Training Plan

: First week

To provide situations that will reflect difficult challenges athletes will encounter in their adult lives to prepare them to

persist and never give up,
respect others in the midst of personal challenges, and
be genuine in their relationships with others in the understanding that how they act in difficult situations is a better reflection of who they really are as a person.

Attendance

Ask a question

Important:

If you are not feeling well, please follow proper health precautions out of respect for your teammates and the season goals they may have as well as for your own safety in this physically demanding sport.

**This is for the safety of athletes and coaches on the team as well as prolonging our team's ability to compete for the entire season.**

Technique of the Week: Double Pole

Athlete Action Items:

Weights and Strength [expand]

Technique of the Week: Double Pole

Double Pole: Fundamental for both skate and classic technique but can be used as a fast technique in classic ski races on flats and smaller uphills

Weight transfer (up and forward)
Push off
Glide

Checkout more technique videos in the Technique Videos page from the menu at the top at any time.

Announcements

Athlete Action Items:

Team Trip: December 4th - 6th [Signup here by Friday November 14th!]
OutThere Nordic: Returning skiers: I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the kickwax package from OutThere Nordic. These waxes are the primary waxes we use almost all season and it includes a universal klister for tricky conditions. The store closes mid-November so don't wait! Password is "bengals".
Hats: Borah hat orders, now through November 28th [Get yours here!] Store password is blaine
Team Training Shirts: Please respond by Friday with your shirt size so we can get a team shirt [Shirt size here]
Returning skiers: We will be rollerskiing on Tuesday, weather permitting (see plan below). Captains, please have the gear room open from 7:20 to 7:30 am for ski pole storage on Tuesday.
New skiers: Try to have your ski boots and a helmet at practice by Friday for a rollerski introduction in the parking lot.
Cub Foods Signup: Please pick a time slot if you haven't already for our Cub Foods bagging. This is a fun time and the best way to help our team raise money for the upcoming season.
JNQs: Interested in finding some more rigorous competition and race experience during the season? Consider signing up for JNQ races, you do not need to be attached to a club and can even have Bjorn wax your skis for a race weekend if you arrange with him in advance. Race deadlines are usually a few days prior to the event, you have to have a CXC membership for most race options that will be good for the year.

Team Announcements:

New to the team?

Start with our team info flier
Parent information packet (discussed at team info meeting last week)

Official practice will be begin Monday, November 10th at 2:30pm (MS kids get to BHS as soon as you can, get your ride from the back of RMS)

Each day we will start in the fitness room right after school at 2:45 (Fitness room is by the weight room)

Training / Race Journal: Please have a journal / notebook to bring to practice on Friday for some goal planning. [click here for prompts]

Gear storage: Please bring in your rollerskis, helmet and rollerski poles. Poles should be in a ski bag and not loose in the gear room. We only want skis/poles stored in the gear room on the wall rack, all other items (including boots, helmets, etc) need to stored in your locker.

New skiers: Try to have your ski boots and a helmet at practice by Friday for a rollerski introduction in the parking lot.

Dress Appropriately: Have clothing each day for all conditions: Running shoes, ski boots, helmet and poles (for rollerskiing), base layers, windlayers, warm clothes for cold days (hat, gloves, etc) as we start inside, workout outside and often will finish indoors in the weight room or with technique drills. Some days will be windy, don't just go off of what your weather app says for the high temperature.

Skier education: Here are some examples of Nordic skiing and technique videos to review as you get ready for the season: US Ski Team Website or checkout our new team Technique Video page.

Key dates for the upcoming ski season:

Cub Foods bagging

- Wednesday, 11/26
  - Cub Foods North (12595 Central Ave NE)
  - Suggested times 9 am – 7 pm

Team Information for Reference [expand]

Important team information for reference:

Team information packet (schedule, apparel order links, lettering standards, etc)
Checkout the liquid wax demo video for how to use the wax and brush that you will be receiving.
Nutritional information for endurance athletes
We do have team members that have nut, tree nut and other food related allergies. Please be careful if you are eating foods such as these and clean up after yourself on the bus and in the chalet.
Bunker Ski Trails. If you are 16+ in age you should purchase an annual xc trail pass from the DNR website (wait until trails are skiable before purchasing this)
Get on Strava and start sharing what you are doing with the team through our Strava club page.
Support our team with Amazon Smile.
Follow boosters on Instagram @blainenordicboosters

Team Routines

Stretch Routine [expand]

10 stretches for every day. Hold each for 10 seconds, twice on each side:

