire length of the interval is very important in developing your VO2max.

Another example would be maximum speed sprint-style intervals (30x 30sec full-out efforts), it would be counter productive to perform them in a skin track. After all, the goal with these is to generate as much power as possible so it’s best when the snow surface is very supportive and consistent.

Interval Workouts Suitable for Skin Tracks

As already discussed above, depending on your goals and upcoming races, there are times when you can enhance your improvement by performing certain interval intensity sessions inside skin tracks with kick-turns.

If your goal race is a couple of weeks away and you know it will have plenty of skin track skinning, then completing your long intervals (3x 10min of Zone 3) and your high intensity intervals (5x 5min of Zone 4) using the same terrain as the race course, will make you feel strong and confident when the race day comes.

Once you achieve a certain level of technical proficiency, occasionally moving your interval workouts into technical terrain will continue to enhance your skimo progress. As long as you are able to hold the prescribed intensity, in any terrain, you will greatly benefit by matching the race environment as close as possible.

Click above to learn more about our various skimo training resources and training plans. From interval workouts to technique, they provide you with proven tips and advice to help you improve your skimo racing quickly.

Early Season vs Race Season

Early in the season, the priority of your interval workouts should be on building your engine. Work on your technique during the long, easy Zone 1 sessions. Create the best possible conditions (including terrain choice) for a given workout to gain the maximum benefits for the time you spend. Just like you wouldn’t do Zone 4 intervals using your powder ski gear, you don’t want to choose terrain that prevents you from keeping the required intensity or speed.

As your season progresses and your goal races are approaching, design your workouts around the demands of those races. Unless you want to be a pure vertical race specialist, you will need to develop your technical skills while you are breathing heavily and your balance is compromised. Besides, the technical aspects are what makes skimo so appealing and interesting.

Sprint Race Training

Skimo sprints are a special kind of races that require great technique at high speed in quickly changing terrain.

They seem simple at the first glance because they take only 3-5min, however, even without considering the many transitions, a sprint race is arguably the most challenging event to perform successfully on consistent basis.

With that, performing high intensity intervals on sprint-like courses is one of the best ways to improve your skimo skills quickly. Anything done well at high speed will be much easier to repeat when your heart rate is lower. So even if you don’t participate in sprint races, you can greatly benefit by incorporating aspects of sprint races into your training, it is a very efficient use of time.

In few days, we will be releasing a unique sprint and speed development training plan that will give your interval workouts an extra boost and maximize your time. Stay tuned!

Filed Under: Skimo Racing, Training, Tricks & Tips Tagged With: interval training, skimo training

New Training Plan Release: 8-Week Sprint and Speed Development Training Plan

January 11, 2018 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

While our social media accounts were dormant over the Christmas, we were working hard on finishing our newest 8-week skimo training plan!
Eric and I did lots of thinking in the fall and we decided to create a different kind of a training plan.
Unlike our 12-week Novice and Intermediate plans, that prescribe specific training for each day, with our Sprint and Speed Development Plan you will be able to “plug-and-play” 16 specialized interval and technique workouts into your already existing training. Alternatively, you can design your own weekly schedules around them.
This new plan also features 14 detailed skimo specific strength training workouts to further maximize your speed gains.
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Is this plan only for sprint races?
Why there are no daily workouts?

Originally, we set out to design a training plan specifically for sprint races and follow the traditional format of prescribing daily sessions over a period of weeks.

Regularly including various technical aspects of skimo racing in your workouts is crucial to your improvement.
Regularly including various technical aspects of skimo racing in your workouts is crucial to your improvement.
But we changed our mind half way through the creation process for three reasons as we realized this plan can have much more application than for the pure sprinters.
Reason #1:
20% of workouts create 80% of improvement:

While it’s not enough to train only 2 days a week to keep improving over long period of time, there really are only 2-3 key sessions each week that will deliver you the majority of results.
With that experience in mind, we decided to provide you with two highly detailed key workouts per week, and give you guidelines on how to design the rest of the week around your personal schedule.
You can complete the 16 on-skis workouts in this plan over an 8-week period, and you can keep using them into the future as you will have a “library” of very specific skimo sessions at your disposal.
Reason #2:
Specific and focused training is the most efficient way to improve overall:

