Johannes Klæbo’s Skiing Secrets: Training, Technique & Mindset

Johannes Klæbo, a 13-time Olympic medalist with 11 gold medals, is widely recognized for modernizing cross-country skiing and bringing it to a global audience. His viral moment of "running uphill in skis at 10.3 mph at sub-6 minute pace" significantly boosted the sport's awareness. Klæbo emphasizes that cross-country skiing is an incredibly healthy sport, engaging legs, upper body, and endurance simultaneously, with a low risk of injury. He notes that it's one of the few sports that combines these elements, similar to swimming.

The Rigor of Cross-Country Skiing

Klæbo explains that excelling in cross-country skiing requires several key factors:

• High VO2 Max: Races, like a 10K, involve 22 minutes of full-speed effort with numerous uphills and downhills, demanding a high VO2 max for top performance.
• Technical Proficiency: Having the right technique for different terrains and inclines is crucial. Even a slight change in incline (e.g., from 5% to 6%) requires a different technique, which changes constantly throughout a race.
• Versatile Endurance: Athletes need both fast-twitch muscle fibers for sprints (under 3 minutes) and immense endurance for long races like the 50K (around 2 hours). Klæbo finds beauty in this versatility, which has driven his career.

A Strategic Approach to Dominance

Klæbo's ability to dominate both sprint and long-distance races is a result of a deliberate, long-term strategy developed with his 82-year-old grandfather, who has been his coach since childhood.

1. Early Sprint Focus: They initially focused on sprint races when Klæbo was 17-19, recognizing it was quicker to achieve proficiency in sprints than in distance skiing. This allowed him to perform well in World Cup sprints from the start of his senior career.
2. Gradual Shift to Distance: Once he was able to train around 1,000 hours annually, they gradually shifted focus from sprint-specific training to distance training around age 20. This involved adding altitude training and longer sessions. His training volume increased from 18-21 hours per week to 25-30 hours, with more 3-hour sessions daily to build endurance.
3. Maintaining Speed with Age: Klæbo believes it's easier to build endurance over time while maintaining speed, rather than specializing in long distances and trying to develop speed later. He notes that athletes naturally get slower with age, so building speed and technique early is crucial. He now dedicates specific sessions to maintain his sprint capabilities as he gets older.

The Mental Edge: Hating to Lose

When asked about his differentiator, Klæbo attributes his success to an intense hatred of losing. He describes the feeling of coming in second as "so much worse" than the amazing feeling of winning. He views races as a mental game, constantly tricking himself to push "just over the next hill, the next hill." For him, it's a competition against himself, and failing to trick his mind enough is letting himself down. This competitive drive extends to all aspects of his life, even playing cards with family.

From Average to Elite: The Norwegian Way

Klæbo's path to excellence wasn't linear. He was an average performer around age 14, smaller than his peers, and often placed in the middle of the pack. His mother even suggested finding another sport. However, he and his grandfather focused on what they could control: technique. They meticulously developed his double poling, running, and balance on skis, which became key factors in his success as he grew.

This approach aligns with the Norwegian youth sports culture, which prioritizes participation and enjoyment over early specialization and winning.

• No Scoring Until Age 10: In Norway, race times are not officially recorded for children until they are at least 10 years old, and results are often randomized to prevent early focus on winning.
• Runa's Challenge: Klæbo's childhood coach implemented a "Runa's Challenge" where points were awarded for practice attendance and performance in varied, often unconventional, relay races (e.g., skiing with one ski, without poles). This encouraged participation and skill development.
• Trying Multiple Sports: The goal of local clubs is to encourage kids to try as many sports as possible and keep them engaged until they are 15-17, when they start making decisions about specialization. This fosters a lifelong love for movement and allows individuals to discover their true passion.

Klæbo's own experience as a soccer player contributed to his skiing success, providing different fitness and agility that enhanced his technique. This "range" of experiences, as described in David Epstein's book, is seen as a counterintuitive path to sustained excellence.

The Klæbo Run: A Signature Technique

Klæbo's revolutionary "running uphill" technique, where he goes flat out rather than conserving energy, originated from a training session where he struggled with ski grip. Instead of adding more wax, he tried running outside the tracks and found it more efficient. This led to experiments comparing running uphill with less grip to traditional gliding with more grip, revealing a time advantage.

This technique is highly energy-intensive and cannot be trained frequently due to its depleting nature. While others now try to emulate it, Klæbo notes that many burn out in earlier stages of a race. His mastery lies in knowing when to deploy this technique and how to conserve energy elsewhere to maximize its impact.

Training Regimen and Recovery

Klæbo trains approximately 1,000 hours annually. A typical heavy training week (e.g., 32 hours) includes:

• Intensity: 2.5 hours of threshold training.
• Strength: 2 hours.
• Zone 1: The majority of his training (around 80%) is in Zone 1, which he describes as very easy. He avoids Zone 2, believing it erodes his fast-twitch muscle fibers.
• Modalities:
  • 10% cycling
  • 20-25% running (often with poles in tough terrain, simulating classic skiing)
  • 5-7% strength
  • The rest is roller skiing (using both skating and classic roller skis).

He emphasizes that his training is tailored to the demands of cross-country skiing, where races often involve threshold efforts. He prioritizes recovery, viewing sleep and healthy food as paramount. He also uses sauna, cold plunges, and red light therapy, but considers sleep the most effective recovery tool.

Mental Fortitude and Evolution

Klæbo acknowledges the increasing mental demands of his career, especially with the spotlight and expectations that come with being a top athlete. He trains his mind during his long, solitary training sessions in the forest, using them as "therapy" to visualize races and manage his energy.

He also shared an interesting phenomenon: before major championships, he experiences physical symptoms like a sore throat, which he now interprets as a sign that he's building up energy and motivation. This anxiety, he believes, helps him perform at his highest level.

After the World Championships in his hometown, which left him mentally exhausted, he realized the need for change. He started incorporating more fun into his routines and bringing friends to altitude camps, which significantly improved his experience at the subsequent Olympics. He found that having fun made life easier, enhanced his performance, and allowed him to enjoy the experience rather than being drained by it. He now strives for a better balance in his life, including having his girlfriend join him more often on trips.

Future Aspirations

Klæbo plans to compete in at least one more Olympics. He dreams of finishing his career at the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics, given his fondness for Park City, where he spends significant time training due to its high altitude, diverse terrain for roller skiing, and favorable weather. He aims to get closer to Michael Phelps's record of 23 Olympic gold medals, though he admits 23 will be challenging.