Hamstrings: Use a railing or something about waist high. Place leg on railing and then slowly reach toward your toe.
Quadriceps: Bend leg behind you and grab with opposite hand. Be sure to not over-compress your knee on this stretch.
Lower calf: Start 2-3 feet away from a wall. Lift one foot up and move it forward. Keeping heel of further foot on the ground bend your knee forward in your stance.
Upper calf: Move farther away from wall and drape non-stretching leg on back of the stretching leg. Keep heel on the ground.
Butt and Hip: Sitting on the ground, cross leg over top of bottom leg. Pull outside of knee toward you with opposite elbow (sometimes called ‘beauty queens’, etc)
Lower Back: Bird dog stretch--From table position point with opposite arm and opposite leg
Triceps: Standing up, put arm behind your head then press down gently on elbow to increase tension.
Leg adductors:Butterfly stretch
Abdominals: seal stretch
Neck: Start with gentle neck circles. Then reach behind your back with right arm and grasp left elbow. Pull toward center of the back while tipping right with your head (should increase the tension on the neck). Repeat for other side.

Weights and Strength [expand]

Fitness room at 2:45 each day Athletes: Three days a week, one day a week waxing. Varies by athlete wax group

5-10 minutes of light cardio, such as jogging or jumping jacks
5-10 minutes of dynamic stretches, such as arm circles, leg swings, and torso twists

Critical:

Additional Options:

4 x 10/side lower abs

CIRCUIT (10/side)

—heel tap downs

—single leg v-ups

—glute bridge walk outs

3 x 8 single leg deadlift

3 x 30-60 sec Plank

Crunches: 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Weight Room: Coaches keep track of time intervals.

At each minute interval group 1 switches between their A activities. Group 2 between their B activities.
After each group has done their 3 reps then groups a/b switch exercises in the circuit.
Circuit should take 12 minutes total.
Remaining time within the minute is recovery.
Athletes should get their area set prior to the start of the circuit.

Circuit #1:

A 3 x 5 weighted squat jumps

A 3 x 8 power push ups (down slow, fast up)

B 3 x 8 lunge jumps

B 3 x 8/side rainbow medicine ball slam

Circuit #2

A 3 x 10 dumbbell bench press

A 3 x 30 seconds box jump

B 3 x 10 dips

B 3 x 10 lat pull down

Remaining Time:

3 x max 1/2 pull ups (don’t come down to straight arms- stay at 90 degrees and go fast)
Stretching

Ski Erg Workouts [expand]

Before getting started on the workouts, watch our technique video to really dial in your efficiency and technique.

1000 meters: The all-out, how hard and how long can you go workout! This sprint is a great test, both mentally and physically. If you haven’t participated in the weekend of SkiErg World Sprints, this is a good year to start. Stay tuned for an updated training program.
30 minutes: This piece may take some building up to, especially if you’re just starting out. This great cardio piece is helpful for recharging, rebuilding and working on mental and physical endurance.
:30 on/:30 off: This one is deceptively tricky. This is the kind of workout you want to go into with a game plan. Are you trying to hold your 500m pace? Do you want to do 10 rounds? 20? 40? This is a great interval workout for training for both shorter and longer distances.
12 x 100m, 1 minute rest: Nothing wakes you up better than some all-out 100 meters. You may take anywhere from 15-30 seconds on these, so treat each one as a sprint. This practices building up your starts, sprinting and prepping for a 500m or 1000m time trial.
5 x 1250m with 2 minutes rest: This is one of those workouts where you will want to know your 5k time and pace. Interval workouts that are not your standard distances really keep your mind guessing and push you to your limits. Can you hold your 5k pace? Can you go a bit quicker? Use the Pace Calculator to help you plan this workout.
100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m with 30 seconds rest:Use this pyramid to rack in a total of 2500 meters. Pick a pace and try to hold it. This is one of those workouts that starts out "easy" and gets harder as you go. Don't exhaust yourself (or "fly and die") on the shorter pieces.

21,097 Meters (The Half Marathon): Some argue this is easier on the SkiErg than on the RowErg™. This endurance piece is great for testing your capacity.

Race day Routines [expand]

Warmup:

20 min of nonstop L1 skiing
2 x 2 min at L3 (2 min recoveries)
2 x 45 sec at L4
3 x 30 sec at L5

For pursuit day, warmup before second race can be shorter but make sure to be sweating before the race.

Line up:

Be at the start 10 minutes before to line skis up.
Run outs with ski poles with teammates to keep moving and stay warm.

Cool down:

Get a sports drink and put on warm-up jacket / pants and go easy ski 15-20 mins.
5 x 55: Do a 5 second sprint every 55 seconds.

