Skiing | The Norwegian star trains by skydiving and swimming in cold water with his hands tied – now tell what the point of the special training is

Norwegian Harald Østberg Amundsen has been on top form at this year's Tour de Ski, and now the man has shed light on his very special training methods.

Amundsen leads the Tour's overall race after three races, with a 32-second gap to his compatriot to Erik Valnes.

Norwegian Nettavisen's in the interview, Amundsen talks about the cooperation with a spiritual coach by Erik Bertrand Larssen with.

Special attention has been paid to training methods that sound quite special, such as Parachuting and swimming in ice-cold water with your hands tied.

There is a video on Nettavisen's website where Larssen pushes Amundsen from the pier into the water. Amundsen's hands are tied behind his back.

Amundsen believes that training has made him stronger.

“I used it today, mental toughness. My legs were stiff, so I had to push myself a bit,” Amundsen stated after Monday's winning leg.

Amundsen sees that different means work for different people. He says Larssen wanted to put him in an uncomfortable zone.

“I'm really bad in cold water. Erik knows I don't like cold water. We have practiced dealing with stress. There is something similar to the pre-race jitters. Both Parachuting and open swimming are good.”

Larsen is delighted with his protégé's performances at this year's Tour de Ski. The cooperation has been pleasant.

“He is a good man. He is very curious and open. He wants to be constantly better”, Larssen analysed.

The Tour de Ski continues on Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland with a sprint race.