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Train for the trails

Snow has finally dusted the local mountains and many people are getting out there, excited about the opportunity to hit the local slopes. We're fortunate to be nestled at the south end of a snow enthusiast's dream: The Sea-to-Sky corridor.
Train for the trails

Snow has finally dusted the local mountains and many people are getting out there, excited about the opportunity to hit the local slopes.

We're fortunate to be nestled at the south end of a snow enthusiast's dream: The Sea-to-Sky corridor. Cross-country skiing opportunities abound with 19 kilometres of nordic skiing on Cypress Mountain, more than 90 km of trails combined between the Whistler Olympic Park and Callaghan Valley, and an additional 32 km of trails in and around the Lost Lake area in Whistler. To fully enjoy the relatively short West Coast season, pre-season exercises and conditioning are recommended.

Cross-country skiing is a fantastic full-body activity. Both classic and skate techniques provide a challenging workout. Although nordic skiing is primarily an endurancebased sport, strength, stability and flexibility are all required for proper technique. Most of the preseason programs that one can find on the Internet are for serious racers. As more of a recreational crosscountry skier who does the occasional fun race, I wanted to focus on a few key exercises. For the following exercises, start with three sets of 10 repetitions, unless otherwise noted.

Once the basic exercises have been performed correctly for a few weeks, gradually increase to three sets of 20 repetitions or try the more challenging modifications. Do not do exercises if you are experiencing pain while attempting to do them.

  • Lunges: Stand with feet parallel. Step forward, landing heel to toe, with the heel of your back foot coming up slightly off the floor. Bend both knees, bringing the hips down toward the floor until the front thigh is parallel to the floor. Make sure the front knee does not pass over the ankle. Push off the front leg to return to the starting position.

More challenging: Jump into the lunge position, then up to standing, then jump into the lunge position with the other leg forward. Keep in mind that the front leg will hit the ground toe to heel. To really up the ante, jump from lunge position straight to lunge position, alternating which leg is forward.

  • Calf Raises: Stand with feet parallel and hip-width apart. Rise up onto toes of both feet and lower back down into starting position. Feel free to place hands on a counter or wall to help with balance.

More challenging: Pause at the top of the calf raise, then quickly drop down, keeping heel contact very brief, then rise back onto both toes. Alternatively, slowly rise up and down on one leg at a time.

  • Squats: Stand with feet parallel and hip-to shoulderwidth apart. Keeping the torso as upright as possible, bend your knees and stick out your bottom as if sitting in a chair. Ensure the knee caps track over the corresponding second toes and the knees do not bend more than 90 degrees.

To make squats more cross-country ski specific, add arm movements with resistance bands. Anchor elastic tubing or banding at its midpoint around a doorknob and close the door with ends of the band on the other side. Grab both ends with arms straight out in front of the body when in the squat position. While returning to the standing position, draw arms back, leading with the elbows in a rowing motion, then straighten the arms with a triceps extension like the end of a freestyle swim stroke. Return to initial position.

More challenging: Hold weights in each hand for the basic squat. For the second modification, start with the squat position and arms out in front. Return to standing position on one leg only while performing the row/fly with the arms. The other leg can go straight out behind the body to simulate classic technique, or out and back at a 30-45 degree angle, toes slightly turning out.

Alternate standing legs with each squat.

  • Side Lunges: Stand with both feet parallel. Take a medium-sized step out to one side, toes in the same line, and bend the outside knee while reaching back with the hips. The shin bone of the bent knee should be perpendicular to the floor with the kneecap aligned over the second toe. Keep weight mostly distributed under the heels. Push back up to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.  

More challenging: Hop and hold by standing on one leg, keeping both hips in one line. Bend the stance leg slightly and push off and to the side, landing on the other leg. Stay in the landing position until balance is attained (a second or two).  Straighten the stance leg, bringing the hip forward.  Repeat back to the original spot. Count that as one repetition.   

  • Planks:  

Front: Start on the ground with the belly to the floor. Forearms are close to the body, palms down. Toes are pointing to the ground.  Engage the abdominal muscles and lift the body up until it’s a straight line from head to shoulders to hips to toes. The shoulders should be drawn away from the ears and aligned over the elbows. Hold the body without the hips sagging down or bending up for five seconds. Repeat five times. Build this up to 10 seconds for 10 times.

Side: Lie down on one side in a straight line with the legs on the ground and the upper body propped up onto the downward facing elbow, which is directly under the shoulder. Keep the downward forearm perpendicular to the body and the upper forearm resting on the upper hip.  Engage the core and lift hips toward the ceiling with the body in a straight line, weight between the lower forearm and the outside edge of the downward facing foot. As above, perform five for five seconds, building to 10 for 10 seconds.  

More challenging: Only try these modifications once 10 planks can be held with proper technique for 10 seconds.  
Front: From standard front plank position, raise toes of one leg several centimetres off the ground and hold without allowing a twist in the body for 10 seconds. Rest and repeat, lifting the other leg.  Alternate until five have been done with each leg up.  
Side: From standard side plank position, lift top leg off the bottom leg a few centimetres, without allowing the hips to dip towards the floor, for 10 seconds. Rest and repeat on the other side. Alternate until five have been done on each side.

In addition to the above exercises, it’s advisable to incorporate some cardiovascular training to decrease the early season lungburn when you first hit the trails. Running, biking, roller skiing, roller blading, swimming, rowing and elliptical or step machines are all activities that can increase aerobic capacity.  Since cross-country skiing usually involves some hills, it’s a good idea to add hill or interval work to the above endurance activities.

For those skiers who are thinking of competing in a few races, plyometrics are a great way to increase speed and power. Plyometrics are challenging, explosive exercises that should only be performed after adequate strength has been attained, and ideally with proper instruction. Nordic Racers (nordicracers.ca) is a local club that runs free, self-paced pre-season workouts for their members. These Sunday morning sessions incorporate the use of ski poles with bounding, plyometric-type exercises.  Whether competing in short Tuesday Night Races at Cypress or in a longer Loppet race such as the P’ayak at the Whistler Olympic Park, plyometrics can help give skiers a competitive edge. Pre-season training allows skiers to make the most of the actual ski season. 

There are many different programs out there, but with the above exercises, a few cardio sessions, and a regular stretching regime, one doesn’t have to start from absolute scratch at the beginning of the season.  Pre-season training also can help decrease injuries during the season. If injuries do happen, remember the RICE principle of rest, ice, compression and elevation to speed up healing and to get back to the trails as soon as possible. For lingering or more complex injuries, a physiotherapist is only a web search and/or phone call away. Safe skiing, everyone!

Jill Calkin, BScPT is a physiotherapist at Aquatic Centre Physiotherapy (acphysio.com) at the West Vancouver Aquatic Centre.  She can often be spotted cross-country skiing at Cypress or volunteer patrolling at the Whistler Olympic Park.