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How to skate a 10k
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April 1, 2022
Notes
5-2 training day, point of 2-day rest isn’t just for recovery but to reset body and know if something’s off on first day back from rest (can’t be fatigue).
I was never stressed about my weight since I had such good control over it during winter and got to enjoy superfluous amounts of food during summer.
Reaching these kinds of hours was harder mentally than physically. As long as I increased the training dose in a reasonable manner my body would comply. But I had to learn many tricks to get through the mental process of endeavoring the hours. I started off by asking myself “What am I willing to do voluntarily?” and then I started negotiating myself for more hours on top of that
I held myself responsible for staying motivated (by figuring out what made it fun and what made it not, and then doing more of the fun part) and for keeping on working hard.
I didn’t get to decide whether or not I would win the olympics. But I did decide if I wanted to complete a 100 miles ultra run or not. I simply tried to get the most out of my career. I've only ever cried after my own sporting event once, and that was tears of joy as I completed my 100 mile run
I held myself to a high standard and I rewarded myself properly and often. When I failed I forgave myself and tried my best not to fail again. I never felt sorry for myself, no matter the hour, wind, rain or temperature. I volunteered to do this. I wanted it because it was hard and throughout the training sessions I tried to keep that in mind. I questioned my decision to be a speed skater a lot, but I didn’t question it when I was suffering, then I only got through it. I left the questioning for rest days.
overreach seeks to stress the body more than a normal training period in order to force it to produce more stress hormones. Followed by a rest period (tapering) the body will recover and the hormones will, in the short term, increase the performance. This is sometimes called “super compensation”.
An easy way to add extra aerobic hours during competition season was to squeeze them in after races. I celebrated my 5k WR for three hours with a champagne bottle on my bike.
It was first when I understood that, or felt like, I volunteered, that I was able to compete with a free mind.
Solo skaters learn to push themselves without company. Solo skaters get accustomed to skating efficiently at competition speed. Solo skaters can alter their technique during training and get immediate feedback from the lapboard.
“If you’re listening to the body when it whispers to you, you don't have to hear it scream.”
Heart Rate variation considered below is approximately 10bpm: ● Lower than normal during training: Indication of a tiered body or bad warm up. ● Higher than normal during training: Indicates good shape or sickness. ● Higher than normal during rest/sleep: Indicates sickness or high stress levels in general
When I matured I realized that it was usually not my will power that was weak, but my body that was tired. The 5-2 supplied me with statistics of this and infused me with a trust in myself
since I held myself responsible for the solution to resolve itself, I wasn’t able to be upset that other people had not solved my problems for me. In this manner, I didn’t get stressed over other people not doing their job properly (or the way I wanted them to) and I had more energy to spend on training
I wasn’t proud when I hated my session because I knew that in the long run I risked starting to drop hours if they weren’t fun enough. Doing boring sessions I considered to be a failure of making the training stimulating. I assessed this issue
I never argued that my coach was wrong, but sometimes I argued that I had another idea that I, for reasons A and B, were more motivated to execute
They are not snakes, but they need stuff to print and if I don’t give them something they will write something else, which I will not be able to control. I considered it my obligation to give them interesting interviews but I didn’t consider myself belonging to them.
5-2 training day, point of 2-day rest isn’t just for recovery but to reset body and know if something’s off on first day back from rest (can’t be fatigue).
I was never stressed about my weight since I had such good control over it during winter and got to enjoy superfluous amounts of food during summer.
Reaching these kinds of hours was harder mentally than physically. As long as I increased the training dose in a reasonable manner my body would comply. But I had to learn many tricks to get through the mental process of endeavoring the hours. I started off by asking myself “What am I willing to do voluntarily?” and then I started negotiating myself for more hours on top of that
I held myself responsible for staying motivated (by figuring out what made it fun and what made it not, and then doing more of the fun part) and for keeping on working hard.
