Train for the ski season with Frida Karlsson’s interval session
“This is a traditional session that makes the heart work,” says the Swedish ski star about the slope intervals.
Frida Karlsson invited Swix to her home Sollefteå in Sweden. This is where she put in thousands of hours training to become one of the world’s best skiers. Her favorite session is running with poles on a steep uphill slope.
Further reading: Petter Northug’s tips for mental training
“I usually run 6x5 minutes on the uphill slope. Simple and straightforward," says Karlsson, promising that everyone who tries the session will feel lactic acid and an elevated heart rate.
Try Frida Karlsson’s uphill interval:
- Warm up by jogging slowly for 20 minutes.
- Get a pair of ski poles about 30 cm shorter than your height.
- Run the first set of uphill gradients in five minutes.
- Take a two-minute break, calmly descending the slope.
- Continue with the next move for five minutes. Repeat this until a total of six uphill runs of five minutes have been completed.
Be sure to use your arms and poles actively when running up the hill to get the same muscles as you use when cross-country skiing.
See the Ski track podcast with Frida Karlsson as a guest:
Good uphill session
It is hardly a coincidence that Frida Karlsson has chosen to show running on this particular hill. This is where the traditional “Hallstatestet” test race takes place every year. The race, which has been held for over 40 years, is 1800 meters long and has an incline of 210 meters. Frida Karlsson set a new trail record this summer.
“This is my favorite hill. Without a doubt," says the ski star and smiles.
Frida Karlsson trains and competes with Swix Triac 4.0 Aero ski poles.
