Andreas Nygaard’s training doesn’t include gimmicks

Andreas Nygaard
The three-time Ski Classics champion and the man with the most wins in Pro Tour races rely on simplicity in his training. He advocates for the KISS method, which doesn’t mean worshiping the legendary hard rock band and painting face masks before training sessions, but rather keeping the content of the training program clear and simple – keep it simple, stupid! In this article, the skiing hero talks about his own training, Team Ragde Charge, and the level of today’s Ski Classics.
The three-time Ski Classics champion and the man with the most wins in Pro Tour races rely on simplicity in his training. He advocates for the KISS method, which doesn’t mean worshiping the legendary hard rock band and painting face masks before training sessions, but rather keeping the content of the training program clear and simple – keep it simple, stupid! In this article, the skiing hero talks about his own training, Team Ragde Charge, and the level of today’s Ski Classics.

Andreas Nygaard’s life is now in good shape, although there have been difficulties along the way. In a previous article, Andreas revealed that he’s getting married next summer, but he just had his appendix removed, which means training is non-existent on the threshold of summer. However, the skier is not worried because he knows how to train and get his body ready for competition. The early-season races serve as tough workouts for him before the actual race season begins.

“If you never push hard in interval workouts before the race season, your body won’t be able to perform at its maximum level. That’s a physiological truth. Competition situations are the best maximal workouts, and they affect the body in a developmental way. If I manage to do certain workouts during the training season, I know I can perform well in races. After the pandemic, I’ve kept my training slightly more restrained than in previous years. I know what my body needs in terms of endurance, basic endurance, and strength training, and if I balance these correctly, I can achieve good results,” Andreas explains his current training.

Andreas has reason to smile as his winning streak has continued for eight years. Photo: Magnus Östh

In the last article, Andreas admits that winning is never a given. The level in Ski Classics has risen over the years, but winning has always been difficult.

“I don’t think winning races now is any more difficult than before. When Petter Eliassen was in top form in the series, Anders Aukland 10 years ago, for example in the Birken, or Tord Asle Gjerdalen in Vasaloppet, or other top skiers at their best, beating them was just as difficult, if not more difficult than winning similar races now. However, the level has risen outside the top 10, and nowadays, the fiftieth skier in the race is much tougher than before. Especially in big races, finishing in the top 20 is really much tougher than before, but winning races has always been just as challenging,” says Nygaard to Maastohiihto.com.

Ski Classics legend admits that every year he needs to consider training as a whole and ponder whether something needs to be done slightly differently. If training isn’t improved, development can easily go backwards.

“I’ve now won races in Ski Classics for eight years in a row, so I believe I should continue in the same way. I’m not the greatest talent in endurance sports, so the fact that I’ve been able to maintain this level for years is a sign that I’m doing something right. I can change some small details, but my training philosophy remains the same. I keep the training fairly simple, and I know what works for me. If I change something, I do it mainly for motivation reasons, so that I can train better again. Ultimately, training is quite clear. You have to do a certain number of hours, a certain amount of endurance training, and a certain amount of strength training. And if I stay healthy and don’t get injured, results usually follow.”

Andreas says in the interview that he draws inspiration from cycling, where nowadays the so-called Zone 2 training, where lactates are 1.5 millimoles, is very popular in raising the anaerobic level.

“Training is not like a switch that, when turned, gives you certain results. It’s more like an adjustable light switch, and training itself isn’t easy, but it can be done easily. When the foundations are in place, you can start fine-tuning and think about, for example, what intervals you do and why. There are many options, of course, and the main thing is to do these workouts and do them regularly. If the basic fitness isn’t strong enough, you can get into shape quickly, but it won’t last long. Developing aerobic fitness takes such a long time, and anaerobic training brings that sharpness at the end, with which you can win races and perform according to your maximum potential. I only need a few anaerobic workouts to get myself in racing condition, and I can’t do them too much.”

Andreas Nygaard’s basic weeks are built around a 20-hour training volume from June to January. During the week, he usually trains one or two hours harder, however, ensuring that lactate levels don’t rise too high. Training camps naturally increase the weekly training volume, after which recovery is needed again, but the average training hours remain around twenty.

Andreas Nygaard’s training also includes a significant amount of cycling – read more about it here.

For Nygaard, the early-season races are tough workouts, and last winter he already won his second individual race of the season, La Venosta Criterium. Photo: Reichert/NordicFocus

From discussing his training, our conversation moves to the skier’s team, which he has represented throughout his long skiing career. There were major changes at Team Ragde Charge this spring, and on the men’s side, the medal trio of Johan Hoel, Kasper Stadaas, and Andreas Nygaard continue in the team while other skiers were given their marching orders. As a new addition, the Aukland brothers have taken in Stina Nilsson, who is returning from biathlon.

