Emil Iversen had a birthday yesterday, and Proxcskiing celebrates the occasion by sharing the 31-year-old skier’s favorite dryland training.

Last season was not exactly what the Norwegian cross-country ski star had in mind. The Olympic Games turned out to be unsuccessful for him as he was only able to get a silver medal in the 4 x 10 km relay. In 2021, Iversen won gold in the 50 km mass start and the relay at the World Championships. 

Regardless of his somewhat poor results from last year, Iversen was able to stay in the Norwegian National Team for the upcoming season. He knows that it will not be a walk in the park to qualify to the World Championships in Planica next winter. 

– It’s boring being a bad skier, he tells Langrenn.com.  

Now he has taken some serious action to remedy the situation, and he has laid out a solid plan for the preseason. He says that he needs to increase his capacity by having some sufficiently high-quality hard workout sessions. 

When it comes to intensity in training, Iversen has a love-hate relationship with Nordic running; running up a hill with poles. On the one hand, the workout is extremely tiresome and usually painful to do. On the other hand, it is extremely effective, and he feels very satisfied every time he has completed the session.  

What is your favorite session during the dryland season?  

– Nordic running on gravel roads. Preferably up an alpine slope, and preferably in bad weather.  

Can you describe such a session?  

– Six by five minutes running up a hill with poles on a gravel road. I warm-up first, and then I start the intervals pretty hard and increase the intensity as I go along. The last one is about 95% of my maximum heart rate. Afterwards, I cool-off a bit. 

Why do you like this session?  

– It is a traditional Norwegian cross-country skiing workout. It’s not fun when you’re out there, but it’s a tough and effective exercise, and it builds character. Naturally, it increases your VO2max as well. 

How often do you do this session?  

– It depends very much on my training plan, but in the fall, I do these sessions at least a couple of times a month.   

How long does it take to do this session in total? 

 – It depends on my warm-up and cool-off , but the intervals themselves take half an hour, and with recovery periods, it’s about 45 minutes. So at least, the total workout time is about an hour and a half.