STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WINTER SPORTS
By Shelley Kuhn. Managing Director. www.scsquared2.com. Shelley has been a strength coach for both the Alberta World Cup Academy and Biathlon Alberta Training Centre, as well as the National Cross Country Ski Team and National Biathlon Team. Shelley currently lives in Invermere, BC where she runs her strength and conditioning business.
With snow dusting the mountains, crispy cool air kissing your face, and shorter dark days, its obvious that winter awaits; and ski season is on the mind!
Whether you are into downhill skiing or snowboarding, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, or simply navigating slippery icy pathways, strength training (otherwise known as resistance training) can help you not only survive the winter, but also thrive!!
It is well researched and documented that regular resistance training can have significant improvements on health, including:
· Decreased fat mass and increased lean muscle mass, improving your overall body composition
· Decreased blood pressure and blood lipid profiles, improving your cardiovascular health
· Improved insulin sensitivity and decreased visceral fat assisting in the management of, or prevention of Type 2 diabetes
· Improved cognition, coordination and movement control, which is paramount in elderly populations
· Improved bone density and joint health, which can be life-changing for women in their peri-menopausal and late menopause years.
While the above-mentioned benefits are amazing (and by no means an exhaustive list!) some other benefits to CONSISTENT resistance training include:
· Enhanced sports performance- shown via measureable outcomes of strength, power, and cardiovascular function Improved “sports economy”; an improved efficiency of movement- moving technically better for the demands of the sport which in turn decreases your “time to fatigue”.
· Improved capacity for motor unit recruitment- meaning you are able to create more tension through your system on demand, generating force, and generating force quickly
Ok, so what does this all mean for winter sports? Or surviving the icy pavements?
· For alpine sports your body has to get really good at DECELERATING; absorbing forces at rapid speeds, controlling big joint angles with fast transitions to turn and burn down a mountain side, fighting extra forces from gravity.
o Train for sports performance! Being strong and powerful will allow you to do the sport with a feeling of ease and total stoke vibes!
§ Exercise strategies: Stepping off a box and jumping up soon as you land are perfect for alpine with that yielding force followed by a quick powerful accelerative force
· For Nordic sports your body has to get really good at ACCELERATING; generating forces to carry you up hills and around varied mountain terrain.
The upper-body demands of Nordic sports are far greater then those of alpine sports and learning how to load your poles, pull and crunch are fundamental to performance.
o Train for improved economy! If you can be strong enough that you don’t “fall apart” when you get tired, you are less likely to get hurt or injured!
§ Exercise strategies: Pull-ups followed by fast light med ball slams are fantastic combos to develop upper body power
· For all other winter activities, being able to quickly recruit many muscles, take up muscle slack, yield into the ground and react quickly are key for staying upright and having fun in the white stuff.
o Train for motor unit recruitment! If you can create stiffness quickly and react quickly, your changes of falling will decrease!
§ Exercise strategies: All of them!
Hold a wall squat; transition from heavy heels to rocking weight on your toes every 20secs for 1 minute. Pair that with dynamic lunges or quick box steps.
If you want to learn more- or you are ready to get jacked, get hooked on health, and get fit and strong, you can find me coaching in person in Invermere BC, Canmore AB, and globally, online.
Contact shelley@scsquared2.com
Demonstrating an exercise for athletes at the Bill Warren Training Centre in Canmore
