 Poster: A snowHead
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sazza42, 3 years ago I ran the London Marathon at the end of a week of skiing, had a week back at work and then skied for another week at the EoSB.
I'm not at all sure that:
Skiing was a good way to prepare for a marathon, or that
Marathon Running was a good way to prepare for skiing!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm another http://www.britmilfit.com devotee. After knee injury 18 mos ago I needed some serious motivation to get fit. BMF definitely got my ski fitness back but I'm not sure 10 days on planks kept me fit for BMF.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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My tips are as follows:
I usually try to do a variety of things in the build up to the trip. However, in recent years have adopted this concept I call Power Half Hour (PHH). Basically, you aim to do at least an hour and a half of exercise thoughout your day. Involves, splitting it up into 30 minute intervals throughout the day or you could do less. I purchased 2 Swiss Balls which I keep at home and the other in the office. This is great for core stability which is all too important for skiing balance and controlling your technique. The other more important thing is stretching in the morning once I get up and the same before going to bed. The toilet seat position at intervals throughout the day also helps 1 minute up to 3 minutes should be good enough. All of this can be started approximately a month before you go or a couple of months after, it's really about building momentum.
Looking forward to my next trip already, sooooooooo excited! 
Afro Ski
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I do gym with lots of training on a bosu for leg balance - swiss ball with the top cut off, pilates and always walking up escalators and stairs. There is another issue - the more technically competent you are the less fitness you need which is what I did - had lots of lessons up to black/mogul standard and still do so that I can ski well. The wonderful side benefit is that I can go very very fast or do tough stuff with much less effort as I'm doing it right and am pretty relaxed.  That saying I always wish I were fitter...
Elizabeth B,
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I find the best way to get fit for skiing, is to squeeze an extra trip in before the one you're trying to get fit for
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like your style:-)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Keep fit all year round.
Cycle
Gym
Body pump
Swim
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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tropicana58, smug but true. Why would you get fit just for a week's ski holiday and then slob out for the rest of the year?
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Spinning (3x), body pump (3) and body balance (2x) (and the odd bums and tums class)
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then slob out for the rest of the year?
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I don't know but maybe it is the kind of in reverse "bikini diet" approach (and that after all supports an entire industry)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The routine is not the same each year. However, each year there is a good mixture of hill walking, cycling, and there was a time I was jogging or running 40 miles a week as well. I stopped the 40 miles a week running a year ago, and bought a £99 cross trainer from Argos instead. I think the problem was that I was not changing my trainers often enough, and getting too cheap a pair when I was buying a new pair. So I save a lot of money now by using the cross trainer, which does not wear out trainers as fast (or at all if you wear socks).
About 5-10 years ago I would go to the gym and use weights to build leg muscle as well as upper body toning. However, now I just use one resistance band which pretty much can do all the muscles I would do in the gym . Obviously you cannot overdo it, or build great bulk with a resistance band, but you can tone muscles and that is all I am after.
So my routine, which I have recently started at the end of August, is to use the cross trainer for 20 minutes as a warm up. Stretch all my muscles for 20 seconds each, do some sit ups, squats, and side leg raises. Then I move onto the resistance band exercises for which I have the following in my current routine:
Butt blaster
Bicep curls
Tricep extensions
Overhead press
One arm rear flies
Lat pulls
Side leg extensions left
Side leg extensions right
Chest press
All those with a resistance band!
I then do another 20 minutes on the cross trainer, this time pushing my heart beat up to 120-140 hbpm for most of the period. I repeat the resistance band routines, the sit ups, squats, and side lifts. Then I stretch all my muscles, concentrating on hamstrings.
I measure my performance using a heart beat monitor which I got from Tesco really cheap. (about £20)
Today I managed the following performance for the above routine (after a short 8-10 mile cycle ride):
Time 1 hour 27 minutes
cal 515.23
fat burn 47.4
average hbpm 109
hi hbpm 137
time in mid zone 38.46 minutes (89-116 hbpm)
average hbpm 102
time in top zone 37.46 minutes (greater than 116 hbpm)
average hbpm 125
I think the benefit of the heart beat monitor is more of a way of measuring how far I am pushing myself on the cross trainer. I can tell that I am training in the right zone. The rest of the statistics are pretty meaningless other than for me to compare each training session, and look for improvements or targets to beat.
