Le 365 Daya'year Skier .... Chapter 1 to 10.

[QikTrnz]

So now that the season is officially over, what can we do to become better skiers ??????

The answer, I believe, lies in being a 365 day a year skier ...

"What .... ????? .... That's Impossible ... !!! ... unless I fly to New Zealand the day after Tremblant closes" .... you say ....

Well, for just about all of us, that's not practical ....
so ...
the best we can do is become 365 day a year ski trainers .....

With that in mind, what we will do until we can get back on the hill with either skis or boards, is discuss ways we can become better skiers with off-season training.

We'll talk about exercise, nutrition, mental preparation and any other factors we can think of that contribute to becoming better skiers, off season.

[glow=blue,2,300]Stay tuned .... [/glow]

[QikTrnz]

The most under-estimated component of ski/board/fitness preparation is :

The MENTAL DISCIPLINE necessary to maintain a consistent level of training.

How many people do you know that start out "Gangbusters", or "Full Speed Ahead" on a fitness program, only to end up on the couch a few weeks later ...

How can you avoid being one of those sad people that never reach their goals ... ?

Stay tuned ....

QT

[QikTrnz]

One main answer here is that most people attempt to do too much all at once and when that becomes too much to accomplish, they abandon the whole program from discouragement, rather than re-evaluate their expectations and modify the program to a more realistically attainable goal.

Another answer here is that many are unable to effectively change their behavior habits beyond an initial attempt, so if sitting on the couch or in front of the computer/TV after dinner is an ingrained habit, allocating 1/2 for walking instead will often seem impossible to "fit in".

Setting easily doable, short term goals is critical to both changing your normal patterns and achieving the success of completion for the goal.

Can't fit in 1/2 hour walk ? ..... start with 15 minutes, even 10, just start somewhere small enough that you can complete the goal on a regular basis, say 3 times a week.

Now, if you can't handle walking for 10 minutes, 3 time a week to begin with, then you are on the wrong website if you expect to be fit enough to be a durable skier come next November ...

.... sorry to break the bad news to you ....

If, on the other hand, you can start at that level or better, then there is hope and we will build from there.....

[QikTrnz]

If you have heard it once, you have heard it a thousand times ....

"The Longest Journey Starts With A Single Step" ...

That Cliche` is certainly applicable to the 365 skier because walking should become a part of your off season training/maintenance program, if it is not already.

I want to deal with it here first because there are good reasons to make it the cornerstone of that program, such as(to name a few) ....

1) No special skills required
2) You can do it anywhere, so even when you travel, you can still keep your commitment to it.
3) Minimal equipment investment, IE., a good pair of shoes.
4) Well documented benefits for endless dimensions of health
5) Easy

Of course, all of the above can be expanded on to one degree or another, but there will not be many who would debate the notion that walking is good for you.

For the 365 skier, walking should be one level up from the regular fitness walker because what we are looking for is generating an elevated breathing rate for an extended period, say 45 to 90 minutes that will assist the skiers need for massive breathing capacity that is necessary for the athletic performance of any given ski run.

Almost every good skier has found themselves wanting for lung capacity at the beginning of the season at some point and even if you weight train for strength, this lack of early season wind power will leave even the muscular individual short winded, mid-run, let alone mid-day.

The Time Distance Factor.

The principle benefits of a good walking program can be derived from a walk that is done at your most vigorous rate for at least 45 minutes.

My walking routine is a little over 50 minutes and over time I have learned that I can shave off minutes and seconds that I know mean a real difference in the effort level.

Not every day is a peak performance day though, so the important thing is to remain dedicated to doing the walk at least 4 times a week. Once you have made it a habit, you can dial in the performance factor for the effort level required.

For the 365 Skier the secret is .......

Basically, you want to walk fast enough that you can not carry on a conversation with a walking partner because you are breathing too hard.

If you don't have a walking partner, try talking to yourself to test your effort level. Try so say something meaningful though (Ha Ha).

[QikTrnz]

There will be a number of fitness experts that will debate the ideal time of day for your walking session ....

If you have the choice, first thing in the morning is probably best as it has been argued that it is the best time to ignite the metabolism for the day.

There is a widely held opinion that the walk in the morning will be the best fat burning time, but perhaps one other big consideration is that if walking sparks your metabolism, it would be more of an advantage to be "wide awake" from vigorous walking in the am. rather than in the pm., the thought being that an evening walk at this level of effort may inhibit the ability to fall asleep easily.

That has never been a problem for me personally, so I would have to say that this timing will be a personal thing that may be dictated by the availability of time over any other factors and as such, it is more important that you do it at any time rather than be fussy about when.

[QikTrnz]

Route selection :

If possible, it is useful to have a set route or routes in order to be able to monitor progress (time/distance relationship) and vary the effort with elevation (hills).

