Stepanova called hypertrophy classes the hardest workout for her

Olympic cross-country skiing champion Veronika Stepanova in her column on , she explained why athletes do strength hypertrophy and what challenges they face doing it.

Stepanova won gold at the 2022 Beijing Games as part of the women’s relay team. According to the results of the 2022/23 season in the Russian Cup, the 22-year-old skier became second in the overall standings.

“Our early training camps always include workouts that we’d be happy to cut but can’t: strength hypertrophy.

We do hypertrophy several times a week. For those who do not understand the meaning of the term: these are repetitions of a complex of strength exercises with weights. For example, push-ups on uneven bars with an additional weight of 20 kg. The weight of the weight is individual, selected for 10-12 repetitions. That is to say, the last, 12th repetition, must be given with great difficulty, through force and groans. So there are three approaches.

The purpose of hypertrophy is pretty clear: an increase in volume or mass of skeletal muscle.

I can admit that hypertrophy is the hardest workout for me. In the evening, fatigue and completely unusual for me, difficulty in falling asleep at the usual time. And immediately after strength training, I want to listen to loud music, “so that the rhythm is present.” Which is completely unusual for me in other conditions – I can’t stand clubs with their loud music.

The chemistry of the process is clear: hypertrophy, like other power loads, increases testosterone. Testosterone increases aggression and gives a feeling of energy. As if he was not drinking a cup of coffee, but the whole pot.

The fact is, building muscle is absolutely necessary for victories in modern cross-country skiing,” Stepanova wrote.