Block periodization allows athletes to intensely focus on specific aspects of their sport for a condensed period. In skiing, according to ProXCskiing.com, this could mean several days of intensive training simulating competition situations or intensive technique or strength training for a certain period. Studies have shown that this intense focus on specific targeted exercises and techniques can lead to significant performance improvements.

In the peak sports era of the 1960s and 70s, training often aimed to develop all aspects simultaneously. The problem could then be the increase in overall load and conflicting training stimuli. In the 1980s, block periodization, or block training, became more common among Olympic-level athletes, aiming to develop sport-specific attributes.

Block periodization typically consists of 3–8-week blocks of training. During one period, the focus is on developing 1-2 attributes while maintaining others. Training priorities may include speed, strength, aerobic endurance, and peak performance sensitization. Maintaining developmental training requires about one-third of the training volume, but it is important to maintain adequate intensity and effectiveness. Developed attributes typically last for a couple of weeks without specific training. For example, long-distance skiers can go without roller skiing and pole pushing for a week during the summer and focus on other attributes for variety without their upper body strength levels dropping. This retention of attributes without sport-specific training is called the residual effect.

The idea behind block periodization is that the developed attribute receives sufficient emphasis over a sufficiently long period, leading to clear improvement. Other attributes are maintained with supportive exercises during block training, but their volume is so small that it does not hinder the development of the targeted attribute. Generally, at the beginning of the training season, such as at the start of the dryland season for skiers, more emphasis can be placed on general attributes, while as the competitive season approaches, the focus should shift to sport-specific training, where technique, muscle work, and power output resemble skiing.

Block periodization always includes carefully planned recovery periods, allowing the body to recover from heavy consecutive similar exercises. These sufficiently long recovery periods are extremely important for the athlete to be sufficiently rested before the start of the next block period. Monitoring training load and recovery helps athletes optimize their performance potential. A properly recovered athlete is ready to start a new block, and their body is receptive to new stimuli.

Block training can lead to significant performance improvements, but it also easily increases the risk of overtraining if not managed correctly. Too intense individual exercises or too long a period can easily lead to a decrease in performance, fatigue, and injuries. Especially in intensive training, it is important to be careful and find a suitable rhythm and duration for the period. It is also important that intervals and various intensive exercises do not repeat too often but that variation is important. Therefore, athletes need to carefully monitor their training load and listen to their bodies. It is also important to maintain motivation during hard training, and developing the same attributes over a long block can also lead to mental exhaustion. Therefore, it is worth considering the amount and duration that suits oneself best to keep training enjoyable.

In an article focusing on autumn block training, a few examples of block periodization were listed, and they are good to review here:

Endurance Block: Elite skiers may spend a week or two focusing primarily on building endurance. This period may consist of daily long skiing sessions with varying intensities, gradually increasing the training load.

Interval Block: For athletes aiming to improve anaerobic threshold tolerance, this so-called power block can be a good way to achieve the desired results. For several consecutive days, they can include high-intensity interval exercises, such as 4×4-minute intervals or even longer intervals. This block may also include speed endurance exercises, with durations depending on the athlete’s training pace. During a power or interval block, it is important to vary the intensity exercises so that the strain does not become too monotonous and to closely monitor that the body does not enter a state of overstrain.

Strength Block: A strength block can be good, for example, in the spring after the skiing season, focusing on increasing strength levels. This may involve several gym sessions, mainly to increase maximal strength, during the week and intersperse them with skiing-specific strength training using roller skiing, such as using slow rolls and pushing uphill.

Technique Block: For those aiming to improve their skiing technique, a technique period may include consecutive days of exercises focusing on specific skills and techniques. Video analysis and coach feedback help fine-tune technique.

High-Altitude Training Block: High-altitude training is a common method in skiing. Athletes may spend several weeks at high-altitude training centers focusing on increasing oxygen uptake and hemoglobin. Training programs are always designed according to the ongoing period and the altitude. Autumn snow camps often also include harder exercises closer to sea level.

In the autumn article, we also highlighted how former top skier Marit Bjørgen admitted that block periodization had led to her worst crisis in her career before the 2009 World Championships. After that, the greatest hero of the Winter Olympics returned to traditional training models, which emphasized endurance training interspersed with regular power training. This serves as a good example that block periodization may not suit all athletes. The intensity of the blocks must be carefully considered to avoid overtraining or overstress, which takes too long to recover, taking away effective training time.

Cyclists often use block training to prepare for their tough tours. Matthias Reck, a cycling coach who has also coached skiers such as Max Novak and stars of Team Ramudden, is a strong advocate of block periodization. He highlights cyclists’ periodization, where certain hard exercises are done for four days, followed by a day of rest. He also stated that during tough tours, cyclists have been observed to pedal with the same watts in the later days as at the beginning of the tour, but due to constant strain, heart rates have decreased. According to him, this proves that the human body can perform incredibly well even under strain for many days and weeks.

Many Ski Classics skiers also favor block training, but certainly not all. One of the sport’s greatest successes, Andreas Nygaard, usually does not train under the influence of block periodization. He relies on hard endurance training, interspersed with two controlled intensive workouts per week during the training season. At the beginning of the competitive season, he uses hard long-distance races to boost his competitive fitness, and the system seems to work for him. Even at the end of October last year at the Mallorca camp, he was not in top shape, but at the beginning of the competition season, he was back in form, and during the season, he has been on the podium five times, winning three times.

In summary, block periodization is a functional tool for many skiers to develop their fitness and certain attributes, but block training must be thoughtful and well-planned, including appropriate recovery periods. Skiers must also be aware of mental exhaustion and overtraining, meaning that there must be a balance in block training. Blocks must also be planned according to their own needs so that the right attributes and skills are developed to achieve the best results.

It is also not advisable to use block periodization all the time but selectively during certain periods. Blocks can also be rhythmically arranged according to training seasons, such as strength block in spring, endurance block in summer, technique block in early snow, and power block before the start of the competition season or sometimes even during the competition season, but for a shorter period. It is always important to keep in mind that consulting coaches and knowledgeable professionals, such as doctors and others, is essential to optimize block training for their own goals.