THE TIME TO GET READY FOR SKI SEASON IS NOW!
Is skiing your main passion in winter? If so, U. S. ski team racer Erik Schlopy says now is the time to start getting ready.
"You have to build a base and get your ligaments and tendons in shape for more heavy training in the fall. All of that takes time," Schlopy says.
The training progression used by elite athletes begins by building that important foundation. Schlopy, who is in his 30's and the oldest racer currently on the World Cup, says it's even more important for atheltes 30 and beyond.
Like Phil Mahre, who returned to competitive skiing at 50, Schlopy advises that the main thing is just staying active, doing something physical every day.
If you have slacked a little for the past few months, you have to begin at the beginning. But that doesn't call for confining yourself inside a gym.
Schlopy says, "Somebody who hasn’t worked out much since the season ended has to get the foundation of basic fitness back. Riding a bike and/or running (if your knees are up to it) is a great way to get your body used to moving athletically again."
Playing outdoor sports is an enjoyable way to train both your aerobic and anaerobic systems. You must build a strong foundation of both to be a good athlete. This goes for any sport, not just skiing. In fact, Schlopy's advice will make you a better athlete no matter what sport you do.
"Play sports like hockey or soccer that have spurts of aerobic and anaerobic activity. That way you build your basic conditioning and get ready for the weights and plyos you'll be doing later," Schlopy says.
Luckily, there are literally dozens of drop-in hockey games from Ogden to Park City, with players of all levels of skill. Rinks offer drop-ins for about six bucks, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Call the ice rinks to find when games, sometimes called "puck practice," take place.
If running is your exercise of choice, do intervals; where a 30-second or one minute sprint is followed by a two minute jog. But, as Schlopy advises, "For the average athlete of who is not trying to win Olympic medals, hockey and soccer is a lot more fun."
That doesn't mean you can forget about resistance work. But again, this is base building time, so you should lift differently now from the progression you will use in September.
Schlopy advises, "What you should be working on now is high reps and low weights to condition your ligaments and tendons before you start with heavy weights. I would say that 15 reps would be the minimum, but even 50 reps would not be out of ordinary. Remember, whether you do gates or regular skiing down the slopes, you'll be doing about 50 turns. So if you either count reps, or do it by time, like performing the lift for a minute and a half, that is very specific to the time and effort you would spend on a race course or even just a warm up run down the hill."
Getting that specific base is important now so that you have the conditioning when fall comes and you start doing the ski-specific exercises needed closer to the season.
Schlopy adds, "I think it’s important to be active every day, even if it’s just 20 minutes on a bike, but if you can’t do something every day, two days on and one day off is another way to go."
Another aspect of training is the stretching myth. Yes, stretching is important, but it does little good if you do it without thoroughly warming up the muscles. That's why most elite athletes stretch after their workout, not before.
Schlopy says the warmup is the most important thing.
"It’s more important to warm up on a bike, it’s even more important than stretching. People who overdo stretching are doing their joints more harm than good. I’m not a huge advocate of stretching. I’m not saying don’t stretch, I’m just saying do it lightly. And don't bounce around, keep the motion smooth," he says.
One of the best workouts, not only for skiing but for any sport where lower body agility, strength and balance are important; is rarely found in the workout books. It's even neglected by a lot of coaches, because most athletes don't really know about it.
The miracle workout? A walk down a mountain.
Schlopy does it, and he learned it from the best of the World Cup champions.
"Walking down a mountain is fantastic for eccentric exercise, which duplicates the type of muscle loading similar to what happens in skiing. When you ski, your main effort is resisting the eccentric forces that pull you down the hill. A lot of regular gym exercises don't work the muscles this way, but walking down a steep mountain trail does, while forcing you to develop the agility and balance to keep your footing," Schlopy says.
There are quite a few local opportunities to walk down a mountain without having to spend time or effort to climb up it first. Take the Snowbird tram up and walk down. Take the Snowbasin Needles gondola, stop for a delicious dinner at the lodge and walk down afterwards. Deer Valley and Park City both offer lift rides to the top.
Just one warning: You will hurt the next day. In fact, if you're out of shape as far as ski specific muscle movement goes, you may hurt for a whole week. But, not only will the pain tell you something about your current condition, but you will gain some of what you need to be in shape for the upcoming season.