Monday, December 18, 2006
NORDIC WALKING - SKI READINESS TRAINING PROGRAM (WEEK 3)
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I am very grateful to Stuart Montgomery for putting together this training course.
As well as being a fellow INWA Nordic Walking Instructor Stuart is a Director of Tour Operator XCuk Ltd http://www.xcuk.com the company who are providing the Nordic Walking News cross-country skiing holiday to Norway this coming February.
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Welcome to Week 3 of our ski readiness course. It is intended mainly for those joining our February cross-country skiing holiday in Norway (see http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm for details). But it will also benefit anyone who wants to improve their fitness.
(The course is progressive. So if you missed the last two weeks, please go back to our posting of 4 December and start from there.)
This week we will continue to use Nordic Walking to build stamina. But we will add some speed work to your Nordic Walking. And we will continue to work on muscles.
It’s interesting to see that our twin focus on stamina and muscle-toning is supported by a comment in the latest issue of the British magazine, Ultra-FIT. (Vol 16 No 8.) It says:
“X-country skiing is the king of all aerobic sports, bar none! Because so many large muscle groups are used simultaneously, the total oxygen demand of X-country skiing exceeds that of other sports, leading to very high heart rates and a very high aerobic training stimulus. This makes it a superb, impact-free training alternative or complement to running, swimming, cycling and rowing as well as a great training mode in its own right. Moreover, because so many muscles are worked, X-country skiing also provides all over muscle toning.”
In case that makes cross-country skiing sound a bit scary, bear in mind that Ultra-FIT is a pretty serious magazine. On our ski holiday there will be plenty of time to enjoy the views, and we will take things at a relaxed pace. But the fitness benefits will still be there!
Please remember that in earlier postings we have described some useful mobilisation exercises for you to do before every workout, and some muscle stretches for you to do after every workout. Be sure to include them in your Nordic Walking sessions.
Nordic Walking
This week we ask you to add “bursts of speed” to some of your Nordic Walking sessions. In these bursts we want you to walk just a little bit faster than your normal pace. Don’t run! And don’t let yourself get too much out of breath. Even during the fast bursts you should still be able to hold a conversation – though perhaps made up of fairly short sentences!
(If you use a heart – rate monitor, as discussed in last week’s posting, then take your heart-rate up to about 75% of your MHR during the fast bursts.)
Walk at your normal speed for about 15 minutes before starting the fast bursts.
In Week 1 we asked you to put yourself into Category A, B or C, based on your current level of participation in Nordic Walking.
CATEGORY A
If you are in this category, then this week you should do the same combination as last week:
- Three Nordic Walking sessions of 30 minutes plus two sessions of 60 minutes: This week, however, add a two-minute burst of speed to each of the three 30-minute sessions.
CATEGORY B
If you are in this category, then this week you should do the same combination as last week:
- Two Nordic Walking sessions of 30 minutes plus one session of 60 minutes. This week, however, add a two-minute burst of speed to both of the 30-minute sessions.
CATEGORY C
If you are in this category, then this week you should do the same combination as last week:
- One Nordic Walking session of 30 minutes plus one session of 45 minutes. This week, however, add a two-minute burst of speed to the 30-minute session.
Muscle Toning
We continue to work on the mini-squats, which are great for toning the legs and for promoting good balance.
Last week we asked you to hold each mini-squat for a few seconds. And we asked you to do two or three “sets” of about 10 “repetitions” of this exercise in the course of the week. This week we want you to work just a little harder at it. Again, let’s work in our categories.
CATEGORY A
* Hold each mini-squat for a count of ten.
* Do 10 repetitions in a set.
* Do at least three sets in the course of the week.
CATEGORY B
* Hold each mini-squat for a count of five.
* Do 10 repetitions in a set.
* Do at least three sets in the course of the week.
CATEGORY C
* Hold each mini-squat for a count of three.
* Do 10 repetitions in a set.
* Do at least three sets in the course of the week.
Next week we will develop these mini-squats into a routine that will really help your ski-balance..
As always, remember to slow down if your workout ever feels too strenuous or if you feel sick or dizzy.
Happy training!
Stuart Montgomery (Director - XCuk Ltd)
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Have you booked your place on our holiday yet? There is still time to book! ALL Standards including beginners very welcome. For full details visit:
http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm
=====================================================================================
=====================================================================================
I am very grateful to Stuart Montgomery for putting together this training course.
