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Fitness

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Whats the best way of getting Ski Fit without a hill near by?

Cycling, Gym work, Running?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
chrise1967, I do all three, but I would say cycling is the most beneficial. It works the same muscles and has the same sort of work profile as you go up and down inclines, into and with the wind, etc.
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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?
cycling & swimming would be my suggestions.
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I'm with laundryman on this - cycling would be the first choice. But if you have time then the gym would be good to increase your strength - take a look at a book called 'skiing fitness' by Mark Hines, it has some very good skiing specific exercises, many can be done without any equipment although some do need a BOSU and a medicine ball, or other form of weight to hold.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
chrise1967, cycling is excellent, but it doesn't work the adductors/abductors as much as skiing, and you need to have the correct pedalling technique to work the calf muscles too. Plus it does almost nothing for the upper body.

I add upper body work and leg strength work in the gym prior to skiing. If you don't do something regularly to work the core muscles (such as nordic walking, or lots of aerobics/body conditioning) then add some core muscle strengthening exercises (abs, back, obliques, hip flexors).

Another excellent exercise for skiing is step aerobics - works almost all the same muscles too. Likewise nordic walking - like XC skiing without the skis.

People often ask me why I do so much cardiovascular fitness work before skiing - well, although skiing has a lot of isometric work, and when you are really pushing it you are working anaerobically, how much do you actually do this? Most of the time, I'm skiing aerobically. I don't stop every 90 seconds to recover. So, it is useful to do CV work, particularly that type of work that is pushing your anaerobic threshold, such as interval training on bicycles. This will improve your endurance for more strenuous exercise, and so allow you to get down a longer run without stopping for breath or a rest.
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Rollerskiing, cycling, running are what I do together with some strengthening exercices like push ups, pull ups sit ups etc done around the house.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
chrise1967, stocky is a personal trainer and has an excellent work out programme. i you PM him he may send you a copy.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Don't forget to train those other essential skills:

- Queuing
- Drinking
- Falling with style
- Driving on the wrong side of the road
- Shouting at foreigners

Just be careful where you train for the driving one!!
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marmalade, it looks like you have these in the right order wink
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Keep talking about getting fit for next season but with this current weather it is difficult to get out and start. Any thoughts on cross trainers down the gym they seem very popular but when I'm on them not sure if I'm wasting time and should be on the bikes?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Fishing.
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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.
Rest up in the summer...start about september. It does depends on how far you have to go tho;
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Lots of cycling because it works many but not all of the same leg muscles

Leg Press because it increases the strength of the legs for stronger turning

Plenty of CV work for incresed stamina

Plus anything else you can think of for increased overall fitness
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
May I suggest a couple of months off alcohol to get your liver in shape?















grabs coat and runs . . . . Toofy Grin
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
SMALLZOOKEEPER, landing those big carp is an excellent upper body work out Very Happy
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
chrise1967, I find the cross trainer really good exercise for skiing, tho I would say you should use cross trainer AND bikes, not one or the other.......
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
vivski, try a slide board sometime.
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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?
comprex, as soon as I can afford to buy one Very Happy
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I thought to write an idea about the lower body resistance to lactic acid (burn on thighs when either leaning back or going too long too fast - for an ordinary person)...

There is a brilliant way of increasing the strength, and this was used by a former Finnish WC racer a few years back. I tried this myself yesterday, and it really is a killer application: slow squats.

Take about 30 % of your normal squat weight and then do deep squats. Phase 1 going down: 10 seconds, phase 2 staying down: 20 seconds, phase 3 coming up: as slowly as you ever can, i.e. 10-30 seconds. This means that one squat will take anything between 15-20 seconds to almost a minute. It is very hard indeed and requires good technique. But, it really gives you the same burn. I'll add this to my winter prep programme at least once a week.

