The rising star from Norway delivered the weekend’s biggest surprise during the season premiere at Beitostølen. Now, Andreas Fjorden Ree has been selected to compete in the World Cup premiere in Ruka, Finland, this weekend. This will be the 24-year-old’s first World Cup event abroad.

The ticket to Ruka results from a radical overhaul in his training program. See all about the schedule and details for the World Cup premiere in Ruka HERE.

Had to Face Reality

Fjorden Ree became a hot topic when he won the Norwegian Championships 50km race three years ago, but things went quiet for a long time after that. His success this weekend is a real turnaround.

However, the results at Beitostølen are no accident. After several tough seasons, Fjorden Ree realized he had to face reality and take control of his training. He reached out to triathlon expert Frode Jermstad for help in creating a new and different training plan.

Jermstad has years of experience providing training guidance for athletes in Trondheim and on a national level. Since last year, he has worked for Norway’s triathlon federation. However, Jermstad has a background in cross-country skiing and was part of the Ski Classics Pro Team, Team SkiGo, alongside Chris A. Jespersen, Johan Kjølstad, Tore Bjørseth Berdal, Arne Post, and Anders Högberg.

The story continues below.

Revamped Training Plan

Together, Fjorden Ree and Jermstad reviewed his previous training approach and decided to focus more on intensity control.

“We sat down, evaluated what he had done, and concluded that intensity control was an area that needed improvement. I suggested a block-based approach. In triathlon, we’ve had success with training blocks of four to five consecutive days, instead of the ‘old’ cross-country method of one easy week, one medium week, and one hard week,” Jermstad told NTB.

Jermstad explained that this cycle provides better training control, allows continuous adjustments, and supports higher training volumes and more interval sessions. Increased intensity sessions boost capacity, arguably the most critical performance factor in cross-country skiing.

Fjorden Ree has seen remarkable results. His VO2max—a key measure of capacity—has increased dramatically.

“I don’t have an exceptionally high VO2max, but a skating test in Granåsen showed it’s increased from 71 to 81.5 (mL/kg/min) compared to the same time last year. That’s a significant percentage increase,” says Ree.

Also Read – Awestruck by the volume: How Andreas Fjorden Ree trains

Training Based on Five-Day Cycles

Fjorden Ree’s current training plan is inspired by triathlon and cycling training methods.

“I train easy on day one, do two threshold sessions on day two, a hard session on day three, volume training on day four, and take a full rest day on day five. I’ve repeated this week after week, except during team training camps,” says Fjorden Ree.

Warnings Against Copying

Former national team coach Geir Endre Rogn is familiar with Fjorden Ree’s training program and is unsurprised by the 24-year-old’s progress.

However, Rogn warns against blindly copying such programs. Without a comprehensive plan, there’s a high risk of overtraining.

“Even though Andreas trains an enormous amount, it’s systematic. The biggest danger is young athletes copying without understanding the whole plan,” Rogn told ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langrenn.com.

Impressing Everyone

After placing fourth in the classic race on Saturday and delivering a stunning victory in Sunday’s skate race, the national team leadership has high expectations for Fjorden Ree.

“Result lists are objective; they don’t lie. I’m excited to see what he and others from the development team can achieve. We’re approaching a generational shift—it’s becoming more evident,” says national team coach Eirik Myhr Nossum.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.