Hit the slopes physically fit this year
Pre-season training gives skiers more stamina for the slopes By Tom Guerquin
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HERE ARE TWO types of skiers on the first day of the ski season. There are those who get there for first tracks in morning and are last off the mountain, and there are those who spend the day in the chalet whining about their sore quads. It’s the pre-season training that differentiates them. One type of skier spent the fall getting ready for downhill season and the other was sofa-skiing and watching Cheers re-runs. When skiing is your sport, it’s tempting to forget about training during the warmer months. Let’s look at the training you need for the pre-season in terms of endurance, strength and power. Endurance is the key to keeping you on the hills as long as possible. Running, cycling and swimming are the most common sports that help build endurance, however, each have their pros and cons. Like skiing, running relies on lower-body muscles — quads, hamstrings and glutes. Unfortunately, it is also a high-impact sport and if you train too hard, you risk joint injuries. Cycling saves the joints and increases power in your lower and upper body muscles. It also flushes lactic acids faster than running, but your core can get lazy while pedaling in a seated position. Swimming uses the whole body — shoulders, lats, quads, glutes, hamstrings and core. Although it does create whole body endurance, you don’t build power in the legs like running and cycling. n Here is a good regimen to build endurance:
Weeks 1 – 2 Monday, Wednesday, Friday – endurance training 30 minutes at an easy pace. Tuesday, Thursday – interval training Warm-up for 10 minutes at an easy pace Three minutes at a steady pace (at your lactate threshold — the point where you feel a burn, but not burnt out) Five minutes at the easy pace Repeat six times Finish the workout with a 10-minute cool down
Weeks 3 – 4 Monday, Friday – endurance training 40 minutes at an easy pace Tuesday, Thursday – interval training Warm-up for 10 minutes at an easy pace Six minutes at a steady pace Four minutes at the easy pace Repeat four times Cool down for 10 minutes Wednesday – endurance/ interval training Warm-up for 20 minutes at an easy/ moderate pace One minute at a hard pace (above your lactate threshold, give all you can) Five minutes at the easy pace Repeat three times Cool down for 20 minutes
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