Cheers!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
demos, the same thing works for most resistance training, and is less likely to lead to injury as well.
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Weight training is resistance training, isnt' it.
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Well started cycling to work and have realised how unfit I am. Anyway best to start early and build up.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
All this talk about cross trainers, huh,I'd move to another gym where the trainers are more hospitable. NehNeh
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docsquid, Can you suggest exercise that isn't going to aggravate a coccyx injury?
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Has anyone ever bought the Inghams Fit to ski guide? Any good? Was thinking of sending for it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I have the Inghams ski brochure, and they offer the Fit to Ski Guide free with a booking. Does this mean it's rubbish, or not?
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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.
I'm fairly fit anyway, but approaching a ski holiday I always increase the amount of cycling that i do - spinning classes down the gym are awesome for improving the skiing muscles in the legs, so long as you work in the class and do squats and what not. Sitting and peddling leisurely isn't going to do you much good!

I also have one of them wobble boards that physios use for injury rehabs - this is pretty good for improving leg and core strength and balance.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
demos wrote:
Weight training is resistance training, isnt' it.


Yes.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
chrise1967 wrote:
Whats the best way of getting Ski Fit without a hill near by?

Cycling, Gym work, Running?



You need a total solution.

Fitness + diet.

Part aerobic. Part resistance training. Part flexibiility.

Less calories. Less fat. Less sodium. Less refined sugar. Less alcohol. More fiber. More water. Plenty of protein. No smoking.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote:
Fishing.



Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Whitegold, why don't you belt up, you boring fraud, and stop stating the obvious. You sound off like an old broken 45 rev. record. If you're such an expert in ski fitness and diet and fitness health, why don't you publish on this site a ski fitness programme that includes beginners to advanced skiers/boarders. Better still, why don't you demonstrate to us all what a very strong mouth you've got and a most robotic brain in giving us another repeat of : Less calories. Less fat. Less sodium. Less refined sugar. Less alcohol. More fiber. More water. Plenty of protein. No smoking.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
:/

Anyway! What I'm going to be doing is rowing, jogging and biking to get the stamina up and I'm strengthening the leg muscles. Doing all this in the gym naturally as who wants to jog or cycle outside!? Pah!

Why the strengthening of the legs? I got knee issues and the stronger they are, the better. More impact they can take and so forth. Seeing as i generally go off-piste and am now starting jumps and so forth I'm going to try and get into shape for this stuff. Before when all I tended to do was red and black pistes I didn't really need any exercise before hand because well... skiing isn't that demanding if you do regular stops.

So ya...
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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?
chrise1967,

What about trying these classes:

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=699824&highlight=british+military+fitness#699824
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Good to see balance mentioned briefly above. I went to a summer camp some time ago and balance exercises were a feature in every morning's warm ups and there was a class in the a'noon. Any exercise which makes you concentrate completely on balance is good. I find balanicng on a gym ball very good beacuse you maintain the balance from your waist.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Timmaah, sounds a good plan for strength and cardio fitness to me, but you may want to work in some exercise that demands lateral motion.
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anyone tried "skiers edge" ? A lot of cash but is it any good? Puzzled
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
garywilk, yep. If you do a search you'll find two or three threads. It's a great all round workout - you really work up a sweat. You can't move it without a pretty good stance, i.e. there's no chance of working it from the back seat. So, the right muscles get trained and muscle memory gets burned in.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
garywilk, laundryman, I'd just love to try one of these, but it's a lot of money and no space here to keep it anyway. How can I persuade my gym to get one?! My exercise regime consists mainly of rowing, biking, cross-training (alternating between three machines without resting in between) plus free weights and all-round Pilates for strength, flexibility and balance. Lately my gym bought some 'summit' trainers, which combine cross-training and climbing, and I think these are brilliant, in fact have abandoned cross-training in favour of this for a bit, since I'm going mountain walking shortly. Sometimes I try to roll my feet and make a sideways motion on the summit machine, to mimic a skier's edge machine, but I guess it's not as good...though, on the other hand, the skier's edge maybe does the edging for you, and making a conscious movement to edge may be no bad thing to practise...?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Alternative training ideas;
-carry an ironing board on the tube, useful training for using lifts, technically this is only for boarders but I understand that a skiers version is possible.
-Go to starbucks, buy a coffee, then throw another two quid down a drain, a variation of this can be used as training for buying beer in the alps, but use 3 quid.
-Get drunk everyday at 4pm for a week.
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Hurtle, you have to edge positively on the machine.
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