I didn’t get to decide whether or not I would win the olympics. But I did decide if I wanted to complete a 100 miles ultra run or not. I simply tried to get the most out of my career. I've only ever cried after my own sporting event once, and that was tears of joy as I completed my 100 mile run
I held myself to a high standard and I rewarded myself properly and often. When I failed I forgave myself and tried my best not to fail again. I never felt sorry for myself, no matter the hour, wind, rain or temperature. I volunteered to do this. I wanted it because it was hard and throughout the training sessions I tried to keep that in mind. I questioned my decision to be a speed skater a lot, but I didn’t question it when I was suffering, then I only got through it. I left the questioning for rest days.
overreach seeks to stress the body more than a normal training period in order to force it to produce more stress hormones. Followed by a rest period (tapering) the body will recover and the hormones will, in the short term, increase the performance. This is sometimes called “super compensation”.
An easy way to add extra aerobic hours during competition season was to squeeze them in after races. I celebrated my 5k WR for three hours with a champagne bottle on my bike.
It was first when I understood that, or felt like, I volunteered, that I was able to compete with a free mind.
Solo skaters learn to push themselves without company. Solo skaters get accustomed to skating efficiently at competition speed. Solo skaters can alter their technique during training and get immediate feedback from the lapboard.
“If you’re listening to the body when it whispers to you, you don't have to hear it scream.”
Heart Rate variation considered below is approximately 10bpm: ● Lower than normal during training: Indication of a tiered body or bad warm up. ● Higher than normal during training: Indicates good shape or sickness. ● Higher than normal during rest/sleep: Indicates sickness or high stress levels in general
When I matured I realized that it was usually not my will power that was weak, but my body that was tired. The 5-2 supplied me with statistics of this and infused me with a trust in myself
since I held myself responsible for the solution to resolve itself, I wasn’t able to be upset that other people had not solved my problems for me. In this manner, I didn’t get stressed over other people not doing their job properly (or the way I wanted them to) and I had more energy to spend on training
I wasn’t proud when I hated my session because I knew that in the long run I risked starting to drop hours if they weren’t fun enough. Doing boring sessions I considered to be a failure of making the training stimulating. I assessed this issue
I never argued that my coach was wrong, but sometimes I argued that I had another idea that I, for reasons A and B, were more motivated to execute
They are not snakes, but they need stuff to print and if I don’t give them something they will write something else, which I will not be able to control. I considered it my obligation to give them interesting interviews but I didn’t consider myself belonging to them.
March 6, 2022
I've been waiting for this to come out for months. What an amazing athlete who isn't afraid to be different than the rest. I still can't shake up some of his training methods (e.g., two rest days a week!; running ultra marathons; and creating programs that deal with the mental side of the sport). I appreciate his insight and he clearly wants skaters to try different/simplified approaches to break his records. His emphasis on having a life outside of skating shouldn't be underestimated as most skaters and athletes struggle with this by hanging on to every piece of their identity in their sport. Nils is in a league of his own for a reason and it is incredible for him to share his daily training program for others to become as great as he is. The future of speed skating is strong.
December 29, 2023
This book offers the reader a window in the great mind of a great athlete. I loved everything about his vision of elite training. The take home message for me was, apart from the training method itself, his willingness to have open and honest communication with his coach, the media, and most of all with himself. No BS.
June 21, 2025
Nils is a remarkable athlete with a pioneering way of training. In this article he informs us about his four workout seasons and his tapering strategy before competitions, leading up to his world record.
The first season is the aerobic one, and its goal is to build up a strong aerobic base, in order to achieve a high standard during the threshold season. This through numerous low intensity hours of mostly cycling and running. Nils once said that ”With great aerobic power comes a great anaerobic responsibility!”.
