Monday, January 15, 2007
Nordic Walking - Ski Readiness (Week 7)
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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.
=====================================================================================
Welcome to Week 7 of our 10-week ski readiness course.
It is intended mainly for those joining our February cross-country skiing holiday in Norway. Snow conditions are excellent in Norway right now, and a great time is promised. (For details of the holiday see http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm).
But the course will also benefit anyone who wants to improve their fitness.
The course is progressive. So if you missed the last six weeks, please go back to our posting of 4 December where you will find the rationale for the course, as well as an explanation of the three “categories” that we refer to below. Please also remember that in earlier postings we have described mobilisation exercises for you to do before every workout, and muscle stretches for you to do after every workout.
Nordic Walking
In recent weeks we have been increasing the intensity of your Nordic walking sessions. First we added some speed work. Then we introduced a little hill-work. Last week we increased the duration of your sessions.
Now - in addition to all that! - we want you to add still more speed work. As before, be sure to keep the fast bursts down to a pace at which you can still manage a conversation, albeit with fairly short sentences. And do try to maintain good Nordic walking technique even when you are going fast.
As usual we will work in the categories selected in Week 1:
CATEGORY A
This week, like last, do three Nordic walking sessions of 35 minutes plus two sessions of 65 minutes. But now include TWO two-minute bursts of speed in each of the three 35-minute sessions.
In addition, like last week, do some hill-work in one of the 65-minute sessions. On the kind of slope that we described in Week Five walk up for about 200 metres and then immediately turn around and walk back to the bottom. Repeat ten times.
CATEGORY B
This week, like last, do two Nordic walking sessions of 35 minutes plus one session of 65 minutes. But now include TWO two-minute bursts of speed in each of the 35-minute sessions.
In addition, like last week, do some hill-work in the 65-minute session. On the kind of slope that we described in Week Five walk up for about 200 metres and then immediately turn around and walk back to the bottom. Repeat eight times.
CATEGORY C
This week, like last, do one Nordic walking session of 35 minutes plus one session of 50 minutes. But now include TWO two-minute bursts of speed in the 35-minute session.
In addition, like last week, do some hill-work in your 50-minute session. On the kind of slope that we described in Week Five walk up for about 200 metres and then immediately turn around and walk back to the bottom. Repeat five times.
Muscle Toning
As usual we continue to work on mini-squats, which are great for toning the legs.
This week, like last, we want you to do three sets of 12 repetitions of this exercise in the course of the week:
CATEGORY A
Hold each mini-squat for a count of ten.
CATEGORY B
Hold each mini-squat for a count of five.
CATEGORY C
Hold each mini-squat for a count of three.
Muscle Toning and Balance
Throughout this course we have been using mini-squats to help our ski-balance as well as tone our muscles. Last week we added a few more moves to our sequence of balance exercises, to make it a very effective sequence of nine positions.
This week we increase the amount of time you hold each position. (Remember to hold on to the back of a chair if you feel wobbly during this exercise.)
1 Squat slowly down into the basic position. Hold it for a count of five.
2 Without standing up, shift your body weight straight across until it is almost all over the left foot. (In moving across, you mainly pivot at the ANKLES.) You should achieve a position in which your left foot, knee, hip and shoulder are all in line vertically. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
3 Now shift your body weight straight across until it is almost all over the right foot. In doing this, you achieve a position in which your right foot, knee, hip and shoulder are all in line vertically. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
4 Now shift your body weight a little forward, over the balls of your feet. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
5 Now shift your body weight a little backward, over your heels. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
6 Now shift your body weight diagonally forward to the left, over the ball of your left foot. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
7 Now shift your body weight diagonally forward to the right, over the ball of your right foot. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
8 In the second last movement of the sequence, shift your body weight diagonally backward to the left - over your left heel. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
9 Finally, shift your body weight diagonally backward to the right -over your right heel. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position and then stand up. And take a well-earned rest
Try to find time to do this routine five times during the course of the week.
