The biathlon champion does not train only at the shooting range, but focuses on a combination of activities and a lot of sporting recovery. To us at Gazzetta Active he reveals the secrets of his preparation
Sabrina Commis
He lives in Cavalese, in Val di Fiemme, is part of the Fiamme Gialle group and at the Olympic Games in Beijing he signed a historic feat by winning the first medal in individual competitions, bringing Italian Biathlon to levels never seen before. And not only: Dorothea Wierer she is the first Italian woman to win in seven race formats, three times world champion in individual competitions and two times winner of the World Cup. Without forgetting the Olympic bronzes in Sochi 2014, in Pyeongchang 2018, in Beijing 2022. We met her and asked for information on her physical preparation and sport recovery.
Dorothea let’s talk about her “dry” training. How is it organized?
“Preparation begins as early as the end of April: training without skis until November and then resuming on the snows of Northern Europe. During the summer-autumn preparation there are training sessions with running, cycling, a lot of gym and a lot of roller skis, roller skiing. Without forgetting all the part dedicated to shooting which is daily “.
How much time do you spend on training?
“In a year I do about 700/750 hours of organic training, plus all the time dedicated to the shooting range”.
There are many elements to exercise: which are the most important?
“I’m lucky because I can train with many means and varying helps not to ‘get bored’. Cross-country skiing in winter, roller skis in summer are the most frequent: training with roller skis allows me to simulate winter competitions with exercises combined with a rifle “.
What exercises should never be missing from your training plan?
“Biathlon is a complex sport as it combines two specialties: rifle shooting and cross-country skiing. It is always essential to optimize physical performance according to concentration, precision and mental speed, skills necessary for the shooting range “.
What tools do you use in the gym?
“For some years I have been doing a lot of free-body joint mobility, but I also perform intense general strengthening sessions as biathlon requires a complete development of the entire muscular system”.
What other sports are functional?
“Running, cycling and gym in the preparation part and cross-country skiing in the competitive part. Sports recovery is fundamental: the fast pace of competitions and the ever-increasing levels of athletic preparation make recovery play an impactful role in terms of both individual and seasonal performance. A company in my area, Starpool, has developed protocols for me in this area. According to their scientific research department, after the effort, both in the short and in the long term, recovering allows me to improve the performance in close races, not to accumulate the tiring effects, maintain high performance over time “.
Dorothea only the body or does the mind play a primary role in recovery?
“It is the other fundamental part to keep in excellent condition. The perception of effort and mental clarity help to achieve good results during a competition. Here too the recovery part is important: in the protocols studied for me there is a large part dedicated to techniques to favor the cognitive aspect “.
How is the recovery structured?
“Based on my needs and conjugated according to the needs of the different disciplines. Together with the scientific research department we have identified specific protocols for training or competition days, unloading. On a load day, you work before and after physical exertion. Applications of cold, heat and dry buoyancy bring great benefits depending on their combination and timing. For me the Finnish sauna, infra-red sauna, cold reactions and the dry buoyancy system play an important role, indeed a precious one “.
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