Training

Technique

Video Clips

Summer Nordic Training 2014

Nordic skiers – I am posting several summer training options for those interested in putting in time to improve their skiing game for next season. Time invested during the summer truly helps an athlete become a stronger skier for the next race season! 

1) Mansfield Nordic Club: MNC offers lots of summer rollerskiing and fitness opportunities for those looking to make big strides in their skiing and to become faster racers. If you are serious about skiing, and are looking to get better, this is a great opportunity regardless of past experience, and would be my first choice. There are two main programs to choose from depending on your training intentions/ ski experience. Registration along with more information about the program options can be found on their website at http://www.mansfieldnordic.org/juniors/

2) If you don’t think the club is for you, or if you’re busy with other summer sport training activities/jobs, but would like to invest a little to heavy amount of time ski training, feel free to use this summer plan.

2014 training plan overview

2014 summer training plan

If you need help personalizing this plan to meet your individual needs, or would like insight on certain areas of training to focus on, I would be happy to help out.  I only ask that you fill out the attached Google docs sheet titled Summer Nordic Training Questionnaire which will show me your intentions, and will help me adjust a plan that is realistic for your needs.  It is also useful as it helps to form goals for the upcoming season.  Just download it, fill it out and email it back to me. Otherwise go for it...

3) 1X a week rollerski sessions at varying places in Essex (for Essex skiers).  I will send out more information on this shortly, but am tentatively planning to hold these sessions Monday evenings, beginning June 30th.   

There you have it, so make something happen!!  On an ending note… I will emphasize that all of this is optional of course. As much as it might seem like I am driving this stuff home, I only do it knowing that it will help those who really want to improve, which in turn will help make a stronger team. I also understand that for many, your main sport focus is not skiing, which is fine. I’m totally the kind of person who will only invest time doing what I want to do – So my main message here is this… do what you really want to do, but make sure you do a good job at it!

Spring Training 2014-

All-

I realize that many of you are doing a spring sport, but for those who are not, or want to keep fit, I have posted a training plan under the 'Spring Training' link below. You will notice this includes a variety of activities that cover many skill sets (endurance, speed, strength, power, etc…), and can be adjusted to meet individual needs/demands. Even if you do not follow the plan day-by- day, there are many activities/workouts you can take from it and perform when you have the time.

How it works- you’ll notice that each day of the week has a theme (ex-strength, distance, Intensity, etc…). Most training programs are set up like this for constancy, and to ensure that the athlete is hitting all the ‘targets’ of what they might need. For each day there is a letter indicating the activity, followed by a number indicating the time duration of that particular activity. See the codes on the bottom of the sheet to find the activity. For many days, especially later in the plan, there are intensity workouts (explained on the sheet). For weight room and core strength days, use the links below to access a plan sheet to follow. Be your own judge as to which core plan is best for you based on your current core fitness.

Again, this plan can be tailored to meet personal demands/needs. So… feel free to substitute for listed activities when you would like, or throw in workouts whenever you feel up to it. Dependent on your personal fitness level, time duration can be lowered or increased as you see necessary. Consider this a pot of ideas and opportunities to pull from!  Make use of it!

Spring Training

Training Supplement Options

Core Work -
Traditional Core Workout - Beginner/Intermediate
Advanced Core/Strength Workout
Active Advanced Core/Strength Workout

Weight Room -

Weight Room Exercises

Basics of Nordic Training - What is a training level?

There are four primary levels that competitive Nordic skiers use as part of any ski training regime.  Each level is based off a certain percentage of an athlete's maximum heart rate. These levels are used to help determine how hard athletes should exert themselves for any given workout.  Think of it as your training pace, and a way of making sure you are keeping that pace, or level of exertion in check.  For instance, it is not beneficial for an athlete to train every day in a high level, as this would cause burnout.  At the same time, if an athlete always trains in a low level, they will not be developing the necessary speed and fitness needed for competitive racing.  So, a good training plan carefully incorporates a balance of training activities performed in all levels, and not too many in one.  Below is a breakdown of the four level.

Level 1:
Level one is a slow training pace at which the heart rate is kept down. Activities at this level should be at a ‘conversation pace’. If you are unable to hold a conversation while doing the activity then you are going too fast!! This is the level where a majority of your training should take place, especially summer training as it helps improve base. You will notice on the training schedule that much of the activities are to be performed at this level.

Level 2:
Level two is a training pace slightly faster than that of level one. When performing an activity at the level 2 pace the time duration for the activity is shortened from that of level one.  Hardly any of our training takes place at this level.

Level 3:
Naturally level three is the next fastest training pace. Many people refer to this level as a ‘marathon pace’, or a ‘threshold pace’. This means the activity should be performed at a fast past, but at pace that can be sustained for a long time (such as a marathon). It is also the level at which the body begins to produce lactate faster than it can be flushed out (threshold level), resulting in lactic acid accumulation in the muscles. Not a lot of training should be done at this level as it can easily lead to overexertion or burnout. However, it performed less frequently and at the right time it will help athletes build speed endurance.

Level 4:
Level four is race pace. Fast. You will see that most of the interval workouts in the summer training schedule are at this level. These are the workouts that aim to develop speed and fast twitch muscles. Whenever doing an activity at this pace it is crucial to warm up for at least 15 minutes, and end with an easy level 1 paced cool down with the same time duration as the warm up. Cool downs help flush out lactic acid that has built up during the workout. Because the level 4 pace puts a lot of exertion on the body it is important not to train at this level too much. You should only train at a level four pace once a week (two times a week at the very most), and only after you have spent a few weeks training at lower levels,including lots of time at the level one pace building up a base level of fitness.

EHS Waxing and Training Room