In this post, I am going to share with you my experiences on structuring day-to-day training. From those you should be able to pick up some tips that will help you structure yours.
As the saying implies – “There’s more than one way to skin a… mountain” – there is not the way, only a way. And because we all have different work and life commitments our training can drastically differ from one athlete to another.
3 + 1 cycle
What does 3 + 1 stand for?
It means you train for 3 days then you take a day off, and then repeat. Some of you may have just realized what could be challenging about following this structure – after two cycles it no longer fits our society’s 7 day calendar.
That could be an issue, could be not, but let’s take a look why I like to follow it when stars align and I can repeat couple of these.
I found out long time ago that just plain more training doesn’t mean I am going to improve. It’s the right amounts of volume, intensity and rest that will do it.
The day off:
I like the 3 + 1 cycle because I feel very confident that I will not overtrain even without obsessing much about the right balance. One day of rest in a four day cycle seems enough to prevent any negative effects. It’s kind of an “idiot proof autopilot” system.
The 3 days of training:
I found that to train 3 days in a row is ideal to tax my body physiologically yet not enough to burn myself mentally, thus, always keeping a positive attitude going into the next session.
The way I prefer to structure those 3 days is:
- Day 1 – getting back to it:
After a day of rest this one features easy endurance (zone 1) with some technique drills and couple of pick-ups of no more than 1-2 minutes each (zone 3). Overall time of the session depends but preferably I would not go over 2-3h.
I find a not-too-hard gym session on this day to be also a good warm-up as it feels like it readies all my balance and coordination systems/receptors. - Day 2 – intensity:
After a warm up day, where I also refreshed my technique, it’s a great time do go hard. I try to make sure to always come to this day not very tired, which the schedule of the 2 days before is meant to accomplish.
What I do on this day depends on where I am in the big picture – how much time to my goal there is. Sometimes these would be full out 3 min intervals (zone 4-5), and sometimes these might be longer 8-20min tempo-like intervals (zone 3-4). Point is, I should be hurting. - Day 3 – going long:
After going hard the day before I like to do a longer endurance session (zone 1). Depending on the period in the year this could be anywhere from 2.5h to 7h. This is a good day to go out with friends and enjoy a nice day in the mountains, whether that be skiing, hiking, mountaineering, or biking/cycling.
The intensity day:
I would not repeat the intensity day in each cycle but only in every second. Here and there I try to thread the line to do it in back-to-back cycles but I usually feel so tired by the time the third cycle comes that I just figured it’s not the best way for me.
The not so off day:
Just like with the intensity day, here and there, I would not have a complete rest day in every second cycle. And when that’s the case the activity is only something very relaxing and no more than 1-1.5 h. Either a short ride, an easy soccer or tennis game, or a short hike will do. Swimming is great too.
Bottom line for 3 + 1 cycle:
I feel that this is a super effective way of structuring my training without having to monitor myself much to avoid overtraining. And this cycle also works great for me around a race weekend:
- Thursday off
- Friday warm-up (up to 1-2h)
- Saturday race
- Sunday ski powder for couple of hours
2 + 3 cycle
Now, let’s take a look at another cycle that I like and can be followed from week-to-week easily as it is structured around 7 days rather than 4.
The 2 + 3 means: 2 days of training + day off + 3 days training + day off = 7 days.
The off days:
Just like with 3 + 1, you can either do completely nothing or have only light activities on every second of those days.
The intensity day – 3 day block:
When I follow this cycle the hard day falls on the middle day during the 3 day block, exactly structured as in the 3 + 1, and only once per week.
The 2 day block:
If I am doing strength training in that period then one of the strength days would fall likely on the first day of these two, followed by a longer endurance session the next day. Or I will do back-to-back endurance sessions of about 2-5h and likely changing sports each day (running, biking, skiing, strength).