The threshold season mostly exists of intervals by bike near lactate level and is followed up by the specific season were the key is to put in a lot of hours on the ice, mostly in race-pace. After this his tapering begins. This tapering or overreach, is a period of increased volume and intensity in order to get the body adjusted to a higher standard before the race season. However, there is a high risk of overtraining during this period, and therefore he is extra careful to listen to his body here. Then he takes a couple of days off before the race, and thereafter, he gets directly into the aerobic season 2.0.
In comparison to a bunch of professional athletes who take a post-season break, he chooses to do low intensity bike rides, running and XC skiing, in order to kill the top-form, but at the same time rebuild his aerobic capacity. He emphasizes the importance of breaking the top-form fast after a competition, due to the fact that it is the period where you are most likely to overtrain and get injured, and notes that resting is crucial here.
Even though he works out an average of 80 hours per month, he still usually gets 8 days of rest during this period. This is a result of his 5–2 method, which basically means he works out 5 days a week and rests the remaining 2 days, with the rest days usually falling on the weekends. The goal with this is basically to stay well-rested, both physically and mentally.
Lastly he believes in a negative split. In other words, to make a faster last- than first half in the 10k, 5k and 3k. He also believed that astonishing results comes from being in the borderland between what is to much and what is possible, which he explains with the quote:
”Be courageous. Do not overtrain, but stick to the Limit.”
- Nils van der Poel
The first season is the aerobic one, and its goal is to build up a strong aerobic base, in order to achieve a high standard during the threshold season. This through numerous low intensity hours of mostly cycling and running. Nils once said that ”With great aerobic power comes a great anaerobic responsibility!”.
The threshold season mostly exists of intervals by bike near lactate level and is followed up by the specific season were the key is to put in a lot of hours on the ice, mostly in race-pace. After this his tapering begins. This tapering or overreach, is a period of increased volume and intensity in order to get the body adjusted to a higher standard before the race season. However, there is a high risk of overtraining during this period, and therefore he is extra careful to listen to his body here. Then he takes a couple of days off before the race, and thereafter, he gets directly into the aerobic season 2.0.
In comparison to a bunch of professional athletes who take a post-season break, he chooses to do low intensity bike rides, running and XC skiing, in order to kill the top-form, but at the same time rebuild his aerobic capacity. He emphasizes the importance of breaking the top-form fast after a competition, due to the fact that it is the period where you are most likely to overtrain and get injured, and notes that resting is crucial here.
Even though he works out an average of 80 hours per month, he still usually gets 8 days of rest during this period. This is a result of his 5–2 method, which basically means he works out 5 days a week and rests the remaining 2 days, with the rest days usually falling on the weekends. The goal with this is basically to stay well-rested, both physically and mentally.
Lastly he believes in a negative split. In other words, to make a faster last- than first half in the 10k, 5k and 3k. He also believed that astonishing results comes from being in the borderland between what is to much and what is possible, which he explains with the quote:
”Be courageous. Do not overtrain, but stick to the Limit.”
- Nils van der Poel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2024
Absolutely fascinating. Not everything was applicable to my sport as the author is a speed skater, but I can definitely see some key takeaways to apply directly to some training.
More than anything, I give this an extra star for the frank candor with which he talks about needing motivation, his quest for mental strength, and how he often felt nervous, unsure, a little lonely, or worried about losing motivation. I think this is something key to elite training, that I’ve seen in my working and personal relationships with elite athletes at different docks and different sports, that is overlooked. Hours and hours of training with no guarantee of outcome other than “if you do it enough you HAVE to see some type of progress” IS a very lonely and daunting thought. It feels comforting to see multiple voices all saying similar things about their sacrifices and mental states when pursuing what most people only daydream about.
I’ll never forget being told, “Oh, of course it sucks, but it’s just time you’ve gotta write off. You just have to accept you aren’t getting that back, and you keep going.”
Lots to learn about inner discipline and pursuing what you want in life.
