Training Zones:
Individual Training Zones will be determined the first practice
in the fall.
There are many different interpretations of training zones
but for the purposes of our team the following system has
been adopted:
- Zone 1: 60%-70% of Max Heart Rate: Develops basic endurance
and aerobic capacity, recovery workouts, burns fat, allows
your muscles to re-energize.
- Zone 2: 70%-80% of Max Heart Rate: Develops cardiovascular
system, enhances the bodies ability to transport oxygen
and carbon dioxide. Most distance races are in this zone,
this is why when you do a race longer than 5km cooling down
becomes less important e.g. there is not as much lactic
acid buildup.
- Zone 3: 80%-90% of Max Heart Rate: Body relies predominantly
on stored carbohydrates. Aerobic metabolism can no longer
keep up with the body's needs, this means build-up of lactic
acid. With enhanced fitness level (from training in zones
1 & 2) your body becomes better able to clear lactic
acid. This includes speed work of 10-20 minutes. Long intervals
and short races or time-trials.
- Zone 4: 90%-100% of Max Heart Rate: Trains fast-twitch
muscles and develops speed. This includes intervals of 5
min or shorter.
Max HR |
Zone
4 |
180 |
185 |
190 |
195 |
200 |
205 |
210 |
215 |
220 |
Zone
3 |
162 |
166.5 |
171 |
175.5 |
180 |
184.5 |
189 |
193.5 |
198 |
Zone
2 |
144 |
148 |
152 |
156 |
160 |
164 |
168 |
172 |
176 |
Zone
1 |
126 |
129.5 |
133 |
136.5 |
140 |
143.5 |
147 |
150.5 |
154 |
| |
108 |
111 |
114 |
117 |
120 |
123 |
126 |
129 |
132 |
Basic Endurance:
If you have a heart-rate monitor you want to use it for
this one. You want to be in Zone 2 for the time indicated.
For those of you unfamiliar with that term you want your
heart rate to be roughly between 150-160. Basic endurance
is going too hard to talk but not as hard as an interval,
it's pace work. You should have no trouble doing the entire
time at the same pace. This takes some practice if you don't
have a HR monitor. Just give it a try and hang in there.
Natural Intervals
Natural intervals mean that you do your intervals as you
do a run. So... You leave on a running loop and after you've
warmed up for 20-30 minutes you do the first interval. You
try to do your intervals on uphills, so the length of the
interval varies with the length of the hill. You may do
a hill that is 30 seconds or you may do a hill that is 3
minutes, it doesn't matter just run the uphill from the
bottom all the way OVER the top. Try to vary the length
of the hill (don't do these all on one hill) and do between
5-8 intervals throughout the loop. Once you've finished
the first interval you run easy for a few minutes, until
you are recovered (bring your HR down to Zone 1 or below
150), and then you start the next one. You want to pick
a loop that has some uphills and downhills You also want
to leave at least 15 minutes of running for a cool down
at the end.
You want the loop to last between 1 and 1:30 hours, depending
upon your Pepper and what the hours are for the week.
Natural Ladder Intervals
The #'s in the "ladder" indicate minutes so if
it says 1-2-3-2-1 you will do intervals of 1 min-2min-3min-2min-1min
You do the same workout as the Natural Intervals except
you have a set time for each interval so you sometimes end
up going uphill AND downhill. This is done mostly on skis
and rollerskis. You want to pick a loop that has some uphills
and downhills and you do the intervals over whatever you
run into for that amount of time. You also want to leave
at least 15 minutes of running for a cool down at the end.
Strength Workout (Circut):
During the spring and early summer it is fine for skiers
to do "beach" training, lifting weights at low reps.
However, in the fall and winter it is important to move to
ski specific strength, as my Norwegian coach used to say,
"Do a real man's workout, anyone can lift a weight 3
or 4 times but can you do pull-ups for a minute without stopping,
that's what's important!" With this in mind we recommend
what is called a ski circuit. We would recommend doing this
at least once a week. If you want to get really tough then
do one of your distance days double poling on roller skis/roller
blades.
The way a ski circuit is done is to do each exercise for
30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds then do it again and then
move to the next exercise. This circuit can be done anywhere
and the exercises can vary but the format should stay the
same. Following is the order that the exercises should be
done in. If you change the exercises try to alternate the
arms, legs and the stomach. You go through each exercise twice
and the whole circuit twice. For example pull-ups 30 seconds,
rest 30 seconds, pull-ups 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds, crunches
30s, rest 30s, crunches 30s,......... You continue this way
until you finish the leg lifts then you start again at the
beginning with pull-ups.
- Pull-ups- it is important to try to do quantity (do it
for the entire 30 seconds) so it's very helpful to have
a friend to hold your feet so you can do more with better
quality. If you are strong enough to do these for the whole
30 seconds on your own then you don't need a partner.
- Side-to-side Jumps- Make sure you are balanced then concentrate
on kicking off quickly. Try to use your arms like you would
if you were doing double-dance (V2)
- Crunches- don't come all the way up, to a sitting position,
remember to keep and orange under your chin, and don't get
in a hurry (it's actually a lot harder to do these slow
than fast). Rachel is up as far as you need to go!
- Side Doggies- Start on your hands and knees. Now take
your right let and move it straight up at the side, like
a dog peeing on a hydrant!. Do this for 30 seconds on the
right and then 30 seconds on the left.
- Push-ups- Try to keep your elbows next to your body, this
uses more of your triceps (poling muscles). Once again being
able to do the exercises for the entire 30 seconds is important
so if you need to do push-ups on your knees that's alright.
- Back Doggies- These are a little complicated: start on
your hands and knees. Now take one arm and touch it to the
opposite leg, then extend your arm and your leg. You just
want to lift them until they're flat, don't arch your back.
You can do the first 30 seconds on one side and then the
second on the other or you can do 2 touches in a row and
switch sides.
- Side Rubber Bands: Get your exercize bands and attach
one end to a stationary object, like a bar. Stand with one
side facing the bar and place one had on it. Take the opposite
leg (if right hand then use left leg), attach the band to
this foot. Then pull that leg sideways away from the wall.
The band should be tight enough that it provides some resistence.
- Bench dips: Nothing too exciting here, just put your feet
in front of you and lift your body weight up and down. Your
legs can be bent or straight.
- Classic Lunges- make sure you balance on each foot and
then concentrate on driving your foot forward and balancing
on that foot.
- Side crunches-same as the crunches except facing sideways
- Exercise bands or excergenie- Try to get an appropriate
ski motion.If you ar using an excergenie (below) you have
to do your arms separately, if you get exercise bands (giant
rubber bands) you do both arms at once but DON'T bend at
the waist and use your stomach, this is an arm workout!
If you don't have these be creative, anything that simulates
ski poling is fine. It is possible to buy the giant rubber
bands at a hospital supply store (there's one in town)
- Over Bench- Find a bench or a stump or rock. Put one foot
on top of the bench. Jump up onto the object. While on the
bench switch feet and go down on the other side of the bench.
Use your arms as you would in double-dance (V2)
- Parachuttes- Lie on your stomach and then try to pick
up your head, arms and legs (don't bend your legs at the
knees) Just like the crunches don't get in a hurry, do these
slowly.
- Side to Side and leg lifts- do the first 30 seconds side-to-side
and the second with leg lifts
Training