Some may say ... "Oh, that's too boring" etc., etc., but compared to a treadmill, even with a TV, walking in the real word is infinitely more interesting, even if it is the same route, due to weather, traffic, the activities of those you pass along the way, to name a few.

One way to help plan your route options is to use the trip odometer on your car to come up with the needed distance for the time requirement.

Zero out the trip odo and drive around any given perspective route with the idea that you should be able to walk about 5 KM or 3 Miles in 50 minutes or so.

If you must have variety, this method of planning can help you set up routes of similar or progressively more challenging specifications, depending on what you need.

[QikTrnz]

Ski Specific Walking Elements ....

What on earth could we do while walking that would help us become better skiers, you might ask ....

Well, the answer lies in knowing as we do, that skiing is an activity with a very finely tuned need for balance, so ....

Try this ....

Walk on top of the curb for 100 meters ....

If that does not show you how well you can balance yourself in a dynamic movement, then there ain't much that can .....

Curb walking is an excellent way to check your balance skills.

If your not great at it right off the bat, don't beat yourself up too badly because with the right speed and a bit of practice, you will be amazed at how quickly your balance will come into line and soon you will be impressing yourself with just how well balanced you have become.

That helps you as a skier/boarder, the same way that any other balance building skill will.

All those tiny little reflexive stabilizer movements that you make to keep yourself balanced on the curb are similar to those that you use to slide down the mountain, particularly those that you make with the upper body.

Think of your arms as "balance beams", just like a tightrope walker, and you'll get the idea.

[QikTrnz]

Another walking technique ...

This is mostly for skiers rather than boarders due to the fact that in theory anyway, skiers should always be facing the fall line, while boarders do not.

The technique is called "The Walking Shoulder Lead" and it helps the skier to face the fall line at all times by making the proper fall line orientation of the upper body a natural, automatic reflex that you will not have to think about.

An added benefit is that it will help assist in a naturally balanced and properly angulated body position on the hill ...

More later as time permits.... just wanted to get the topic started.

[QikTrnz]

"The Walking Shoulder Lead" ... as referred to previously, is a technique for automatically adjusting your reflex to face the fall line through any turn.

How could we do that by walking ... ???? .... you ask .....

It is unlikely that many would give any thought to how their shoulders are oriented toward a turn or change in direction while walking, however this is a little trick you can do all day, every day, no matter where you go while walking.

Lead the shoulder of the turn direction you want to make (or go in) through the turn first by consciously rotating that shoulder toward the direction of the turn so that the imaginary center of the turn falls in behind that leading shoulder and slips by across your back.

You may have to think about this for a while to visualize it, but it works.

Another way to think of it is that you tuck your leading shoulder through the turn first.

The easiest way to demonstrate this is to walk through a door frame that requires a turn after passing through. In that case, the door frame becomes the center of the turn and when you enter, pass through and exit the door frame, the shoulder of the new direction should have lead your upper body the whole way through. Your leading shoulder will slide by the door frame (the center of the turn) diagonally in the direction of your turn.

This directly relates to ski technique in that as you prepare to make a turn, you reach forward to make a pole plant that becomes the center of the turn.

Now, if you are doing things correctly with the pole plant, and you do not drop your hand or arm, then you end up making the turn with the pole planted arm and shoulder leading the turn and the spot where you did the pole plant is roughly the center of the turn, which your leading shoulder will slide by diagonally in the direction of your turn.

You will likely find that you can do this better in one direction than the other, but that's just like skiing and as such represents an opportunity to practice the weak side.

You can walk this way for the rest of your life if you want and the only thing that will happen is that you will always face the fall line, just like you are supposed to.

To bring this back to skiing, it becomes an endless visualization of correct turn orientation, ultimately, a reflexive orientation toward turning that will serve you well on the hill.

QT

[QikTrnz]

Well, that was enough time off, so now we really have to get serious about getting into shape as the Ski Season is only two and a half months away.

If you have not been walking all summer, there is still time to get going on that as you can make meaningful improvements in cardio-vascular health in a 60 day effort, but, the real effort now needs to be focused on building muscle so you will have the horsepower needed to do all the turns of this next season.

Some will recommend a ton of leg exercise, but that is an incomplete approach to the balanced skier.

The balanced skier knows that while leg power is undeniably important, total body strength is vital to maintain the strong core of a steady, powerful upper body that can hold the right position over the skis, no matter what the terrain throws at you.

We will look at all the basic movements that will provide you with this core strength over the next few days, but until then, lets start with the good old "Bench Press".

The "Bench Press" is one of the most basic upper body movements that will help to build chest, shoulders, arms and torso efficiently.

If you have home gym equipment, or you belong to a gym, then you know what to do.

If not, the "Pushup" is the equivalent that can be performed anytime, without any special gear.

Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 for a total of 24 to 30.