As well as being a fellow INWA Nordic Walking Instructor Stuart is a Director of Tour Operator XCuk Ltd http://www.xcuk.com the company who are providing the Nordic Walking News cross-country skiing holiday to Norway this coming February.
=====================================================================================
Welcome to Week 3 of our ski readiness course. It is intended mainly for those joining our February cross-country skiing holiday in Norway (see http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm for details). But it will also benefit anyone who wants to improve their fitness.
(The course is progressive. So if you missed the last two weeks, please go back to our posting of 4 December and start from there.)
This week we will continue to use Nordic Walking to build stamina. But we will add some speed work to your Nordic Walking. And we will continue to work on muscles.
It’s interesting to see that our twin focus on stamina and muscle-toning is supported by a comment in the latest issue of the British magazine, Ultra-FIT. (Vol 16 No 8.) It says:
“X-country skiing is the king of all aerobic sports, bar none! Because so many large muscle groups are used simultaneously, the total oxygen demand of X-country skiing exceeds that of other sports, leading to very high heart rates and a very high aerobic training stimulus. This makes it a superb, impact-free training alternative or complement to running, swimming, cycling and rowing as well as a great training mode in its own right. Moreover, because so many muscles are worked, X-country skiing also provides all over muscle toning.”
In case that makes cross-country skiing sound a bit scary, bear in mind that Ultra-FIT is a pretty serious magazine. On our ski holiday there will be plenty of time to enjoy the views, and we will take things at a relaxed pace. But the fitness benefits will still be there!
Please remember that in earlier postings we have described some useful mobilisation exercises for you to do before every workout, and some muscle stretches for you to do after every workout. Be sure to include them in your Nordic Walking sessions.
Nordic Walking
This week we ask you to add “bursts of speed” to some of your Nordic Walking sessions. In these bursts we want you to walk just a little bit faster than your normal pace. Don’t run! And don’t let yourself get too much out of breath. Even during the fast bursts you should still be able to hold a conversation – though perhaps made up of fairly short sentences!
(If you use a heart – rate monitor, as discussed in last week’s posting, then take your heart-rate up to about 75% of your MHR during the fast bursts.)
Walk at your normal speed for about 15 minutes before starting the fast bursts.
In Week 1 we asked you to put yourself into Category A, B or C, based on your current level of participation in Nordic Walking.
CATEGORY A
If you are in this category, then this week you should do the same combination as last week:
- Three Nordic Walking sessions of 30 minutes plus two sessions of 60 minutes: This week, however, add a two-minute burst of speed to each of the three 30-minute sessions.
CATEGORY B
If you are in this category, then this week you should do the same combination as last week:
- Two Nordic Walking sessions of 30 minutes plus one session of 60 minutes. This week, however, add a two-minute burst of speed to both of the 30-minute sessions.
CATEGORY C
If you are in this category, then this week you should do the same combination as last week:
- One Nordic Walking session of 30 minutes plus one session of 45 minutes. This week, however, add a two-minute burst of speed to the 30-minute session.
Muscle Toning
We continue to work on the mini-squats, which are great for toning the legs and for promoting good balance.
Last week we asked you to hold each mini-squat for a few seconds. And we asked you to do two or three “sets” of about 10 “repetitions” of this exercise in the course of the week. This week we want you to work just a little harder at it. Again, let’s work in our categories.
CATEGORY A
* Hold each mini-squat for a count of ten.
* Do 10 repetitions in a set.
* Do at least three sets in the course of the week.
CATEGORY B
* Hold each mini-squat for a count of five.
* Do 10 repetitions in a set.
* Do at least three sets in the course of the week.
CATEGORY C
* Hold each mini-squat for a count of three.
* Do 10 repetitions in a set.
* Do at least three sets in the course of the week.
Next week we will develop these mini-squats into a routine that will really help your ski-balance..
As always, remember to slow down if your workout ever feels too strenuous or if you feel sick or dizzy.
Happy training!
Stuart Montgomery (Director - XCuk Ltd)
=====================================================================================
Have you booked your place on our holiday yet? There is still time to book! ALL Standards including beginners very welcome. For full details visit:
http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm
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