Refuel:

Eat within 30 min of racing: Sandwich with PB or meat/cheese, not just sugar/carbs.
Get off your feet, put on some dry clothes.

Monday

Don't skip any components. As a team it is important as individuals we are disciplined and focus on completing all aspects of the workout to the best of our ability.

Monday Strength: Jessie Diggins Routine + Weight Room [click to expand]

Before practice in gym:

Arm swings
Lunges (front and side)
Superman - 1 min
Crunch with incline or without 3 x 10
1 min plank: 3 sets
Flutter Kick/V legs - 45 seconds each - 90 total - no rest
Push-up complex: 3 sets of 6 reps each

Hands right under rib cage, close to body
Hands out in front of head, stretched forward
Wide stance hands
Normal pushups, hold last one as long as you can

In weight room after outside at 4:15 pm:

Weight Room: Coaches keep track of time intervals.

At each minute interval group 1 switches between their A activities. Group 2 between their B activities.
After each group has done their 3 reps then groups a/b switch exercises in the circuit.
Circuit should take 12 minutes total.
Remaining time within the minute is recovery.
Athletes should get their area set prior to the start of the circuit.

Circuit #1:

A 3 x 5 weighted squat jumps

A 3 x 8 power push ups (down slow, fast up)

B 3 x 8 lunge jumps

B 3 x 8/side rainbow medicine ball slam

Circuit #2

A 3 x 10 dumbbell bench press

A 3 x 30 seconds box jump

B 3 x 10 dips

B 3 x 10 lat pull down

Remaining Time:

3 x max 1/2 pull ups (don’t come down to straight arms- stay at 90 degrees and go fast)
Stretching

(Diggins video)

Core Routine (see above) at 2:30 and captains passing out of locks. CC kids: We need to move locker rooms to our winter locker room location.

New, Getting back into it people: 60 minutes distance.

Based on your fitness it's ok if you mix in periods of walking / hiking.
We want this to be 100% in the ski trails loops.
Keep the running pace easy L2 conversational.

Pace Levels Reference:

L1 - All day pace;
L2 - Easy can talk without needing to pause to breathe;
L3: Focused pace but could maintain for an hour if needed;
L4: Race pace / threshold;
L5: All out, couldn't sustain for more than a couple minutes

Varsity: Classic Intervals & Strength

Classic Intervals [5-7x2m L4 (3m rest), 5-8x30s sprints]. Specific Strength.

Weight Room at 4:15

Tuesday

Meet in Fitness Room at 2:30

Tuesday Core Strength [click to expand]

Fitness room at 2:45 each day Athletes: Three days a week, one day a week waxing. Varies by athlete wax group

5-10 minutes of light cardio, such as jogging or jumping jacks
5-10 minutes of dynamic stretches, such as arm circles, leg swings, and torso twists

Critical: (Checkout links for examples)

20 glute bridges On back, bent knees. Lift butt up to make straight line through shoulders-knees. Squeeze.
20/side supine toe tap On back, bent knees. Feet up, drop foot down to tap floor and return up.
15/side plank hip dips On elbow, dip hips down to floor and return back up to side plank
20/side mountain climber Mountain climber position but shoot leg our to the size, almost like a skate ski
Sideways banded walk Need bands from gear room. Squat position, hands up in front. Small side steps, reverse on return trip

Additional Options:

4 x 10/side lower abs

CIRCUIT (10/side)

—heel tap downs

—single leg v-ups

—glute bridge walk outs

3 x 8 single leg deadlift

3 x 30-60 sec Plank

Crunches: 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Core in fitness room at 2:30: Specific Strength.

First year:

Running outside, based on current fitness level: 1 min slower than mile race pace: Beg: 12-14 minutes 75% HRmax; Int 14-18 minutes 80% HRmax; Adv: 18-24 minutes 85% HRmax. Using ‘All Lefts Route’ in ski trails.

Second Year skiers

Start with skate technique with Marie at the ski trail start (parking lot area)

Year 3+ Skiers:

Loop: Out to guard shack, turn turn right. Left at Bunker Beach intersection, stick to the flat areas for your intervals.

Skate Ski Intervals:

- Warm up [10 min ]
[2 x 5 minutes L3, 90 seconds rest], 5 minute break [17 mins]
[3-5 x 5 minutes L3/L4 (first 2 minutes L3, last 3 minutes L4), 2 minutes rest], [24+ mins]
[4-6 x 1 minute L4, 2 minutes rest ] [12+ mins]
Cool Down

Stretching in hallway at 4:45

Wednesday

Wednesday Strength [click to expand]

1. Jumping jacks, 100 reps

2. Butt kickers, 90 reps

3. High knees, 80 reps

4. Kicks, 70 reps

5. Mountain climber, 60 reps

6. Toy soldiers, 50 reps

7. Shoulder side to side, 40 reps

8. Inner heels, 30 reps

9. Basketball jump shots, 20 reps

10. Burpees, 10 reps

Strength at 2:30 in Fitness Room

Everyone together today (running)

Distance Run

0.75 - 1.25h easy distance run. Specific Strength.