“I can’t say that I’m happy with these changes, but I understand why they were made. It would have been nice if all the men and women could have continued in our team. Sometimes, however, difficult decisions have to be made. Personally, I would have liked Karstein Johaug and Torgeir Hovland to still be part of the team. They played a big role last winter and made it possible for the three of us to succeed last season. Not all skiers can win races, and there need to be those athletes who support the operation. Those who push forward in training, joke around at the dinner table, and help out in races if needed. Professional sports, however, are not a matter of ‘every man’s right’, and sometimes different financial decisions have to be made. Our team leaders made these changes, and for some of the team, leaving was quite easy because their contracts expired, and their performance level wasn’t quite what was hoped for. For others, leaving may have been more challenging, but this is part of sports.”

Nygaard’s Team Ragde Charge was on a training camp in Mallorca last fall. Nygaard would have wanted Karstein Johaug on the left in the picture and Torgeir Hovland, running behind him, to be part of the team. Photo: Magnus Östh

On SC Play, you can watch an interview with Andreas Nygaard, where the skier talks in-depth about himself, skiing, and life in general.

On the men’s side, Team Ragde Charge took all the podium places in the overall standings, but was his teammates’ excellent performance a surprise to the experienced skier?

“Before the season started, I knew Kasper could win races, but I was a little surprised that he was so dominant early in the season. He was like Emil Persson the previous year winning all the races. Johan, on the other hand, has always been close to the top in almost every race and training session, so I knew he was in good shape. He might not be the fastest skier in the group, so he doesn’t win as often. It wasn’t a big surprise to me that both skiers did so well last season. Of course, our success last winter was a pleasant surprise because you can never predict in advance how the race season will go. There are so many different factors at play, such as skis and form on the day.”

So how will the cooperation be for the hard trio remaining in the team in the upcoming races, and does the team have a designated captain since any one of them can win races?

“We definitely didn’t have a captain in the team this winter, but if we were in a situation like the 3 Zinnen Ski-Marathon, where at the end there were five skiers, including the three of us, Johan had to do the work and catch any potential escapees because Kasper and I were the faster skiers with better finishing sprints. Then as the season progressed, the situation changed, and everyone competed for themselves. Of course, we played together whenever possible. This year our tactics and cooperation worked really well.”

Andreas notes that today in Ski Classics races, there’s no holding back, and the pace is relentless throughout the course. Long-distance skiing is definitely not leisurely sightseeing in beautiful landscapes.

“Nowadays, the pace is so fast from the start that if you’re, for example, a helper, you have to be a really strong guy. The three of us are quite honest with each other before the race, and we admit if it feels like our form isn’t enough to win. Fortunately, in skiing, it’s not like in cycling where it’s much easier for those behind to catch up with those ahead, and drafting is a huge help. It’s been a long time since someone won a race without necessarily being the strongest that day, and I believe it will continue to be the case in the future. Perhaps Johan can be the strongest skier of the day, but he doesn’t always get enough of a gap on chasers and loses in the final sprint. Generally speaking, the strongest skier of the day wins the race regardless of tactics or other factors.”

Kasper Stadaas, Johan Hoel, and Andreas Nygaard were the three best Ski Classics skiers last season and will continue as the supporting forces of their team next winter as well. Photo: Reichert/NordicFocus

Andreas says in the interview that they do communicate during the race and make decisions according to each one’s feeling and situation at that moment. Before the race, they make a certain plan, but it always adjusts according to the situation. They all want to win races, of course, but they understand the importance of teamwork.

“If Emil Persson had been at the same level as a year ago, we would surely have had to consider different team tactics to beat him. The existence of our entire team is based on winning races. We don’t really care about other positions, so we always aim tactically for victories. Next year, we’ll see what tactics we’ll try to get these needed wins,” Anders sums up his team’s essence at the end of the interview.

Will Andreas Nygaard’s winning streak continue next season and can Team Ragde Charge be as strong on the men’s side as they were this year, remains to be seen. However, the team has the three top Ski Classics skiers of the moment, so there probably won’t be major changes on the front over the year. Of course, if Emil Persson finds his lost form and returns to last year’s level, us viewers and Ski Classics fans may be in for an epic battle of titans next winter.

Read the first part of Andreas Nygaard’s interview here

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