Current Training Phase (Winter Prep Block 1 2025)

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Winter Block I will be about emphasizing strength, power, work capacity, and unilateral balance. Focusing on strength and power will translate to speed on the slopes, higher performance, and the ability to ski or ride for longer. In addition to creating more strength, power, and longevity, being strategic about strength can also decrease injuries (1,2,3,15).   

Working strength is not limited to our main lifts but also important in our accessory work for balance. Think glutes, hamstrings, upper back, and lower back work. Implementing posterior chain strength will keep your body producing force for longer, with less likelihood of injury (15).  A strong power lift or Olympic lift can benefit athletes, but a balanced body, with a strong posterior chain, has been shown to directly increase performance (4,15). Many programs overlook accessory work, but it’s important for isolating certain areas and concentrating on imbalances that may be missed during major lifts.   

From Research
  • Increase in torso strength will increase skiing performance through trunk stability and the ability to rotate faster, at a sharper angle (10). Core work will be a top priority throughout this block of training.  
  • Non sport specific training (aka strength training) improves performance more than sport specific training. (4) 
  • Strength training directly improves running economy in cross country skiers (1,13,14).

You do not have to be a skier to benefit from this block. All of the emphasized elements will be beneficial in building lean body mass and influencing body composition.  

Periodization Principles
  • Undulating
  • Linear
  • Autoregulation
  • Triphasic
  • Concurrent
References

1-Castañeda-Babarro, A., Etayo-Urtasun, P., & León-Guereño, P. (2022). Effects of strength training on cross-country skiing performance: A systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(11), 6522. 

 2-Losnegard, T., Mikkelsen, K., Rønnestad, B. R., Hallén, J., Rud, B., & Raastad, T. (2011). The effect of heavy strength training on muscle mass and physical performance in elite cross country skiers. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 21(3), 389-401.  

3-Hoff, J., Helgerud, J., & Wisloeff, U. L. R. I. K. (1999). Maximal strength training improves work economy in trained female cross-country skiers. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 31, 870-877.  

4-Stöggl, T., & Holmberg, H. C. (2022). A systematic review of the effects of strength and power training on performance in cross-country skiers. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 21(4), 555.  

5-Beattie, K., Kenny, I. C., Lyons, M., & Carson, B. P. (2014). The effect of strength training on performance in endurance athletes. Sports Medicine, 44, 845-865.  

6-Hughes, D. C., Ellefsen, S., & Baar, K. (2018). Adaptations to endurance and strength training. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 8(6), a029769.  

7- McGuigan, M. R., Wright, G. A., & Fleck, S. J. (2012). Strength training for athletes: does it really help sports performance?. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 7(1), 2-5.  

8- Yang, J., Christophi, C. A., Farioli, A., Baur, D. M., Moffatt, S., Zollinger, T. W., & Kales, S. N. (2019). Association between push-up exercise capacity and future cardiovascular events among active adult men. JAMA network open, 2(2), e188341-e188341.  

9- Carbone, S., Kirkman, D. L., Garten, R. S., Rodriguez-Miguelez, P., Artero, E. G., Lee, D. C., & Lavie, C. J. (2020). Muscular strength and cardiovascular disease: an updated state-of-the-art narrative review. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 40(5), 302-309.  

10-Turnbull, J.R.; Kilding, A.E.; Keogh, J.W.L. Physiology of Alpine Skiing: Physiology and Alpine Skiing: A Review. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports 2009, 19, 146–155. [Google Scholar] [PubMed] 

11-Zadic, A., Ordean, M. N., Monea, D., Grosu, V. T., Pop, R. M., Popovici, C., … & Simon, S. (2025). Improving Balance and Technical Skills of Young Alpine Skiers: Outcomes of a 10-Week Complex Dry-Land Training Program. Applied Sciences, 15(5), 2831. 

12-Sandbakk, Ø., Tønnessen, E., Sandbakk, S. B., Losnegard, T., Seiler, S., & Haugen, T. (2025). Best-practice training characteristics within Olympic endurance sports as described by Norwegian world-class coaches. Sports Medicine-Open, 11(1), 45. 

13-Murlasits, Z.; Kneffel, Z.; Thalib, L. The physiological effects of concurrent strength and endurance training sequence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Sports Sci. 2018, 36, 1212–1219. [Google Scholar]

14-Ambrosini, L., Presta, V., Goldoni, M., Galli, D., Mirandola, P., Vitale, M., & Gobbi, G. (2021). Are we able to match non sport-specific strength training with endurance sports? A systematic review and meta-analysis to plan the best training programs for endurance athletes. Applied Sciences, 11(16), 7280. 

15-Bautista, I. J., Vicente-Mampel, J., Baraja-Vegas, L., Segarra, V., Martín, F., & Van Hooren, B. (2021). The effects of the Nordic hamstring exercise on sprint performance and eccentric knee flexor strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies among team sport players. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 24(9), 931-938.