Bottom line for 2 + 3 cycle:
This cycle structure works well. It should keep you from overtraining yet working you hard enough. And the 3 day block can be easily fitted around race weekends (or just weekends) if you start your weeks with Monday off (which is great as we all need to get back to work).
But if you want you can always flip it to be 3 + 2 depending which days you want off. If Sundays then you will need to start with a session on Monday. You can figure out the rest.
Mistakes repeated
Despite all the experience I let my structure go loose mid-way last season. At the time it didn’t seems like it but just few weeks later it was obvious. I skied way too much to aid my speed and by the last races I ended up as weak as a sick dog.
What should you do?
That depends on how much time you can/want to devote to training. Overall, I say the 2 + 3 schedule is best if you need to follow a repeating 7 day structure.
Training 3 or 4 days a week:
If you can train only 4 days then I would either structure it as 2 + 2 (2 days on + 1 off + 2 on + 2 off), or as 3 + 1 (3 days on + 1 off + 1 on + 2 off).
If only 3 days then I think it’s best to go with 2 + 1 (2 days on + 1 off + 1 on + 3 off). But once you can only train 2-3 days per week your improvement potential is quite limited, yet by experimenting you can surely figure out the most effective plan within those constraints. My hint here would be intensity.
Let’s hear it in comments below:
- Are you structuring your training?
- If yes, how?
- If not, which one of the above could be for you?
brian harder says
Agreed. I had to deal with these Kilian-type comparisons when I was bike racing in the 90’s and Lance was becoming “the man”. Everyone wanted to know what he was doing so they could apply it to their own training. Now we know that pharmacological support in addition to crazy genetics, insane drive and plenty of time and money to maximize all the factors is a rare convergence of things most of us will never know.
Stano Faban says
No problem at all Brain, carry away anytime 🙂 I was just clarifying my post topic/depth 🙂
I said “damaging your health” as an extreme example of the other end of the spectrum of doing lots of training just cause one can. To ski another lap cause the pow is good is another story 🙂
And as for you, I am not racing to get healthier, but I still try to balance things.
The danger of talking about Kilian is, just as you said in your previous comment, that what is good for some Euros might not be good for someone else. He is totally inspiring but I think that if someone was running in the mountains a lot at 3 years old and has 90 VO2max then they probably are adjusted and have genetics to do such high volume reasonably safe. Another important thing to realize with all this ultra-running craze is that he is getting paid. Not making millions but certainly saving for retirement, so it’s his job and he gets looked after without the sky high fees if he needs it. Just putting things in perspective.
We should open up a chatting room 🙂 How about a Skype hangout one of these days?
brian harder says
Sorry for getting carried away, Stano. I probably should do a post myself and get that stuff off my brain. LOL!
Damaging our health, indeed. I think anyone who thinks all this mouth breathing is all good for us is in serious denial. I suspect we’re going to find in the future that there’s some serious consequence to this kind of free radical production. Time will tell. Certainly, our hearts get big and a certain number of us go on to cardiac issues like atrial fibrillation and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Whether or not this is higher than the general population is unknown to me but I imagine that data is out there.
But, at least for me, I don’t really engage in all this to be healthy. Far from it… I’m slaying other dragons with this stuff. We all have our rats to feed. Sure, I love being fit and skinny and in my fifties but that’s just a by product of getting what I “need” from climbing and skiing. Might not be that way for everyone but I suspect it’s true for many.
BTW, I’ve been told by a reliable source that Kilian knocked out 33 hours and 25K meters of climbing this week. Unhealthy? That’s a can o’ worms, isn’t it?
Stano Faban says
Brian, Thanks for sharing your views and experience!
You brought up lots of details that of course play into the whole training discussion but with this post I just wanted to address specific issue of scheduling without overwhelming the reader.
And I totally agree with “what works for some might not for someone else”. That’s why I have been careful in giving direct instructions and rather laying out what I do and suggesting what others can try, to give them some base line in case they were lost/overwhelmed.