[QikTrnz]

Picture this .... You are riding up the chair lift and watching all the various skill levels of those coming down the hill ...

For the sake of streamlining, I'm going to say we will see 3 categories of identifiable groups as indicated by their ARM and SHOULDER dynamic ....

Hang in there with me for a bit, there is a reason for this story ....

1) "Wild and Crazy" .... These are the folks who are visibly beyond their capabilities and their arm and shoulder movements are all over the map as they try desperately to maintain balance by swinging everything around. They don't know any better and they may be drunk..... well, probably not, they just look that way.

2) "Stiff and Controlled" .... These are the folks who have had a few lessons or enough experience to know that "Wild and Crazy" lands you in a mogul head plant or deep in the bush, so they compensate by applying a "Rigid" arm and shoulder technique that holds a very tight position that will prevent "personal injury", this is typically characterized by the arms "jammed and locked" straight out, in what seems like a defensive posture.

3) "Smooth and Fluid" .... This is the group of people that simply by their graceful, athletic, purposeful arm and shoulder movement, look like they know what they are doing.

So, here's the reason for the story .....

Group # 3 is the one we want to be in, but that takes good, strong shoulders and arms to maintain that posture, so here is where we arrive at the next 2 components of our "365" or pre-season fitness program....

First, the seated shoulder press ....

Secondly, the arm curl .....

[QikTrnz]

Chapter 10a.

The value of doing all this is that to maintain good posture while skiing or boarding for a whole day, or a whole vacation, takes good upper body strength.

( I can tell you for a fact, though, that in addition to the ski specific benefits, this conditioning will improve your reflex action EVERYWHERE ... one day, you will surprise yourself and catch something falling in mid air and wonder "how did I do that ??? " ... answer .... reflexes. )

For seated shoulder press and arm curls you will need hand held weights that have a good grip surface and a chair.

The dumbbell hand weights you can get almost anywhere for cheap, and the reason I recommend the chair is that it helps isolate your upper body from any "cheating" that can come from bent knee lower body assistance that is natural.

Of course, if you belong to a gym, there is all kinds of equipment to do this with.

1) .....

The seated shoulder press is performed by holding the weights in your hands, out to the sides, parallel to your shoulders and then raising the weights above your head until your arms are comfortably extended, up as far as they will go. The weights are then gently lowered back to the starting position and this cycle is repeated for between 8 to 15 repetitions.

You need to select a weight that challenges you and can be lifted only 8 or 9 times because it is too heavy to do any more.

The final repetition should be a real struggle, but doable.

You want to be able to complete 3 sets of these within about 5-6 minutes.

Your system will adapt to this very quickly and if you perform this 3 times a week, within 3 weeks, you will be able to get a dozen or so rep's with that same weight.

When you reach the point that you can get 15 reps, increase the weight so you are back down to 8 reps with the new, heavier weight.

2) .......

Arm curls are done with the hand held weights held down as far as your arms naturally extend to your sides and then, bending the arms at the elbow, raising the weights until they are up as close to your shoulders as your folded elbows will permit.

Everything about the weight selection and repetitions is the same as for the shoulder presses.

When you reach the point that you can get 15 reps, increase the weight so you are back down to 8 reps with the new, heavier weight.

NOTE: For Bench Press, Seated Shoulder Press, and Arm Curls, You can use "Dynamic" repetitions with dumb bells that you can not do with a bar, so I recommend using dumb bells where ever you can.

"Dynamic" repetitions are performed with dumb bells by making periodic changes to the grip angle, finishing position or the plane of lifting or all of those, during the set. For example, if you can perform 12 reps, total, then try changing the grip, finishing position or plane of lifting from the first 6 to the second 6 repetitions of the set.

If it felt better, you could change any of these factors at any point within the set, however, a minimum pattern of 4 is recommended to achieve the best feel for power and control, which also co-insides with the 8 repetition minimum we have set for a weight increase point.

With "Dynamic" reps., you'll get all the reps you need to build muscle, but with less stress on your connective system. You may actually find that you can use more weight sooner with "Dynamic" reps.

Rarely in life do we do things in such a linear fashion as we do performing heavy weight lifting motions, so it is not unreasonable to perform these strength training movements, with dumb bells in a variable manner that more similarly resembles life.

The value of doing all this is that to maintain good posture while skiing or boarding takes good upper body strength.

As you cruise through our Tremblant winter wonderland, the forces of gravity are continuously working on you and you need strength to offset that or you are going to be very tired and your technique will be sloppy ... end result there is ... more potential for accidents.

Your Benefit is that you will simply have more horsepower for the sport, not to mention life, if you do this strength training.

Your enjoyment, skills and abilities will all rise to a higher level.

Skiing and boarding are sports that need a fairly healthy level of pre-existing fitness in order to maximize individual potential ... but you already knew that ....

Next time we'll look at leg and lower body fitness and conditioning.