Speed Work

We're into a new phase of our strength training these days - I'm calling it a "speed complex" for lack of a more technical term. The first phase of the workout, the complex training, the skiers alternate moderately heavy lifting with explosive plyometric-type exercises to form a complex (some people define "complex training" differently, and would call this "contrast" training instead). The point is to stimulate the fast twitch fibers with the lifts to allow more of these fibers to be recruited for the plyos, thus training the muscles to contract quicker and with greater force. We've been doing variations of complex training for a couple months, and now we've added another layer. After the complexes, the skiers head outside for a series of short sprints on rollerskis. The goal here is to leave the freshly stimulated muscles with a ski-specific imprint - theoretically, this will help turn weight room gains into actual improvements in speed on skis. Track and field athletes have been using this method for years, so why not us? Here's a very brief clip of Walt sprinting past Appleton: