Double poling in the offseason ... it's not just for nordies. Athletes like US Biathlon team member Tim Burke incorporates it into his offseason routine. Skate ski exclusively? Then this Wednesday "double pole" workout might be for you.
The defending champ of the CXC Marathon Cup (who's going for another title this season), Chris Pappathopoulos shares a "kill-two-birds-with-one-stone" workout. "While this workout certainly isn't limited to athletes trying to balance family and sport, it does work very well for that," he writes.
Who says work and play can't be mixed? Team Hardwood Head Coach Ron Howden shares a friendly hockey workout, played on rollerskis, that includes an agility drills warmup followed by a classic game of puck-chasing.
This week, Boulder Nordic Junior Racing (BNJR) Team Head Coach Adam St.Pierre shares a progressive track workout. “If you look at how many juniors in particular just go out at the start of a 5 k race and are just cooked within the first k, by putting them on a track and teaching them how small the changes in effort are to achieve different paces is a pretty powerful tool,” St.Pierre says.
It’s not just a truism that one of the best ways to get good at going fast is to practice going fast. At least that’s the principle that Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center (APU) coach Galen Johnston brings to bear when working with his athletes, no matter their age level or experience.
Either on snow or on pavement, this workout offers an easy approach to lending how to cue and fire the glutes while skate skiing, something physical therapist Dave Cieslowski says will improve your skiing efficiency.
"The goals of the workout are to increase classic striding leg speed and explosiveness, make neuromuscular gains, and increase aerobic capacity," explains Chris Mallory, new head coach of the SVSEF Gold Team. "The workout is fairly short and sweet, but very effective, and it helps to sharpen the athletes up as we near race season."
Tad Elliott explains, "Sometimes you need a good OD, have some fun with friends and enjoy hiking in the mountains. Also where else can you bag three peaks in three hours?" The answer, he found, is in Waterville Valley, N.H., where he's been training with Kris Freeman.
If you're looking to be faster in speed workouts, 2006 Olympian Justin Freeman suggests adding some technique drills and accelerations to your warmup. “We do ten to fifteen minutes of running technique drills, focused on sort of generating power, quick foot strike, kind of getting off your feet,” he says of his Netherlands-based running club.
Dubbed “The Dirty 30” by Drew Holbrook, this L4/5 rollerski workout (with repetitions of 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off) comes from Gear West's Matt Liebsch. “Between 20-40mins the workout will feel unbearable at times… this is where mental fortitude comes into play," he explains.
Everything's better with a group -- at least in terms of threshold interval workouts. In this "Throwback Workout" from three years ago, U.S. women's coach Matt Whitcomb explains why this was one of the best workouts he had seen back then. “It doesn’t need to be incredibly hard — today was roughly threshold and above during bursts of speed — but it was about the terrain that helped push the pace for us,” he said.
Exertional compartment syndrome can ruin a ski season if not a career. In this Wednesday Workout, physical therapist Dave Cieslowski presents two exercises designed to tame a compartment syndrome flare-up.
With more than 100 athletes at the US Biathlon's development camp last week in Jericho, Vt., one of the more interesting workouts of the week was an eight-station strength session. Mix human rock climbing and shooting and you've got plenty to keep you occupied.
While biting into a deep-fried, jelly-filled doughnut is not what every athlete daydreams about during interval workouts, U.S. 50-mile trail run champion Corrine Malcolm doesn’t take issue with digging deeper for dessert. Here's a sample of one of her "tune-up" workouts before a big race.
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.
Know a spot where the pavement is ideal for rollerskiing but the loop just isn't long enough to keep your interest? Austin Caldwell, head coach of the BSF elite team, has the threshold workout for you: 4 x 15-minute intervals on the same loop to track progress.
Strengthen the glutes and the skis will follow. Well, maybe it's not that simple. In this Wednesday Workout, physical therapist Dave Cieslowski, of Bend, Ore., explains how we can build stronger glutes in hopes of becoming more efficient skiers.
Anchorage-based reporter Gavin Kentch observes and outlines the ins-and-outs of a U.S. Ski Team classic speeds rollerski. U.S. women's coach Matt Whitcomb explains how each session is deliberately engineered and how a single workout can vary among individuals. (Includes photos and video clips)
After recently returning from a training camp with the Norwegian women's team, Jessie Diggins describes how the opportunity came about and one of her favorite workouts from her week in Norway. "I’m always looking for ways to make summer training exciting, new and adventurous," Diggins said.
David Norris of APU is trying to keep the momentum up and continually build on his achievements from last season. One thing he's noticed, "In the last few summers my uphill running has improved tremendously." But what came first, the hill-climb success or leaps in ski training?