Dryland technique

Cool down

Stretching at 4:45 in hallway

Thursday

Meet in Fitness Room at 2:30

Thursday Core Strength [click to expand]

Fitness room at 2:45 each day Athletes: Three days a week, one day a week waxing. Varies by athlete wax group

5-10 minutes of light cardio, such as jogging or jumping jacks
5-10 minutes of dynamic stretches, such as arm circles, leg swings, and torso twists

Critical:

20 glute bridges On back, bent knees. Lift butt up to make straight line through shoulders-knees. Squeeze.
20/side supine toe tap On back, bent knees. Feet up, drop foot down to tap floor and return up.
15/side plank hip dips On elbow, dip hips down to floor and return back up to side plank
20/side mountain climber Mountain climber position but shoot leg our to the size, almost like a skate ski
Sideways banded walk Need bands from gear room. Squat position, hands up in front. Small side steps, reverse on return trip

Additional Options:

4 x 10/side lower abs

CIRCUIT (10/side)

—heel tap downs

—single leg v-ups

—glute bridge walk outs

3 x 8 single leg deadlift

3 x 30-60 sec Plank

Crunches: 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Strength at 2:30 in fitness room

First year:

20-30 minutes / focus on task / 90-99% HRmax:

10x30 second hill intervals at slightly faster than 5K race speed with jog recovery back down hill. (.33 mile guard shack route).

Returning skiers: Classic Rollerskiing (or double poling on skate skis)

1.5 - 2 h Classic Ski with 8-10 x 15 second single stick speeds

Stretching at 4:45 in hallway

Friday

Meet in Fitness Room at 2:30

Friday Strength: Jessie Diggins Routine + Weight Room [click to expand]

Before practice in gym:

Arm swings
Lunges (front and side)
Superman - 1 min
Crunch with incline or without 3 x 10
1 min plank: 3 sets
Flutter Kick/V legs - 45 seconds each - 90 total - no rest
Push-up complex: 3 sets of 6 reps each

Hands right under rib cage, close to body
Hands out in front of head, stretched forward
Wide stance hands
Normal pushups, hold last one as long as you can

In weight room after outside at 4:15 pm:

Weight Room: Coaches keep track of time intervals.

At each minute interval group 1 switches between their A activities. Group 2 between their B activities.
After each group has done their 3 reps then groups a/b switch exercises in the circuit.
Circuit should take 12 minutes total.
Remaining time within the minute is recovery.
Athletes should get their area set prior to the start of the circuit.

Circuit #1:

A 3 x 5 weighted squat jumps

A 3 x 8 power push ups (down slow, fast up)

B 3 x 8 lunge jumps

B 3 x 8/side rainbow medicine ball slam

Circuit #2

A 3 x 10 dumbbell bench press

A 3 x 30 seconds box jump

B 3 x 10 dips

B 3 x 10 lat pull down

Remaining Time:

3 x max 1/2 pull ups (don’t come down to straight arms- stay at 90 degrees and go fast)
Stretching

(Diggins video)

First year: Need your ski boots and helmets for today

Rollerski technique in parking lot
Weights at 4:15 bring your journal / notebook

Returning: Skate 1.5 - 2hrs distance. 30 minutes no pole.

Weight room at 4:15. Bring your ski journal / notebook for goal setting.

Weekend

Weekend Strength

1. Jumping jacks, 100 reps

2. Butt kickers, 90 reps

3. High knees, 80 reps

4. Kicks, 70 reps

5. Mountain climber, 60 reps

6. Toy soldiers, 50 reps

7. Shoulder side to side, 40 reps

8. Inner heels, 30 reps

9. Basketball jump shots, 20 reps

10. Burpees, 10 reps

Workouts:

Saturday:

All: Weekend Strength Routine (above)
First Year: 15 minutes easy jogging/skating for warmup. Up to 6 miles of roller skiing or rollerblading at 85-94% HRmax--focus on task at hand. Cool down easy skiing or jogging. 10 minutes of stretching.
Returning: 2.75 - 3 h Overdistance Classic Ski

Sunday:

Rest

Each day:

Stretch routine

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