This week's workout comes from U.S. Ski Team Women's Coach Matt Whitcomb shortly after the team's on-snow camp in Bend, Ore., where they practiced improving technique after watching video clips, then created some footage of their own.
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Technique
The most controversial of topics. After fitness, the best way to ski faster is to do so more efficiently. There are many opinions on what is the “best technique.” We present different viewpoints from around the ski world.
One author shares his uneasiness with training plans and investigates CXC Academy, an online subscription service that provides nordic tips and regimens for skiers of all ages. "You will go faster when you want to go faster and it will be a lot more enjoyable," founder Yuriy Gusev says.
Wednesday Workout: Dreissigacker’s ‘Bread and Butter’
BrainspiralAugust 14, 2013
Before leaving for Germany for a three-week camp in Ruhpolding and Oberhof, US Biathlon's Hannah Dreissigacker talks about how she's made strides in her sport -- specifically in shooting -- and why combo workouts are some of the best ones biathletes can do.
What Drives Muscle Tightness: Tips for Improving Long-Term Performance
Stuart KremznerAugust 6, 2013
We stretch, stretch and stretch some more, so why are we still so tight? Exercise physiologist Stuart Kremzner explores the issue of muscle tightness and how to remedy a larger area of the body rather than a specific muscle group. Doing so could yield big results and ward off injury.
Leaving their rifles at home, the U.S. biathlon team is in Bend and today addresses a question that many skiers face come spring: how do you tackle the first couple overdistance workouts after a break? How long should they be, and what activity is best? Coaches Per Nilsson and Jonne Kahkonen assigned a three to four hour classic OD, and gave us their tips.
There's a correlation between the use of nutritional supplements and the willingness to dope; but why, and how? Does one cause the other? Plus, quick reads on whether caffeine improves ski performance (hint: it does!) and if minimalist footwear really helps approximate the mechanics of barefoot running.
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Friday morning’s U.S. Ski Team workout at the Mt. Van Hoevenberg nordic trails wasn’t designed to be too hard. According to men’s coach Jason Cork, the idea was to run with poles and ski bound for 45 minutes at Level 3 – a sort of tempo pace. Once a couple dozen athletes between the U.S. Ski Team (USST) and National Elite Group (NEG) got going around the designated loop, most realized...
Chipping Away at Technique, One Cue at a Time
Audrey ManganAugust 23, 2012
Noah Hoffman has been all over the world this summer in search of snow, and in less than a week the U.S. Ski Team member will be jetting off again to find more. This time he’s headed to the Southern Hemisphere along with teammate Kris Freeman to train at the Snow Farm, New Zealand’s premier cross-country ski field and, until this year, a regular U.S. training destination. It won’t be the first time this summer...
That last ski of the season might not have set well this year. You weren’t exactly ready. Some places enjoyed sufficient snow dumpings this winter, but on the whole, it just wasn’t enough. It ended too soon. Certain parts of the country aren’t quite in summer mode yet. Snow has been known to make April appearances, and some ski towns recently saw a late-season blast of the white stuff. But in Hayward, Wis., home of...
I received an email recently from a reader who pointed out to me that Marit Bjørgen completed the 30k classic mass start in Oslo this season in 1:26:09.8, last year at World Championships Therese Johaug did the same course, mass start, skating in only 1:23:45.1, which is only a difference of about 2.8%. Surely, skating [...] Related posts:
Quick (Pro) Workout: Double-Pole Strength Training
Alex KochonDecember 1, 2011
Note: This is the first of a “quick workout” series, which will break down one ski-specific exercise at a time in a how-to format. We start with Canadian national team member Perianne Jones, who demonstrated a double-pole technique in her hometown fitness center.) *** If you woke up this morning hoping to see several inches of white stuff and instead met a blanket of balmy air, you’re not alone. Skiers around the world are scratching...
Daniel Rickardsson, the Swede who taught everyone a lesson on how to race a 15K classic interval start when he won the 15K by almost a full 30 seconds during the World Cup in Drammen eight days ago, is ready to get even with the Norwegians from Sunday’s pursuit.
What happens when a famous Norwegian couch potato embarks on Petter Northug’s training program and basically follows Northug’s daily routine for eight weeks?
It’s that time of year again! Snow is falling, trails are open and groomed, and it’s time to toss the rollerskis in the basement. There are a couple of reasons why rollerskis are great for cross training; they allow you to develop your ski muscles, work on balance, develop arm strength you can’t get while running … and they are the closest thing to actual skiing when you aren’t fortunate enough to live on a...
The Secret to Kalla’s New Power
Inge ScheveNovember 4, 2010
She is already one of the top female skate skiers in the world. By improving her ankle/knee flexion, Charlotte Kalla (SWE) has increased the power in her kick – and will be even more dangerous to her competitors this winter.
According to skate technique expert Torgeir Bjørn, Petter Northug is best during the last ten minutes of a race. Bjørn, who is the technique coach with the Norwegian national biathlon team, explains that this is the part of the race where technique matters the most. Petter Northug agrees with Bjørn, and says that basic core strength is a determining factor in being able to finish ski races on top. “Up until 2008 I wasn’t particularly...
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Inspired by Brother, Driven by Dreams
Inge ScheveOctober 13, 2010
ENGERDAL, NORWAY – For as long as she can remember, Maja Solbakken wanted to do everything her older brother Martin Andersen did. Siblings of accomplished athletes often feed off the energy and determination of their brother or sister — that is true not only for those on the World Cup circuit, but also for those who are the second-tier. The youngest of three siblings, Maja, 16, grew up in the rural Norwegian community Engerdal, close...
Karstein Johaug (NOR) Aiming for the Worlds
Inge ScheveSeptember 27, 2010
“For me, having a famous sibling is solely a bonus,” says Karstein Johaug, the younger brother of Olympic ski racer Therese Johaug. The 18-year-old has the 2012 World Junior Championships podium in mind, and he has a plan in place for getting there.
Adam St. Pierre is an exercise physiologist at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. He is also the head coach of the Boulder Nordic Junior Racing Team. In this article, St. Pierre outlines a strategy for athletes to gradually implement technique changes. Technique is an important component of cross-country skiing, but it is often difficult for athletes to make technique modifications once their motions have become habitual. As coaches, we often find...