The great benefit of doing it all at home, is you can tune in to radio val d'isere on the internet, and have some cool music to listen to.
Resistance band exercises
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blresistanceban.htm
Radio val d'isere
http://www.radiovaldisere.com/
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Hi all, first post on here.
I taylor my gym sessions to ski based stuff the nearer i get.
Just found out im on a stag do in Jan at Glenshee so looking forward to doing a little extra training for that!
There aresome excellent half hour ski based fitness routines on youtube (search 'ski and sowboard fitness boot camp workout') and they have begginer, mid and advanced versions of each.
Its heavily based around bodyweight exercises which is good as you can do them at home, no equipment needed! Things like bodyweight squats, lunges, jump lunges, side lunges, balance based stuff and core exercises.
Usually in the gym i hit the legs hard a couple of times per week, lower volume (8-12reps per set) heavy squats for strength (and size - vanity) and lighter weight squats at a higher volume (20-30reps) for stamina and cnditioning. Any leg press/extension exercise is good and hamstring curls.
A bosu is good for single leg squats or any sort of balancing as it strengthens and trains all the stabiliser muscles in your ankles which helps a lot to prevent possible injurys.
Core exercises are almost endless, the simple plank is great for as long as you can hold it with good form, any situps (esp on a swiss ball), medicine ball twists and catches, etc etc
whats most important is enjoying what you do, cycling is great for thigh and ass stamina.
i love the fitness side of things and cant wait to taylor my workouts towards getting in ski shape!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Dear all,
I am desperately unfit and have three ski trips planned for this winter. Only did long weekends last season which wasn't so bad as it was mainly boozing but the old thighs were burning on each run. Is it possible to get reasonably fit in three months? How often do I need to be exercising? A combination of cardio & resistance? A gammy knee means lunges are painful.
Any tips most welcome.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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ejf78, I was in the same place last year - joined a local gym and lost about a stone and a half in about 4 months going for an hour a morning, 5 mornings a week. Mostly cardio with some focus on quads and core (planks, sit ups etc). In fact quite similar routines/programmes as suggested by prick_with_sticks above. By the time skiing came around, had no problem with stamina or thigh burn and skied significantly more than in previous 3 years.
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ejf78,
I think you can make surprising gains in a relatively short preiod- so 3 months will have you seeing reasonable improvments.
I have found that since I have made an effort to do more (well something) with most aimed at improving my back, my knees have improved too. I think its increasing the strenght of all my leg muscles that helps with that.
I think you need to make sure you have correct form for lunges or squats to avoid knee pain. My physio talked me through a proper squat technique.
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You know it makes sense.
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rowing machine and cycling.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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recently after each gym session i have been using the power plate machine - that thing people lie on or stand on and it vibrates.
its actually really good, i basically stand on it and drop into the tuck position for 45 seconds at a time with the setting on high, excellent for calf and thigh conditioning and recreates thigh burn experienced whilst skiing.
i think im almost ready for a minute at a time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Exercise like running and biking build up your cardio. Push up also build up strength of your back and arm.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bigtipper, for progression you could join a group doing a circuit training class or something, it'd be very interesting to see what that does to your stats 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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kitenski, been there and done that. I saved about £50 for 16 circuit training sessions which I did on my own (actually it might be more expensive for these gym sessions). That is almost half the cost of the cross trainer. When you factor in that I would be half way through wearing out a new pair of trainers by now, this has saved about £40 on jogging. Given that this is the second year now that I have been using the cross trainer it seems to have paid for itself in substitution costs.
