Five-time overall World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin gave fans a glimpse into her off-slope routine on Monday, posting a short video of an intense post-race strength session on her Instagram stories with the caption: “One of the best parts of the job…is post-race strength in a gym like this.”
The clip, filmed in a dimly lit hotel gym somewhere on the World Cup circuit, shows the 30-year-old American skier powering through a series of heavy deadlift variations, battle-rope slams, and single-leg exercises while still wearing parts of her race-day kit. Despite having just completed back-to-back giant slalom and slalom races over the weekend, Shiffrin looked focused and energized as she moved through the workout with her longtime trainer, Jeff Lackie, offering cues in the background.
For Shiffrin, these late-night or early-morning gym sessions have become a trademark part of her dominance in alpine skiing. Even after grueling race days that leave most athletes ready for ice baths and recovery, she routinely heads straight to the weight room to capitalize on what strength coaches call the “post-competition anabolic window.”
“One of the best parts of the job…” she wrote, adding a flexed-bicep emoji and a simple underscore that fans quickly interpreted as understated satisfaction with the grind.
The post comes just over a week before the highly anticipated Killington World Cup in Vermont (November 29–30), where Shiffrin is expected to chase her record-extending 100th World Cup victory on home snow. Her ability to recover quickly and maintain strength through a packed early-season schedule has been a key factor in her remarkable longevity at the top of the sport.
Fans flooded social media with reactions, many marveling at her work ethic:
“Most people can’t walk after two runs. She’s in the gym crushing deadlifts. Alien,” one commenter wrote.
“This is why she wins everything,” another added.
Shiffrin has long credited her off-snow strength and conditioning program—one of the most rigorous on the World Cup circuit—with giving her the explosive power and resilience that have produced 99 World Cup wins, six overall crystal globes, and three Olympic gold medals.
As the 2025–26 season heats up, one thing remains clear: while the racing may stop when the clocks do, Mikaela Shiffrin’s work is just getting started.
