"All training programs are somehow based on periodization. Periodization involves you doing blocks of training designed around a goal before you move into the next block of training. The various blocks of a program lead toward a point where your body should peak."

"A training cycle can be any length of time. P90X is 90 days, but you can effectively design a training cycle that lasts anywhere from 2 weeks to an entire year.The longer the cycle, the harder the individual blocks can be. The reason is that you only need to peak at the end of the given cycle. Therefore, it's okay to design your training to the point where you're in a state of almost total breakdown early in a program. Most people hobble around during the first couple blocks of P90X. During this period, you wouldn't want to ski (or do anything) at your highest level."

"This means that short training cycles should be easier than longer ones. Excessive breakdown, like the kind you may have experienced the first couple of times you did Plyometrics, happens when you engage something called type IIb muscle fibers. These are fast twitch muscle fibers that your body has saved for emergencies. These fibers are essential for maximum power, but once you use them, they take a long time to heal, usually around 2 weeks. So you obviously wouldn't want to destroy them at the start of a 2-week training cycle. "

"This is why your foundation is so important. If you can't do P90X classic without getting sore, it won't help you to make this schedule harder, especially close to a ski trip. It would just result in further breakdown and have you hitting the slopes without a full contingent of your fast twitch muscles fibers, which are exactly what you'll need to land a jump or dart between trees at 30 mph. If you want to stay injury free, you won't want to hit the slopes in any state of breakdown."

"Recovery promotes the healing of your fast twitch muscle fibers. When you recover toward a peak, it's to allow your body to build these muscle fibers up. Only high-level training engages fast twitch fibers, which is why recovery weeks skip heavy lifting and plyometrics and focus on aerobic conditioning, flexibility, and training your stabilizer muscles."

"The first thing you need to consider is how much time you have. The longer the better (you know, "plan ahead"). No matter what your training program is, it should target a specific date you want your body to be at its peak."

"When you have a long period of time, you can structure your training toward your weakness. For example, if you don't have the leg strength to land a certain jump, you could build up the size and then the strength of your legs during the off-season. If you're already in the season, however, the muscular breakdown required to do this will inhibit your ability to ski well."

"Short cycles should focus more on mastering sports-specific movements. To do this, you use what are called integration exercises. These are the opposite of the types of isolation movements that you do for sheer hypertrophy, or muscle growth. Integration movements target strength, speed, and neuromuscular coordination. P90X is loaded with integration movement.