Overall, I agree 99% with you, and I like your 13h / 17-20h observation. And training beyond 20h, even for someone with lots of time, can be almost dangerous because at such a high volume you should really know what you are doing or have someone looking after you because you can be either wasting lots of time or “damaging” your health.
And yeah, stop by more often 😉
brian harder says
Good stuff, Stano. Need to come by more often. Heading to France for 2 months later this winter and will race some so I need to pay attention again.
Articles like this are so great on one hand and so dangerous on the other. Sharing ideas for structuring our training is super helpful for everyone and can get us out of rutted, stale routines and maybe give us a bump in performance. On the other hand, what works for some (Euros) may completely destroy another. The obsessive nature of most competitive athletes drives us to “do the work” in training that we feel will help us accomplish our racing goals. But I find many athletes fail to recognize the non-training stress (NTS) that significantly impacts our performance and our ability to absorb the training load.
Locking into a “program” without consideration of sleep, work, relationships, illness, etc., will undoubtedly lead to failing expectations. This is where the looseness of the programming you describe is so key. Even with that kind of flexibility in mind, it’s vital that the athlete be self aware enough to recognize when to utilize this flexibility and lighten the training load. For the unaware, one of the training/recovery monitoring software programs can be helpful as they put the objective data in your face and may keep you from flogging yourself yet again when you should just grab a coffee and hit the couch.
I have a friend who is a pro cyclist in Europe and I shake my head in disbelief as he stacks 25-30 hour training weeks on end for large blocks. He reminds me that he does nothing when he’s not on his bike and can sleep as much as he wants. These guys have eliminated, to a large extent, the NTS that most of us face. I suspect that many of the athletes in Europe that Andy refers to may have similar luxuries.
I also agree with you that hours are the most important measure of training volume. Vertical is interesting but the body only knows output (intensity) and duration. Certainly, the technique and neurologic patterning that takes place going uphill is important since that’s what our sport is all about but I don’t obsess about it.
Although not a perfect measure, I think a HRM is helpful for governing our output on any given day. I’m a huge fan of intermittent lactate threshold testing (6-8 weeks) to dial in these zones and adjust them as fitness improves. Using something like Suunto’s Movescount allows the athlete to monitor training volume by zone.
When I was racing my best, I did 80% of my volume in Z1-2. To make this kind of aerobic base building “work”, the volume has to be there and I would often get 18-20 hours/week. For athletes with less time, the easy stuff can be substituted with more Z3-4 work but the fitness will not be as “deep” or as sustainable. That said, the more intensity, less volume programs can at least get you to the line and allow you to knock elbows with your friends.
But I’m a huge believer that interesting things happen to our fitness when training volume goes over 13 hours/week and then again in the 17-20 hours/week. I think this is the kind of volume that will yield the best from anyone’s talent. You can compete on less but you won’t reach your full potential unless the work gets done.
Stano Faban says
Hello Ben, thanks for stopping by 🙂
You provided a great account of your training and what-to-dos-when best suiting your schedule and commitment. It’s really cool to see how each of us navigate their own time to make best of things that matter to us, whether that be training, skiing powder or other life stuff.
I really like your “breakthrough day” thing. For some, it might not be feasible to have it once a week but once in two weeks should work. I am going to incorporate it like that as soon as I am back on skis. This is something that makes you chase your dreams whether you feel like it or not 🙂
And well said about Brandon, he improved many racers by showing how it’s done. Reiner always believes he was the guy that challenged him the most cause he was crazy strong even on the downhills!
Well, stop by sooner for more sharing or best, sign up for the newsletter and you will be always connected 😉
Merry Christmas to you and Jennifer!
Ben Parsons says
Hey Stano!
This is yet another example of why you are a great guy to loose too! I think it’s so great that we are all so supportive of each other in this sport in North America that we are open to sharing “secrets”. Strava obviously has opened up a new chapter as well since we can now “StravaStalk” one another’s vert and training volume. I wouldn’t say what I’m doing is all that special, nor will it likely bring someone to the next level, but figured it’d be fun to chime in as a elder statesman of skimo at this point.