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
=====================================================================================
=====================================================================================
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 7 of our 10-week ski readiness course.
It is intended mainly for those joining our February cross-country skiing holiday in Norway. Snow conditions are excellent in Norway right now, and a great time is promised. (For details of the holiday see http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm).
But the course will also benefit anyone who wants to improve their fitness.
The course is progressive. So if you missed the last six weeks, please go back to our posting of 4 December where you will find the rationale for the course, as well as an explanation of the three “categories” that we refer to below. Please also remember that in earlier postings we have described mobilisation exercises for you to do before every workout, and muscle stretches for you to do after every workout.
Nordic Walking
In recent weeks we have been increasing the intensity of your Nordic walking sessions. First we added some speed work. Then we introduced a little hill-work. Last week we increased the duration of your sessions.
Now - in addition to all that! - we want you to add still more speed work. As before, be sure to keep the fast bursts down to a pace at which you can still manage a conversation, albeit with fairly short sentences. And do try to maintain good Nordic walking technique even when you are going fast.
As usual we will work in the categories selected in Week 1:
CATEGORY A
This week, like last, do three Nordic walking sessions of 35 minutes plus two sessions of 65 minutes. But now include TWO two-minute bursts of speed in each of the three 35-minute sessions.
In addition, like last week, do some hill-work in one of the 65-minute sessions. On the kind of slope that we described in Week Five walk up for about 200 metres and then immediately turn around and walk back to the bottom. Repeat ten times.
CATEGORY B
This week, like last, do two Nordic walking sessions of 35 minutes plus one session of 65 minutes. But now include TWO two-minute bursts of speed in each of the 35-minute sessions.
In addition, like last week, do some hill-work in the 65-minute session. On the kind of slope that we described in Week Five walk up for about 200 metres and then immediately turn around and walk back to the bottom. Repeat eight times.
CATEGORY C
This week, like last, do one Nordic walking session of 35 minutes plus one session of 50 minutes. But now include TWO two-minute bursts of speed in the 35-minute session.
In addition, like last week, do some hill-work in your 50-minute session. On the kind of slope that we described in Week Five walk up for about 200 metres and then immediately turn around and walk back to the bottom. Repeat five times.
Muscle Toning
As usual we continue to work on mini-squats, which are great for toning the legs.
This week, like last, we want you to do three sets of 12 repetitions of this exercise in the course of the week:
CATEGORY A
Hold each mini-squat for a count of ten.
CATEGORY B
Hold each mini-squat for a count of five.
CATEGORY C
Hold each mini-squat for a count of three.
Muscle Toning and Balance
Throughout this course we have been using mini-squats to help our ski-balance as well as tone our muscles. Last week we added a few more moves to our sequence of balance exercises, to make it a very effective sequence of nine positions.
This week we increase the amount of time you hold each position. (Remember to hold on to the back of a chair if you feel wobbly during this exercise.)
1 Squat slowly down into the basic position. Hold it for a count of five.
2 Without standing up, shift your body weight straight across until it is almost all over the left foot. (In moving across, you mainly pivot at the ANKLES.) You should achieve a position in which your left foot, knee, hip and shoulder are all in line vertically. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
3 Now shift your body weight straight across until it is almost all over the right foot. In doing this, you achieve a position in which your right foot, knee, hip and shoulder are all in line vertically. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
4 Now shift your body weight a little forward, over the balls of your feet. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
5 Now shift your body weight a little backward, over your heels. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
6 Now shift your body weight diagonally forward to the left, over the ball of your left foot. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
7 Now shift your body weight diagonally forward to the right, over the ball of your right foot. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
8 In the second last movement of the sequence, shift your body weight diagonally backward to the left - over your left heel. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position, without standing up, and hold it for a count of five.
9 Finally, shift your body weight diagonally backward to the right -over your right heel. Be careful not to fall over: this is not a stable position. Hold for a count of five. Return to the basic position and then stand up. And take a well-earned rest
Try to find time to do this routine five times during the course of the week.
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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