I do not know why people go to these Mumba Wumba cross pump boxercise sessions, seems like some kind of strange type of kids style discos where everyone is in shorts and t-shirts.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Bigtipper, ah gotcha, thought you were using it at a gym. I goto circuit training classes because it adds in a competitive element and pushes me harder than I will push myself. It also helps alleviate boredom.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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kitenski, sometimes competition can push you further than you should go, and that is when you pull muscles and smash your teeth. For example, going rugby training many years ago in winter I pulled a hamstring due to the weather and explosive bursts of energy in training. I now train indoors where it is warm, do a slow build up and warm up and stretch everything for 5-7 mins. I also got my front teeth chipped training in competitive environment. It is safer if you do not have to allow for unpredictable elements such as other people who may have malicious agendas. I am not saying that accidents happen on purpose, or that some people play competitive sports with malicious intent, just that I do not need any more stitches in my forehead from stamping with sharpened rugby studs!
Competition can push you too far too soon. If you build it up slowly at your pace, you are less likely to do yourself an injury trying to keep up with the "competition". I am not trying to beat anybody's heart beat, or time spent training, or even calories expended. All I am trying to do is improve my fitness!
Luckily I am very self motivated, and can amuse myself easily. Especially with the internet, and all the information available there.
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Bigtipper, whatever works for you! I've pulled my hamstring sprinting against a very fit chap indoors on a running track after a decent warm up!
For me the motivation of a class and the competitive element is needed, I couldn't do what you do and train at home on my own. I guess that is just me, even out with the lads on a Sat am bike ride, the last big hill normally turns into a mini sprint to the top.
Each to his own and glad it's working for you!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I am determined to be fitter for this years ski trip. Started Spinning a few weeks back doing 3 classes a week. I have now invested in a Spinning Bike so really hope to start doing an hour a day 5 days a week between now and skiing the end of February.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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In the past I've relied on my deerstalking to stay fit - getting out on the hill regularly to find deer, then dragging them back does tire out the legs and work up a sweat ! This year I started cycling again as well, 30 - 50 miles a week on a road bike, up and down the Angus glens. I have no doubt that has helped.
However last week I thought about balance training, and decided to give skating a try (after an absence of about 30 years !). Dundee ice rink, hired a pair of what were subsequently disparagingly described by the skate shopkeeper as "blue wellie boots" and had an hour on the ice. Well I certainly found some muscles that I'd forgotten about - but don't know if they will be any help when the snow arrives. The hire skates were cr@p, blunt, with as much support as an old pair of carpet slippers (or wellies). So next time I'll buy myself a pair of hockey skates.
That leads to a question. All the skates in the shop, from the £100-ish ones up to those over £500, all seemed far harder/stiffer (and therefore more supportive) than the leather boots that were on the last hockey skates I used. A bit like comparing leather ski boots which I well remember, with modern plastic shells. Is there any reason why I should buy anything more expensive than say £150, in the knowledge that I ain't going to be playing ice hockey ?
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You know it makes sense.
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Bigtipper, just a quick question / observation - have you tried to do a max HR test - as you seem to be working at very low levels judging by your avhr in the graph above?
Just look at my heart rate stats over the course of a couple of long arduous hr bike rides - and I'm not a youngun!!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/108280452 and in the Alps http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106109944
Long fat burning sessions are great, but once / twice a week you should push yourself with some sort of intervals - just try 8 times 20 sec intervals absolutely maxed flat out with only 10 sec recovery - if you do it right by the sixth you should be thinking that there's no way you can manage eight - oh and that's only 4 mins of exercise - google Tabata intervals and you'll see what I mean!
And in answer to the original thread as I've mentioned before, Bikram Yoga - mix that in with some Tabata and you'll be firing, mind you there are not that many places in the UK where you can do Bikram, but worth Googling - did it all last Autumn and into winter and both me and the Mrs thought it helped hugely with ski fitness - I'm a pretty fit guy and can honestly say one of the toughest things I've done, I also took a few other mates who agreed - one a top county time triallist.
Currently I'm seven and a bit weeks post ACL reconstruction and am on the turbo twice a day, walking and doing other stuff - still limited by the Physio as to what I can do - by mid Nov should be doing loads more (Bikram ?) hopefully, then a very slim chance I'll be back on skis in March.
That said hour on the turbo tonight av 141 max 177 last 15 mins 8 times 1 min with 1 min recovery. Then nice hot bath and loads of icing.
