Physical preparation for cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is not considered to be a sport of extreme physical endurance; however, one can push it to the limits of one's choice. Nevertheless, good cross-country skiing starts from a base: adequate physical condition. You don't have to be a great athlete to do this activity at an amateur level, but with a decent physical preparation you will be able to enjoy this beautiful sport more. The risk of injury will also be considerably reduced.
Even if we do not have snow in the mountains all year round, one can still prepare yourself physically to be ready when the first snow of the season arrives.. The fruit of the work done throughout the year will be the maximum enjoyment of your cross-country skiing trips.
Aerobic work
Cross-country skiing trips are usually not short, and usually last a few hours. In order for the body to be ready to walk on snow for hours on end from the first day of the season, aerobic work is necessary for the rest of the year.
Working on the aerobic part consists of improving our endurance.. To achieve this improvement, it is essential to do the preparation exercises consistently and at an easy pace. In this way, the muscles and the "box" will be prepared to endure hours of walking. Aerobic capacity can be improved through other sports. that have nothing to do with skiing. The following are some basic examples:
- FootraceRunning is one of the most common ways to improve aerobic performance. You don't have to go all out; running non-stop for 30 to 50 minutes at each start would be sufficient. The running race can be done on track, asphalt or in the mountains.
- SwimmingSwimming, like cross-country skiing, is a very complete sport. Apart from improving aerobic capacity, muscles throughout the body are activated.It is therefore a very suitable sport to work on fine-tuning.
- Cyclingcycling, both mountain biking and road cycling, is a sport that will considerably improve our endurance, as cycling trips tend to last for a long time. at least a couple of hours. On the other hand, mountain biking will bring us into contact with the mountain during the rest of the year, which is essential to understand it better. In contrast to running, when cycling in the mountains, you will be in contact with the mountains for the rest of the year, which is essential to understand them better. the joints will suffer less shockinjuries will be less frequent. However, you must be careful with falls, as one fall can ruin your whole ski season.
- Skates with polesCross-country skiing: it is cross-country skiing but changing the ski boards for skates. In addition to working on the body's resistance, skating also cross-country skiing technique will be improvedand will also have a positive effect on the improvement of the balance and coordination. With the help of the poles, you will be able to exercise many of your body's muscles.
- Nordic Walkingcross-country skiing is similar to cross-country skiing, but it is practised on foot, also using poles. both the upper body and lower body are worked on.
In case you are not satisfied with just improving endurance, and you want to improve also the anaerobic capacitypractice the same sports but in a different way. Go to intervals or series with different intensities. This part of the preparation is more focused on preparation for competition, or improving your personal bests.
Weight training work
During the preparation before the ski season, specific exercises should be interspersed for strengthening and reinforcing the musculature. These activities can be done at home in bad weather. Cross-country skiing involves walking many kilometres for hours at a time. It is therefore essential to prepare the lower body well.
To increase the strength of your legs you can do the following activities:
- Steps climbsAs the name suggests, this exercise consists of going up and down steps to increase the strength of your calves. First you go up one leg, then you go down and up the other leg, and so on. To make the exercise even more difficult, it is advisable to use weights such as dumbbells or a weighted backpack. You can also make the exercise harder by jumping on each step.
- Skipping ropeThe game you played as a child can be a good ally to strengthen your twins. It is a simple way to work on the calves, without the need to use tools that are difficult to achieve.
- SquatsSquats: all types of squats will help strengthen your quadriceps. This activity is very easy to do at home.
In addition to the lower body, the upper body must also be properly prepared. This is because cross-country skiing is often done with a backpack on. If you have strong abdominals and lower back, the discomfort that the weight of the backpack can cause will be much less. The exercises to be performed are basic: abdominal and lumbar. You just have to get into the habit of doing them every day, or every other day without forcing too much, and letting the muscle rest.
To finalise the preparation of the musculature, it is advisable to strengthening the arms. This will help to increase the momentum with the poles. You can improve the strength of your biceps doing pull-ups on a barbell; and the tricepsdoing push-ups or pull-ups leaning on a bench.
Actual example of preparation.
The approach to the most common preparation exercises will help you to better understand the actual plan below. The training plan can vary according to the objective, but also according to the amount of free time you have. For a specific and detailed preparation, with high sporting objectives, it is recommended to consult a specialist.
The following is a basic plan for a person who wants to enjoy cross-country skiing and forget about competitions and times. An example will be the plan for a person who has three days a week to do sport, and only for a short period of time. It is advisable to work every other day because rest is essential for the assimilation of training.:
- Day 1: a quarter of an hour of footrace at a comfortable pace, and without increasing the heart rate too much. The next step is to perform a few stretching (5 minutes), and for ten minutes push-ups and sit-ups. Alternate both exercises in sets, without going all out. Then, another 15 minutes of race with an extra point of intensity, and a further 15 minutes walking to lower the body temperature.
- Day 2: work of bodybuilding. Do sets of the above exercises for one hour. Although it is not quite the same, a more enjoyable way to work your muscles is swimming.
- Day 3: an hour on wheels. If you have a bicycle go for a comfortable ride, maintaining a high cadence for about an hour. You can also choose to go for a walk with your children. skates. If you do not like wheels, opt for the footrace gradually increasing the intensity.
