For ten years, Eirik Mysen has trained purposefully and systematically to become the best in the world at cross-country skiing, based on traditional Norwegian training methods. Many have seen talent and potential in the ambitious skier from the same club as Anders Aukland. However, results so far have been consistently around the top 10 to 30 in the Norwegian Cup and Scandinavian Cup, with a few podium finishes.

This is a far cry from what is required to be considered for World Cup and championship selection, and for Mysen, the goal is the World Championships at home.

The 30-year-old had to face reality, and this winter, Mysen realized he needed to make significant changes to meet his ambitions.

Mysen parted ways with the private team Team Swix, which he had helped establish just a year earlier, and instead brought in Vetle Leander Johnsen as his coach. The 23-year-old cross-country skier from Drammen, who is currently studying economics and has relatively modest results to show, has introduced a training program for Mysen that challenges the traditional Norwegian model of cross-country skiing training.

In just four months, Eirik Mysen has made remarkable progress: physical tests have shown significant improvements, and Mysen has gone from being an also-ran with a few good days to, among other things, beating the national team elite in the 3000 meters—without actually training for running.

The athlete is brimming with motivation ahead of the Toppidrettsveka, where he will face a field more akin to a World Cup than a roller ski race in August. The competition weekend in Trondheim is the last chance to compete at the highest level in the World Championship venue before the actual championship in just over half a year.

Erik Mysen crushed the competition at the Moseby Invitational 2024. What happened here?

“I have trained some dryland sessions with Eirik from time to time, and I had looked at the training he posted on the Strava app. Based on what he posted there, I thought there was room for improvement. So, at the NM banquet in Tolga last year, I approached him and asked if we could discuss training,” Johnsen tells Langrenn.com, and continues:

“That discussion turned into a mild critique of his training program, and actually of what many Norwegian cross-country skiers do. But Eirik really responded to it. He found what I had to say interesting. I don’t think there are many others as established as he is who would have had such a reaction. It’s unique with Eirik. He is incredibly curious and interested in hearing what I have to say, rather than defending what he does and has done.”

Since April of this year, Johnsen has been responsible for the training program of his older friend.

He says you’ve turned his training upside down, and what is considered traditional Norwegian cross-country training?

“Yes, in some ways I have, and we have changed a lot. But first and foremost, we’ve changed how he thinks about training. It’s about figuring out how to get the most out of the hours you put in. That means training has to be individually tailored, and you can’t let established ‘truths’ set limits.”

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Dare to Challenge the Established

Johnsen believes many do not question the established models for cross-country skiing training enough. He himself has been inspired by the training approaches of athletes from other endurance sports.

“I’ve long been fascinated by what the triathlon environment does and how they train. Generally, they train much more than in cross-country skiing. Although they are different sports, they are both endurance sports. I find it interesting that it’s completely normal for triathletes in age categories to train 1100 hours or more per year, while the development ladder of the Norwegian Ski Federation suggests that junior cross-country skiers should only train 600 to 700 hours a year,” says Johnsen, and continues:

“What physically prevents cross-country skiers from training as much? Is it perhaps that people are afraid to challenge the established norms?”

But the traditional model for cross-country training and the Ski Federation’s “development ladder” are still often cited as keys to Norwegian dominance. So, you’re going against this approach and highly respected and well-established cross-country coaches?

“You could say that. There is definitely a perception in the cross-country skiing community that the best do what is best, and therefore many try to replicate it in hopes of achieving similar results. But it’s not certain that the training the best do is the best training for them. Eirik has followed this model for many years and hasn’t achieved the results he expected. To succeed, he needs to do something different.”

Specifically, what changes have you made to Eirik Mysen’s training?

“He trains much more than before, and he trains much harder than before.”

Johnsen explains that they had to overhaul the training routine Mysen had become “set” in with his cross-country skiing.

“He himself believed he couldn’t handle much training and had never trained more than 90 hours in a month before, and he had only done that once. But if he as a 30-year-old is to have any chance of competing against the best in the world, he needs to train a good deal more than he did,” he says.

“We had to look at how we could adjust his training to handle more. Among other things, we increased the focus on intensity management and made significant changes to his nutrition and sleep. And now he has been training over 100 hours and up to 110 hours a month since April.”

Also Read: “I will train better, wilder, and crazier than ever”

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At least six hard sessions a week

To incorporate more and harder training without burning Mysen out, Johnsen has introduced a different form of periodization. Mysen now does at least six hard sessions a week, compared to the traditional two or three.

“Typically, we do three days of training followed by a rest day. We usually have two hard sessions on the first day, so as much volume as possible with six-seven hours of training on the second day, and then two hard sessions on the last day before the rest day, followed by three new days of training,” says Johnsen, and explains further:

“We saw that capacity is an area where Eirik has a lot to gain. So, on the first of the three days, we usually do two VO2max sessions, and on the last day, we do one VO2max session and one zone 2 session. By doing double hard sessions this way, he gets more time at high intensity than if we had done just one session per day.”

Moreover, Mysen primarily does hard sessions with short intervals at high intensity, while traditional cross-country skiing training involves longer intervals at controlled intensity.

“Eirik almost never does intervals longer than three minutes. It’s almost always one, two, and three-minute intervals, and a lot of 40/20. That’s a very big difference from traditional cross-country training,” says Johnsen.

He also emphasizes that the length and intensity of the intervals will change based on Eirik Mysen’s development as the season progresses.

What results are you seeing from this change a few months after you started?

“Now he is well ahead of where he was in similar tests at the same time last year. One should obviously be cautious about predicting winter results based on tests and test races in July. Many have performed well in the summer without becoming stars in the winter. We’ll only get the real answer when he puts on his skis in November.”

How do you perceive the established coaching community views you and your approach?

“I haven’t discussed it with any established cross-country coaches, so I don’t know.”

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