As they say - no pain no gain.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Or you could wander down to some seedy estate, buy a massive rock and smoke it in hits at one minute intervals... pulse rate 240 bpm... great training plus the oxygen depletion acclimatises you to altitude
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Poster: A snowHead
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Weathercam, I have a very low resting heart rate (below 50 bpm) and when I am not using the cardio machine my heart rate drops to about 70 bpm-90bpm when using resistance bands. Whilst the average seems low, in the last session I spent 52 minutes above 130 bpm averaging 135 bpm. The overall average also includes 10-15 minutes stretching exercises which barely lifts my heart rate at all!
I did some max HR tests when I was doing long distance running and it was close to 200. One test showed it going over 200! However I think it is really about 190.
I am trying to avoid anaerobic exercise in these training sessions, and so try to keep by heart beat between 130-140 when using the cross trainer. However sometimes I step up the pace and it will usually reach somewhere between 150-160 maximum in a training session when I start to sweat a little and breath heavier.
Once you start exercising in the anaerobic range you start to get all sorts of problems with lactic acid build up which I had a problem with last year. This year I have no problem at all, and I have no muscle aches or pains the next day or day after with these sessions.
I tend not to ski in an anaerobic way, and in the most part my heart rate will barely get above 100 when skiing. So I do not think it is necessary for me to train in that way.
I did do a lot of cycling for a while, but long distances were starting to cause problems in the buttock area. My research on the internet indicates that you can get problems with too much cycling (impotence is one suggested possible side effect). I changed the seat on my bike to one that has been designed to put the pressure points on the sides of your legs rather than in the middle. However, I decided to stop long distance cycling due to weather, traffic, numbing problems in the buttock, and also I kept wearing out the bottom bracket in bikes (it was becoming too costly). Cheaper to wear out a cheap cross trainer (which I have not yet done).
http://www.impotence-guide.com/cycling-impotence.html
I stopped doing long distance running too when I realised that I was not changing my trainers often enough and this was causing problems with the impact of too much jogging. You should change trainers after 300-400 miles, so if you are doing 30-40 miles a week that is only 10 weeks! Way too expensive, and likely to cause some problems later on in life.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 30-10-11 9:41; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bigtipper, ok understand - though like to see you keeping your HR below 100 if you skied with me and my mates in the likes of La Grave and or were to go ski touring
Horses for courses........
Logic is to stay fit all year and not have the annual panic of trying to cram it in for all of one weeks activity a year - easy to say I know!
And as for wearing out bottom brackets - have to say I do find that a little hard to believe (plus would be under warranty) - as I do a lot of cycling* and NEVER have I heard that as an excuse to stop cycling - I think you're on a wind up or are spending too much time supposedly researching on the Internet.
I'm outa here, this is getting silly!
*week this year doing the classic cols in and around La Grave - Galibier, Alpe D'Huex, Deux Alpes, Granon, Izoard etc http://www.anotherharddayattheoffice.co.uk/lagravecycling.html without wearing out one bottom bracket in that week nor in the training before - though I did trash a carbon rim!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The bottom bracket just gets worn easily on the cheap bikes I buy (£70 from Argos). I have to say the rear tyres and wheels tend to go first, and then the bottom bracket before the end of the second rear wheel. You can still ride the bike with a worn bottom bracket, but the pedals wobble a bit and make a grinding sound.
This has happened on two bikes, one was a GT which was free when I joined a health club. That bike is totally out of commission now. (spare parts only) The bike from Argos is still useful for short distances like 10 miles, but is really slow on the road.
I have replaced one chain, and the rear gear lever snapped once. When you start buying these parts, you find that they are often more expensive than a new bike. For example a rear wheel costs about £30, and you can buy a new bike on special offer for £40 sometimes. (there is one in the garage still waiting to be used)
However, compare the price for a new set of brake pads for a bike (£4 on ebay delivered to your door) to getting new pads and discs for a car! Then add in 4 new brake calipers, for a performance car you end up paying more to replace the brakes than the car is worth!
