What a Brutal Leg Day Workout Mikaela Shiffrin Has!

Being the best alpine ski racer of all time requires a lot of squats.

We’re back to attentively examining the offseason routines pro skiers publish on Instagram, (last time I did Lindsey Vonn’s workout), which probably means I’ll be in a world of misery at the gym after trying them myself.

Ski racing’s all-time great Mikaela Shiffrin has been spending her off-season time in the gym and with her fiancé, fellow ski racer Aleksander Kilde. It’s probably helpful that they share a profession. Kilde and Shiffrin often engage in intense ski racing exercises together, demonstrating their exceptional fitness.

Perhaps true love is simply being able to keep up with each other at the gym?

Last week, Shiffrin stated that the two had been apart since March. A few days later, the ski racing power couple posted an Instagram Reel together of a series of mobility exercises, as well as some standard skier exercises like single leg squats, lateral squats with 20kg plates on a barbell, dumbbell swings with what appears to be something *heavy*, and a handful of other things that make my quads hurt just watching them.

Several days later, Shiffrin uploaded a video to X showing her off-season leg day training.

The routine appears to consist of several sets of barbell squats with 20kg plates, single leg squats with dumbbells, and dumbbell thrusters. Shiffrin ends the training with an espresso shot and a dip in the ocean (lake?).

We have no idea how many sets or reps Shiffrin is doing, but it’s probably terrible. Notice how she struggles to travel down the steps to jump into the pool of water!

This is my sort of leg day. If the espresso and swim are included, I’d actually give this tough workout a shot, and like Shiffrin, I’d most likely have to climb the stairs one step at a time after.

With the Olympics approaching, it’s amazing to see Shiffrin practicing so hard, but it’s also heartwarming to read her post about spending quality time with her fiancé.

Even while these workouts appear to need superhuman power, it’s a nice reminder that elite skiers are people too!