My schedule as a firefighter is unique in that I’m on shift for 24 hours and off for 48. So I basically have two full days to play/procrastinate responsibilities and one full day locked down at the fire department working on sleep deprivation that will likely take 48 hours to recover from.
Here’s a quick rundown of how I approach my training in a typical 6 day rotation (4 days free, 2 days spoken for) I do set vertical feet goals (20 for a regular week, 30 if I’m really trying to get some vert and the pow is good)
-Day 1- On shift: We have an hour to workout on shift so I usually run on the treadmill or hit the stairs for 20 minutes. If I’m tired from the previous days I’ll zone 1 it, If I’m brimming with energy I’ll do intensity on incline (ie. ten 30 sec. intervals at 10% at 10mph with 30 sec recovery between each)- then the rest of the hour I’ll lift upper body (I have to lift fat people for a job so I unfortunately can’t let my upper body atrophy) and core
-Day 2/Day 3- (If I didn’t get much sleep and can’t find the energy even with a quad shot, I do the intensity the second day off and just skin the first day off) Intensity Day: typical to what I’ve read above, some Threshold Repeats of 10 to 30 minutes in duration (for me h.r. of 175) with a goal of 5000′ (rarely are these done on race sticks but rather 4 buckle tele boots in the b.c where I’ll get to come down on soft fun snow). Another option for an Intensity day workout WITH race stix would be doing alternating 1.5 minute and .5 min anaerobic efforts (185 bpm) with similar length recovery- these suck, they hurt a lot after 7 or 8 of them. After a day like this which is usually on the ski hill I’ll change out and throw the big boards on and ride lifts for a few hours. I think getting some chairlift time really helps for the downhills in races where a lot of tight races have been won or lost.
Other Day: A non-dedicated day where I focus on the joy of skiing. This is hopefully a fun day in the B.C. with friends or maybe a day where another race dork and I go out on a skin track we all ready set and do a peak in a couple hours that would regularly take most of a day with a big group. Just something that encompasses the fun of skiing whether it’s focusing on the social aspect with a few good turns or seeing just what’s possible in the b.c. on light stuff.
Then it’s back to work. If the skiing was good, then I’m probably tired and take it easy at work, If it sucked I’ll hit it gym rat style. The problem with this schedule is that I rarely take a “day off” completely. I also don’t get proper sleep. And like you I start the season more structured, but then when it’s January/February and the Powder is in full effect, I am lucky if I get in one day of structured training while I’m likely skiing 3 plus days of decent length b.c. But, I figure I’m not getting paid to race, it’s just a hobby, and quite frankly I’m like a crack fiend for powder turns.
Side Notes:
-Priority number 1 (besides balance in life) is to make sure that training/skiing is fun. If I’m motivated to train, I’ll train. If it feels like mom is asking me to wash the dishes, I won’t train.
-A training buddy is key. Sadly Brandon French has retired, which is fortunate for those of us who couldn’t keep pace with him. However if he was, we’d both be faster because of it. Thankfully I have one buddy who has race gear and is game for doing some miserable workouts or speed ascents of peaks with me.
-I usually try and set up one “Breakthrough Day” per week. This means I do something that is bigger or crazier than I have done before. Whether it’s vert, intervals, linking peaks, or a mix of all of the above, I find It’s really motivating to pre-plan one crazy idea a week. Again, problems arise though when I don’t properly recover.
-Though I do focus on vert, when I train anaerobic intervals, I try to find a lower angle slope to do it on as it is helpful to work on the higher cadence and gliding. I’ve heard this is what the ‘euro’s’ focus on. However, our courses tend to have some steep drag races up groomers, so I’ll do the second set of anaerobic intervals on steeper slopes.
