I hate rollerskiing. As much as I try to be a good Nordie, I just can’t get over my fear of hitting the pavement. Between a history of bike racing and the rollerski learning curve, I’ve already lost enough skin. I know it’s good for me and might make me faster on snow, but I’m too old to put up with my heart rate being affected more by fear-induced adrenaline than by quality training. My...
It’s May. Yes, really. For most skiers, the new page on the calendar also marks the beginning of a new training year. Dust off your rollerskis, locate your heart rate strap and drink belt, and make sure your running shoes have plenty of life in them. With the country still predominantly on public health orders to stay close to home, avoid groups, and keep at least six feet of distance from those outside your home,...
We are trying to stay slightly ahead of the overuse injury and poor air quality curves. You may be midway through your summer training schedule and dealing with a bum ankle. Or you live in a place like much of the Western U.S. that has been or will be affected by poor air quality due to wildfires. Whatever the causation, skiers can find themselves in make-do mode. If the air quality index (AQI) is high...
Endurance junkies can be data nerds. The market for smart watches and wearable fitness devices has boomed, trending toward a $29 billion dollar market with 243 million units sold by 2022 according to an industry analyst’s estimates. In the world of endurance sport, professional athletes and weekend warriors alike are recording their workouts and analyzing the results using platforms like Strava, Polar Global, or Garmin Connect in search of optimal training to achieve personal bests. ...
Double poling is an increasingly important part of cross-country skiing and it pays to be good at it. If watching World Cup stars double pole short races on television doesn’t have you convinced, take a look at the races you might enter. Most loppets, marathons and citizen races feature flatter courses with a lot of double-poling time. Even in skating, the three main techniques all include slight variations on double poling. When five Canmore skiers...
After two weeks in Norway, U.S. Ski Team sprinter Andy Newell returned with some new ideas for double poling and a better sense of why skiing is so huge there. "Maybe the coolest part about training in Norway during the summer is not just the awesome roads and cooler weather but also to get a taste of that skiing culture," he explained.
This week, Michigan Tech and CXC's Alice Flanders shares a unique track workout: done by double poling to the beat of a metronome around a 400-meter track while working on technique at varying tempos.
Double pole technique is essential, and getting it right early in the year is even more important. Coach Pavlina Sudrich of the Alberta World Cup Academy demonstrates her steps to double pole rehabilitation and why we can't ski like Beyonce in this Wednesday Workout.
Sondre Turvoll Fossli, the runner-up of Sunday's 1.5 k classic sprint in Beitostølen, Norway, knew Petter Northug was coming for him sooner or later. Sure enough, Northug on skate skis passed him in the final stretch before the finish for a 0.4-second FIS victory.
Whether it's the first meters of a mass start or the final stages of a head-to-head sprint, a strong double-pole can be critical to the outcome of a race. Ida Sargent shares an interval session that has helped her make recent gains.
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...
With three World Cup sprint podiums last season, two of which were at the very top, Kikkan Randall is known for her speed. But even though her forte is in races under three minutes long, one of her favorite workouts to do in the fall is a 50 k rollerski double-pole session. In addition to being a solid level one effort, the U.S. Ski Team (USST) veteran also uses the workout as an opportunity to...
Video by the US Ski Team’s Torin Koos – Double Pole and Class Stride. Be sure to read the commentary below the video by US Ski Team Coach Justin Wadsworth. Commentary from Justin Wadsworth On the Double Pole Sections: This video footage was taken while doing Vo2 max work during an intensity block in Lake placid, New york. In the double poling, I want to see Torin stay forward with upperbody. With the group sprint...