More than anything, I give this an extra star for the frank candor with which he talks about needing motivation, his quest for mental strength, and how he often felt nervous, unsure, a little lonely, or worried about losing motivation. I think this is something key to elite training, that I’ve seen in my working and personal relationships with elite athletes at different docks and different sports, that is overlooked. Hours and hours of training with no guarantee of outcome other than “if you do it enough you HAVE to see some type of progress” IS a very lonely and daunting thought. It feels comforting to see multiple voices all saying similar things about their sacrifices and mental states when pursuing what most people only daydream about.
I’ll never forget being told, “Oh, of course it sucks, but it’s just time you’ve gotta write off. You just have to accept you aren’t getting that back, and you keep going.”
Lots to learn about inner discipline and pursuing what you want in life.
October 12, 2022
Book about how Olympic Swedish ice skater vd Poel (grandpa was from Groningen, NED) trained for the Olympic Winter Games 2022. Very detailled and gives insights how he achieved his feats, considered unconventional by most skaters.
Trains 5 days, rest 2 days, no active rest days. Let the body and mind recover.
Trains in 4 seasons
- aerobic, the biggest parts, contains of 6 a 7 hr bike rides daily. To build the engine
- treshold, intervals followed by aerobic. To tweak the engine for the car
- specific season, iceskate sessions. To finetune the car, test rides.
- aerobic 2.0, to rebuild the engine, cool down after the season and sometimes during a long season.
''Be courageous. Do not overtrain, but stick to the Limit.''
- Nils van der Poel
Short term HR development, variation considered below is approximately 10bpm:
● Lower than normal during training: Indication of a tired body or bad warm up.
● Higher than normal during training: Indicates good shape or sickness.
● Higher than normal during rest/sleep: Indicates sickness or high stress levels in general
Trains 5 days, rest 2 days, no active rest days. Let the body and mind recover.
Trains in 4 seasons
- aerobic, the biggest parts, contains of 6 a 7 hr bike rides daily. To build the engine
- treshold, intervals followed by aerobic. To tweak the engine for the car
- specific season, iceskate sessions. To finetune the car, test rides.
- aerobic 2.0, to rebuild the engine, cool down after the season and sometimes during a long season.
''Be courageous. Do not overtrain, but stick to the Limit.''
- Nils van der Poel
Short term HR development, variation considered below is approximately 10bpm:
● Lower than normal during training: Indication of a tired body or bad warm up.
● Higher than normal during training: Indicates good shape or sickness.
● Higher than normal during rest/sleep: Indicates sickness or high stress levels in general
May 2, 2026
Van der Poel is a madman. The absurd amount of aerobic training he describes here is truly breathtaking. Doing 6-8 hour days on the bike, at the watts he’s talking about, 5 days a week straight. All for just base building?? I’ve always loved unconventional training, and this hit like crack.
Not the most well-written. I mean this is really more of an extended Reddit comment by a top Olympian. But it's still worth reading if you're at all fascinated by endurance athletes.
Not the most well-written. I mean this is really more of an extended Reddit comment by a top Olympian. But it's still worth reading if you're at all fascinated by endurance athletes.
December 10, 2022
I have read two “new” ideas concerning “cardiac” training: this pamphlet and “Hadd’s approach to distance training”. Both is recommended, even though they may not have the truth about the issue for all.
April 21, 2022
Interessant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2022
Finito parecchio tempo fa
Semplice e veloce, un piccolo scorcio sulla vita di un atleta professionista
Semplice e veloce, un piccolo scorcio sulla vita di un atleta professionista
June 23, 2026
Amazing. Detailed, original, no fluff. And funny
February 4, 2023
Read this one. Not too long. Interesting account of speed skater Nils vd Poel. The guy's a machine.
Favorite quote:
“It’s not about eating, it’s about skating”, said Chad Hendrick as he ate Subway prior to his
10 000m world record of 12.55,11
Favorite quote:
“It’s not about eating, it’s about skating”, said Chad Hendrick as he ate Subway prior to his
10 000m world record of 12.55,11
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews