By Teemu Virtanen
We now continue our series of Pro Team Athletes’ favorite workouts, and this time Team Ragde Eiendom’s Petter Eliassen, who finished 2nd at La Venosta, gets to tell us what exercise he likes the most and why.
“My favorite workout at the moment is my Monday - or Friday intervals. Because I like to get a good start for the week, or the weekend. I usually have threshold-intervals with a lactate measurement under 3.0 mmol. But now as the season has started and I need to get in race shape, I do the intervals a little shorter and harder.
Today I did a 7x5 min intervals double poling at 7% incline on my roller-ski treadmill. The workout was quite tough, I had a lactate on 7,6 after the last interval, and my pulse was just above 90% of max. Not my best day, I would have wanted my pulse to get even higher because that could indicate more energy or better shape.
But I think doing workouts that are sort of standard workouts with higher intensity and monitoring yourself with your pulse and a stop clock, or whatever, can be useful. Then you get some basic data about the progress in your training and the status of your shape at the same time.”
For most of us, we don’t have a chance to use a roller-ski treadmill for these types of hard workouts. However, you can always use running or skiing and go out for a workout like this. This training is very similar to Tore Bjørseth Berdal’s 6-minute intervals.
Generally speaking, interval training is very important during the race season to build up your speed, lactate threshold and VO2 max levels. Based on your experience, you can find a suitable length for your intervals with corresponding recovery times – you can start by doing less and increase the amount when you feel that your shape is getting better. But remember to have enough basic long distance training throughout the season and build up/maintain your endurance. Depending on your shape and goals, you should have a interval training session once or twice a week.