Happy Skinning! Hope this arctic crap ends soon, kind hard to do anything outside right now!
Eric Carter says
Hey Andy:
Curious what your top go-to intensity workouts are. Willing to share?
I find I don’t do a great job of mixing it up and tend to stick to the 5 times 5min near VO2max or 2-3 times 15-20min threshold routine.
Stano says
Hi Seth, long time no see 😉
Personally, I haven’t done bounding workouts in the past but I do use ski poles for some walking uphill sessions. Especially, when I spent the fall or winter around Vancouver I find using poles for continous uphills as a great simulation for skimo. Here you can read what my approach to ski bounding is http://www.skintrack.com/skimo-racing/hiko-run-skimo-rando-racing-summer-training/ But I am keen on trying the pure bounding in the future.
Seth says
Now I know one of the reasons our friends from the North and South routinely beat us. No one I know from Washington has the weekly routine that you guys are following. Especially the interval part. Based on my experience in other sports that is the way to get faster. Washingtonians are not that dedicated yet. Hopefully soon.
Question for you guys? Do you include nordic bounding in any of your training? Living in Seattle, I can’t get to snow during the midweek most days. In past years I’ve done stairs to try to stay fit. This year I’ve been experimenting with some bounding. I’m hoping it is more specialized to the muscles used in skimo. I’ve never had much of a glide in my skin technique. Hopefully it will build some power and upper body strength to change that.
Stano says
Andy, thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience and schedule.
As much as we call it “a schedule” I decided to take on skimo more seriously because I knew that even with a loose / flexible schedule one can still improve while getting lots of face shots 🙂
In terms of vertical, I don’t keep much track that way, or at least don’t plan on hitting vert numbers most of the time. When there is focus on training then time is the single most guiding factor.
I absolutely agree with you on consistency. If you can accumulate good training, without overtraining or injury, from day to day, from week to week and ultimately over long periods of time you will keep improving. Of course, it’s possible to achieve a big spike in performance in short time but it isn’t likely to last if you get back to your old ways.
And yes, there are and were many Euros hitting millions of feet way before Greg Hill. Once you are on that level there is no other way if you want to stay up there. (But none of them did it breaking trail and making “life and death” choices every day.)
Stop by and share more often Andy. And likely see you at Powder Keg this season 😉
Stano
andy dorais says
Hey Stano, good topic that I think will benefit a bunch of people. The funny thing about this sport is that it’s so new in North America that we definitely don’t have our training dialed down. Those of us racing in the SLC area try to train together as much as possible, set loose vertical goals each week, strive for at least one intensity session and one long session each week, and then just ski for fun the other days.
An average week looks like this:
Monday: easy vert
Tuesday: Intervals (anywhere from short VO2 max stuff to longer threshold work)
Wed easy vert
Thurs: easy vert or Intensity (but less than the first day)
Fri: easy vert
Saturday: Long (we like hitting around 10K (feet)
Sun: off or easy day
I think a lot of us feel that 20K (feet) of vert for the week is the minimum acceptable and like to hit over 30K this time of year but that’s not always possible given work and family constraints. That schedule is also very flexible as dictated by the above demands and often I’ll be forced to take a day off in the middle of the week and adjust on the fly. I also adjust workouts and days based on how I’m feeling pretty often to avoid overtraining the best I can.
I think one of the main goals should be consistency. It’s great to have a good week of volume or intensity but if the next week or two suck it’s hard to derive the proper benefit. This also applies over the whole season and from year to year.
I asked Manfred Reichenbelsidsgfonsofsgdi (or however his name is spelled) from the Italian team how much vert they do in training and they said around 10-15 thousand meters per week during their big building phases. That makes most of my weeks look pretty pathetic!
Those are some basic thoughts from our corner of the skimo world. It would be great for Revelstoke, CB, the Pacific NW, Aspen, and the other hotspots to weigh in too. I’d like to learn all your secrets!
Andy