I never liked riding bikes, as it gives me a sore bum!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anything involving crouching (squats, situps [think about it]), getting up out of a crouch (good ol' fashioned star jumps with a press-up in between, or burpies), extending and compressing legs (rowing, cycling) and anything that gets your heart-rate up and a sweat going (all of the above) will be helpful. Something you enjoy, and/or something you can share with others are also perhaps under-rated points. As summer's gone now my normal options (cycling, free weights in garden, kettlebells in garden, running) are a) likely to be alone more often than not, b) less likely to be practical [cold/dark] and c) ok no more excuses ; I really need to start sorting out some repetitions and putting in the graft. 10x burpies, 20x situps, 20x pressups, rest, with some hard trance for 40 - 50 mins a day should sort it. Not sure I'll bother though... Work's taking it out of me these days and my running buddy is AWOL ;-(
Edit: +1 on the yoga. My marathon-running personal training house-mate swears by it, and there's a session in the church hall next door (apparently 95% young women too, I shall have to attend...) which caters to all abilities he says. I would describe it to the less-than-convinced as, considering steel; adding tensile strength, and flexibility/resistance to shear or fracture (of muscle/ligaments/tendons). Very handy. Also nice scenery... /ducksandcovers
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Bigtipper wrote: |
The bottom bracket just gets worn easily on the cheap bikes I buy (£70 from Argos). I have to say the rear tyres and wheels tend to go first, and then the bottom bracket before the end of the second rear wheel. You can still ride the bike with a worn bottom bracket, but the pedals wobble a bit and make a grinding sound.
This has happened on two bikes, one was a GT which was free when I joined a health club. That bike is totally out of commission now. (spare parts only) The bike from Argos is still useful for short distances like 10 miles, but is really slow on the road.
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I think weathercam must be right that you are having a gentle wind up. (at least i hope you are) Not wanting to join a class for fear of competition and getting your teeth chipped, not wanting to cycle as you wear out a cheap £70 bike and are worried about impotence. Really very good!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| emwmarine wrote: |
| Bigtipper wrote: |
The bottom bracket just gets worn easily on the cheap bikes I buy (£70 from Argos). I have to say the rear tyres and wheels tend to go first, and then the bottom bracket before the end of the second rear wheel. You can still ride the bike with a worn bottom bracket, but the pedals wobble a bit and make a grinding sound.
This has happened on two bikes, one was a GT which was free when I joined a health club. That bike is totally out of commission now. (spare parts only) The bike from Argos is still useful for short distances like 10 miles, but is really slow on the road.
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I think weathercam must be right that you are having a gentle wind up. (at least i hope you are) Not wanting to join a class for fear of competition and getting your teeth chipped, not wanting to cycle as you wear out a cheap £70 bike and are worried about impotence. Really very good! |
You both miss the point completely regarding competition and fear. There is no fear of competition on my part. I just do not wish to encourage unnecessary competition. As I am not in any competition, it is best to avoid people who think I might be. You know what I mean, people who have no chance of winning but a grudge on their shoulder about being a loser. (even though there is no competition!)
As for bikes and impotence, I cannot say if this does occur, all I know is that sitting in a saddle for long periods of time does cause a numbing sensation. This is best avoided by changing the saddle and only going for short distances. As it also costs less to use a cross trainer indoors than to wear out a bike, I see that as more good reason to switch.
I am not one of these people who does things because a group of other people are doing it. I do it because it achieves the goal I am aiming at. The goal being to improve fitness, at low cost both financially and in terms of risks taken to injury.
My recent training session resulted in breaking the 1000 calorie barrier. I never got past that when doing long distance running (I only did 10 - 12 miles maximum in one run). Long distance running seems to have a repetitive strain injury potential. I know my iliotibial band got severely cramped at one point, and my balancing muscles had problems too. I had to spend a long time stretching my iliotibial band and building up my hip flexers. You do not get these problems with a cross trainer!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliotibial_band_syndrome
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/knee-pain.php
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This thread makes me celebrate being unfit, which is not something I normally do and which is presumably not its intention.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Weathercam wrote: |
... must be a verb / adjective for people that google and plagiarise to make out that they are some sort of expert in any given field of expertise / advice on a forum  |
The word you're after is Snowhead
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FAQ
