Mountain Fitness Tips: Periodize and Program

Don't waste time with random workouts. Setting goals, planning, programming, measuring your gains, and keeping objectives in view will speed up your progress. Working out without a plan will lead to fitness plateaus, holes, and staleness. Pros need more than that. —Coach Shaul

ATHLETE: Griffin Post, professional skier

MA TRAINING: 2 years

SUCCESS STORY: Two-time U.S. extreme freeskiing champion; appeared in Teton Gravity Research segments “One for the Road” and “Dream Factory.”

When people see Teton Gravity Research’s films each fall, it’s easy to think that every day is bluebird, deep, and stable. In reality, we might only get a handful of good days to film each season, and a lot of time they’re sequential. Whether it’s bouncing back from a crash the first morning or the first day or going an extra lap on the last day, MA has provided me with the durability and endurance to squeeze a little extra out of myself in the good windows.

I think of each day as brick that you’re given. You can either throw it aside and make a pile (working out randomly) or carefully place it and make a foundation (training strategically). Both methods are going to give you a platform from which to start your season, but one’s going to be far more stable.