Autumn training for skiers: try this session

From Team Swix to the national team

Mattis Stenshagen earned his place in the Norwegian men's national team after two seasons of strong World Cup skiing with the private team Team Swix. The team is now known as Team Hofseth.

We asked him to share his autumn favourite, and got a classic back.

The session: 10 x 3 minutes at zone 4

Ten three-minute reps at zone 4, with 1-2 minutes of recovery. Rollerskis or running.

"I really like this session. This is one where you don't have to hold back," says Mattis Stenshagen.

Zone 4 is the hard end of the intensity scale. Hard enough that you can't speak in full sentences, controlled enough that you get through ten reps. It is close to the intensity much of a ski race is run at.

Ten reps leave room to find your rhythm. Miss the first one and you still have nine.

Spend time on the warm-up

Stenshagen builds through the session, but points to the warm-up as the deciding factor.

"The most important thing is a proper warm-up. Alternatively, use the first two reps as part of it, so you're genuinely ready when you open up for real," he says.

In short: The first two reps are not wasted if they're a little easier. They're part of the work.

Find a three-minute loop

The session works on rollerskis, in running shoes and as an elghufs session. Elghufs is the Norwegian term for bounding uphill with poles, and it is one of the most ski-specific things you can do on dry land.

"It can be fun to find a loop that takes around three minutes and try to hold the same time on every rep. Or you can lift the pace slightly on each one," says Stenshagen, who does the session on rollerskis with Swix poles.

A fixed loop gives you a benchmark. Run it now, then run it again four weeks later, and you'll see what the autumn actually gave you.

The recovery decides what the session becomes

This is the part most people skip. The same session on paper can become two entirely different sessions, and the length of the recovery decides which one you get.

Want control? Cut the recovery down, as far as 30 seconds. That keeps the pace in check, and puts the work into technique and consistency.

Want it race-specific? Then you go the other way.

"If you want to open the taps and make it more race-specific, I'd recommend 2 minutes between reps and a 4-5 minute set break after the first five," says Stenshagen.

In short: Short recovery buys technique. Long recovery buys speed.

What you take away

"It's a good session for relevant technical work, and for giving the heart a proper day at work," says Stenshagen.

Three minutes is long enough to put your technique under pressure, the way a race does. And short enough that it holds through the whole set.

Try Mattis's favourite session

1. Warm up properly, or use the first two reps as the warm-up.

2. Run 10 x 3 minutes at zone 4.

3. Choose your recovery by purpose: 30 seconds for control, 2 minutes for speed.

4. Going for speed: add a 4-5 minute set break after rep five.

5. Hold the same time on every rep, or lift the pace slightly on each.

6. Rollerskis, running or elghufs. How you do it matters more than what you do it on.

Closing

Autumn gives you very little back on the day. But when the snow arrives and you're behind the start line, it's the reps in the autumn rain that decide it.

Enjoy the training.

→ See the full autumn campaign [campaign page]