1. 2 sessions/week with 60-90 min of activity with a focus on maximizing time on skis and developing general fitness with balance and agility practice; start of technique emphasis with introduction to Jackrabbit Skills Awards (levels 1-4 https://nordiqcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/Programmers-Guidebook-copy.pdf)
2. Activities:
   1. “Bulldog” – cross patch of snow without being tagged
   2. “Disappearing Steps” – fewest number of glides between cones, great for technique/balance development
   3. “Cross the River” (DRYLAND) – cross the “river” using agility dots in order to avoid touching the ground, can be a team relay/race setting
   4. “Ski Ballet” – practice balance while going down gentle hill (different positions), very effective for balance practice
   5. More games to use at https://nordicskilab.com/cross-country-ski-games-for-kids/, look for games that are more skill heavy

1. 3 sessions/week with 75-90 min of activity with a focus on motor skills and developing strength and flexibility; large emphasis on team building; creating good technique habits 
2. Activities:
   1. “Single Sticking” – arms only drill for diagonal striding for strength and coordination that can later be applied to full body striding, remember to keep core engaged (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQN7kkyiI-Y)
   2. “One Ski Striding” – focus long glide on each individual ski to work on kick and glide time 
   3. “High Hands Cue” – work on bringing the hands up quick and high to create extra time to get hips forward and develop power into double pole
   4. “No Poles Uphill Drill” – can be on skate or classic skis, work on getting over each ski to be more efficient and focus on weight transfer
   5. “Speed Skater Drill” – no poles on skate skis, get low in lower body and get into speed skater position with upper body parallel to legs; focus on getting upper body over each ski and gliding

1. 4-6 sessions/week with 75-90 min of activity with a focus on aerobic and anaerobic power, and building strength
2. Activities:
   1. “Ski Bounding” – (DRYLAND) can work this into intensity sessions or just technique (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37TWPUhuyG4)
   2. “333 Drill” – works on striding and the glide and balance over each ski where you only swing and bring power onto one side (exaggerate one leg for 3 sides than switch – don’t use pole on non exaggerated side) and then the final 3 is bringing it together with both legs 
   3. “The Ladder” – put pylons 15m apart up a long, medium grade hill and the workout can be running with poles up 2 pylons, down 1 and then reverse on the way down
   4. “Balance Drills” – start incorporating balance drills into the warm up routine
   5. “Core” – create core circuits including v-sits, hollow holds, toe taps, dead bug/hollow body; aim for 2min of continuous core and equal rest time

1. 6-10 sessions/week with 90+ min of activity (450-600 hour progression over 4 years) with integration of racing and training into daily life; continuous focus on aerobic power
2. Activities:
   1. “Resistance Skiing” – put thick elastic/bungee cord around waist of the skier either on rollerskis/snow or on the ski erg and this forces them to work to get their weight forward and get comfortable with positioning especially with the double pole
   2. “30 on/30 off” – can work with running or skiing, do 8 x intervals of 30 seconds hard and then followed by 30 seconds easy for a total of 8 min (set rest can be 2-3 minutes, aim for workout intensity to be threshold level)
   3. “1km Repeats” – 8-14 times with 1-2 min rest between each repeat (this can be set up on a long stretch of trail/pavement (the continuous fatigue from this is beneficial in building endurance and aerobic strength)
   4. “Agility Work” – incorporate sprints with agility by adding obstacles like jumping curbs, pylons for slalom, backwards skiing, 360 spins
   5. “2 x 5 km TTs” – race simulations can be beneficial and also be great benchmarks for improvement throughout a period of time, do these 2 time trials 30 min apart so that the body can train through sustained fatigue (you can switch the technique between the two, ex. Classic first followed by Skate)
3. Start to introduce athletes to YTP (yearly training plan) and get them to work on their own training near the end of this stage
   1. An example of potential training zones and a YTP template
   2. More resources about training volume

1. Focus is now on yearly volume, should be progression from 600-800 hours over next 4 years, emphasis is now on fine tuning and identifying athlete weaknesses with defined training plan for specific high performance skiing
2. Activities:
   1. “Strength” – work on a strength plan including athlete specific exercises to target goals, this can include power focus (box jumps, loaded trap bar deadlifts, banded partner runs) or increases endurance (eccentric push ups, light weight but as many reps till failure type exercises)
   2. “Sprint Simulation” – 4 x 1.5 km with 15 min rest after first rep and then 5 min in between other 3 (this should mimic a sprint race but with less rest)
   3. “6 min Threshold” – 6-8 x 6 min with 2 min active rest at threshold (start of building lactate; Z3-4 on the 5 zone scale)
   4. “5 Stations” – great for dryland running training, set up 5 stations (this could include a “Ladder” station, a plyometric focused station, a bodyweight strength/running combo station, a uphill DP hop station, a continuous striding station) and spend 15 min continuous work at each before switching stations, there should be about a 2 min break between stations (increased fatigue through sustained work is the goal)
   5. Incorporate cross training for long training sessions for reduced injury risk (ex. easy swims or bike rides)
3. Continue to work on all the drills and progressions to reach this stage while also allowing for independence in creating the training plan; doing baseline testing with strength tests and time trials can be great for developing further training plans that will improve targeted weaknesses

1. 700-900+ yearly hours with maximal load depending on the athlete, focus on full time commitment with optimal lifestyle and environment for high achievement
2. Activities:
   1. “Balance Strength” – one leg exercises for squats and lunges; core work with emphasis on staying compact with no rotation for plank variations (tweak this to the individual)
   2. “Custom Field Tests” – baseline tests can be in the format of double pole or legs only rollerskiing/skiing or even hill climb tests
   3. “Stretching Routine” – since overall flexibility is decreasing with age, this is important to maintain function and avoid injury
   4. “Speed Workout” – 8-10 x 4 min threshold sprint pace; speed work is important to maintain reaction time and overall fitness as endurance increases but sprint ability decreases with age
   5. All intensities from past development stages can be used here and changed for slightly to accommodate for the athlete if needed

1. There should be increased focus into race tactics as well as the mental side of racing, but also lots of independence for creating training for what suits the athlete best

1. Use these resources from XC Ontario for addition para resources
   1. Club assessment for becoming “Para Ready”
   2. Para Nordic Skills Development Program, provides sample program exercises and technique report cards
   3. Participant Pathway for skills and competition pathways
   4. Clothing requirements – additional information to ensure comfort and safety  

For additional information on coaching resources, this webinar series has different videos with athlete development support, specifically the “Lunch and Learn” series. If you have any questions regarding the above information, please do not hesitate to contact Ivan Babikov – Nordiq Alberta or Lauren Ybema at .