by Hans and
Franz;
Section 5: Early Season 2
The early season is a good time to increase muscle fitness
through power training. Power is a function of strength
and speed. As such, it depends on short-term energy supplies.
Power training improves strength, speed and the availability
of short-term energy supplies. Power training that uses
exercises that mimic the movement patterns of skiing are
best.
Lower body exercises that will develop power include:
stationary running while lifting the knees, running up
stairs, and step-ups (e.g., a Stairmaster set on high
resistance) for classical skiing; sprinting on ice skates
or in-line skates for skate skiing; and lunging forward
first onto one knee and then the other for telemarking.
Upper body power exercises include push-ups, chin-ups
and dips. Dips are performed by raising and lowering your
body while in a sitting position, using only your arms
(esp. the triceps). To do them, sit on the floor and stretch
your legs out before you. Place a stack of books by each
hip and then lift yourself up by pushing down on the stacks
of book with your palms. Other useful exercises for upper
body power training include sit-ups, abdominal crunches,
and lat. pulls.
If the above exercises sound too strenuous, there is
an alternative. Try the stationary diagonal stride. To
do the stationary diagonal stride, start one leg and the
opposite arm swinging as they would in the diagonal stride
(the normal way you cross-country ski). Then, start swinging
the other arm, too. Be sure to get the opposite leg and
arm going at the same time, not the arm and leg on the
same side of the body. Relax and swing easily for two
minutes, and then switch to exercise the other leg. Make
sure to extend arms fully in both directions. In the advanced
version of this exercise, rise up on your toes at the
end of each rearward leg swing. Getting up on your toes
helps develop your balance and sense of weight distribution
and strengthens your calf muscles.
Power training is tough, so you probably don't want to
do it more than once a week during the ski season. Try
to do it after you have recovered from your last weekend
ski, but long enough before next weekend to allow your
short-term energy supplies to recharge. This might mean
Tuesday or Wednesday is best for you.
As we age, power is unfortunately one of the first things
that goes. One reason for this is that older persons rarely
use their muscles to make forceful contractions. By training
for power this lessening of ability can be delayed. For
the same reason, if you are older power training can give
you a distinct competitive advantage over others your
age.