Sprint events are the shortest of all skimo disciplines but they are the most difficult to prepare for in order to deliver a consistent performance.
Highly focused workouts, including both intervals and technique, are required as the sprint event packs all aspects of skimo in only a 3-4 min race.
This type of training transfers well into longer races too.
Reason #3:
High-intensity sessions greatly benefit even long distance athletes:

While interval workouts designed around Zone L3 (your anaerobic threshold) are essential to improve performance for longer races – such as individual, vertical and teams race – there is lots of sport science research that proofs mixing them with even higher intensity sessions will be more efficient use of your time.
Your body needs a variety of stress to keep improving if you don’t want to get stuck at a plateau, or when you have limited time to train but still want to progress.

Sample workout from the plan

Intervals: 2x 8min of 30/30sec
Goal & Focus: Leg Speed Turnover and Technique
Terrain: Mostly flat or slight uphill, on-piste
Overall Time: 65 min
Description: Do a 20min warm-up on uphill or flat. This is a fast “30sec on and 30sec off” workout to focus on kick and glide, and high frequency leg turnover. Priority is to maintain good technique and stride through the entire workout. Rest 8-10min between the two sets…

Learn more

To learn more about this newest plan visit 8-Week Skimo Sprint and Speed Development Training Plan.
If you are interested in our Manual For Ski Mountaineering e-book as well as this plan then check out this package page to get a special price.

Our 12-week training plans

Since the release of our 12-week Novice and Intermediate Level skimo training plans, we have been receiving a positive feedback from those that are following them.
If you want daily guidance or want to follow a plan for a longer period of time then learn more about these plans at our skimo training resources page.
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Filed Under: Skimo Racing, Training, Tricks & Tips Tagged With: interval training, skimo training

Skimo Training Series: Training tips for September-October

September 24, 2015 By Stano Faban 2 Comments

September marks change of seasons in North America and Europe. One minute you are suffering through the heat of summer then the next it is end of the month and the first snow is dusting the high peaks. During the upcoming weeks, there are a few things you can do to help get ready for ski season.

Eric Carter and Melanie Bernier getting in some early "skinning" mileage.
Eric Carter and Melanie Bernier getting in some early “skinning” mileage.

1) Start mimicking ski movements

Most of us have been running, cycling, or rock climbing all summer so it’s time to start working again on specific muscles for skinning and skiing.
Those with a big road climb in their area can break out the roller-skis. If you aren’t willing (or don’t have a big climb close by) to go to that level of training dedication then uphill ski walking is a good alternative. Find some hills that are steep enough to force you into a walk and use ski poles to push off with full extension in your elbow.
By getting those unused muscles in your back and legs moving, before the snow flies, you will have less soreness to start off when you finally put real skis on your feet.

2) Introduce intensity into your training

This time of the year is a good time to start including intensity training into your weekly routine. Skimo races are frequently at or above lactate threshold pace so Tempo and Threshold work early in the season is key. Start gradually with shorter intervals at lower intensities but work your way towards long interval sessions that mimic climbs in a race.
One of our favourite workouts is the Uphill Hour:
Following an easy warm-up, hike with poles or roller-ski uphill at Tempo pace for 45-60 minutes. Finish with an easy cool down.

3) Plan your race calendar

By October 1st, most race dates are usually decided or you at least have an idea of when your goal race might be since most events have stable dates year to year.
Check SkinTrack race calendar (coming soon), the USSMA calendar, and the ISMF World Cup schedule. Analyse where you need to drive or fly and start planning how far in advance you need to be there. Someone travelling to Utah or Colorado, or even to race Mezzalama in Italy, from near sea-level in Boston or New Hampshire should have very different acclimatization plans than someone that lives in Crested Butte.

How to get ready for a skimo season?

If you have more questions about how to get ready for the upcoming season, check out our skimo training manual – it is full of specific advice on fall intensity sessions and tips on how to plan your race season.

Filed Under: Training, Tricks & Tips Tagged With: interval training, roller-skiing, skimo training

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Travelling through snowy mountains on skis is like flying… and experiencing life at its core.

Gear reviews, interviews, adventures, contests, skills, skimo training, race reports – we connect you to all things related to self-propelled skiing.

SkinTrack.com, created by Stano Faban, was born out of passion for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular ski mountaineering blogs in North America.

Recent Articles

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