Preparing & Training when on a Ski Holiday
If you are going on a Skiing holiday and want to know what to do to keep fit for Iornman Triathlons here what you need to know and do.
The rigours of skiing Holiday can be very demanding.

However you need to focus on staying mobile (to reduce core and muscle soreness) this will prevent muscle used for skiing form becoming over used and possibly causing an injury.

The A to G of Skiing fitness
Skiing requires a combination of Agility, Balance Cardiovascular Endurance, Flexibility, and General Fitness

Arms Hamstrings Thighs and stomach are the main muscle groups used for Skiing.
However unless you Ski every week expect the following muscles to become sore from Skiing.
Calf & Quadriceps muslces can also ache for skiers that are too stiff in Ski boots

These muscles are not necessarily the weaker ones its you are using them more and in a much different way from other forms of exercise.

PREPARE YOURSLEF
It is difficult to mimic the exact muscles used when Swimming Cycling & Running.

The closest you can get is running down hill or walking down hill faster than normal. Using hiking sticks and adjusting them (make them shorter) is a way to learn to lean forward more.

A good warm up and warm down also helps reduce muscle soreness.

The fitter you are the more sore you can get because you can keep going much longer (that last extra downhill) can case an extra 25% of muscle soreness that other would not do from being too tired.
A stretch warm down also helps.
Sauna hot tub or gentle exercise (10% less effort than normal also helps)
1. Warms up the body
2. Gets the blood flowing to supply oxygen rich blood and nutriments to speed up the recovery process?

ARMS are used to push off with the Ski poles while at the same time stabilizing your shoulders and joints
Exercises – Bicep and triceps curls

CORE & ABS muscles are used to hold your top and bottom half in the correct position to avoid falling over.
Exercises include cycling and back extensions and dumbbell rowing 4 sets of 20-25 with 20 seconds rest
Swiss call can also be sued to develop endurance core fitness

QUADRICEPS – used most to hold you in a position to Ski
Exercise – Squats and Lunges 4 sets of 10 with 60 seconds rest between each rep

HAMSTRINGS are also used to hold your body leaning forward when down hill skiing
Exercise includes dead lifts and hamstrings curls and seated hamstrings kick ups
Inner & Outer thighs are constantly being used
Exercises include side lunges inner thigh squeezes and leg lifts (4 sets of 20 with 15 seconds rest)

CALF MUSCLES are also put under strain from bent knees in Ski boots
Exercises include calf raises single and double calf raises also stand on edge of stair or step and slow calf lowering movements.

SORE & STIFF
Recognise the difference between sore muscles which can be tender to touch caused by completely new muscle movements and stiff muscles from fatigue which can lead to injuries from continued over use.
If pain is more than

Steep slopes- snow ploughing – heavy deep snow and long days generally cause the most muscle aches.
The build up of metabolises (waste products) from lactic acid causes muscle aches.

WHY?
White cells invade damaged cells from exercise (Skiing)  Swelling can often be 24 hours behind in athletes compared to people who do little exercise.
Tissue inflammation is required to repair the muscles that were used during exercise, so always HOLD BACK!
Heat creams are best avoided as they can mask (hide) the pain and allow you to carry on
Any soreness that still occurs 8 days later after returning home from skiing should be considered a mild injury and only non weight bearing  training  should be completed until the pain is below 1 out of 10 (!0 = agonising) 1 = can only notice pain when pressing area hard)

Pain can be form microscopic muscle tears from exercise or from a virus.
The good news is the tiny tears soon repair themselves for future when the muscles will be required to do the same exercise.
Dark urine is caused not just from dehydration but also rhabdomyolysis
When muscles are damaged a protein pigment called myoglobin is then released in the blood stream then filtered out of the body by the kidneys
Our bodies have over 600 muscles of which around 400 are skeletal muscles and it’s these that become sore
DOMS –delayed muscle soreness is not serious and is only a temporary

SPPEDY RECOVERY
Hot and Heat immersion can also help.
3-5 minutes cold 10 minutes hot once or twice a day.
Avoid too much heat in a sauna however as this can actually delay the recovery process.
Protein recovery drinks can help speed up the recovery process but the trick is not to overdo it in the first place, this is common mistake for people who are fitter than average.

EXCERCISES TO DO DURING A SKI WEEK
Exercise before or after Skiing should be to warm up prepare you for the Skiing and speed up the recovery process.
All forms of exercise should be at a heart rate of 55% -70%
The purpose is to barley increase the heart rate increase the blood supply and tries and notices any muscles that are sore or getting worse each day.
No weight bearing exercise like rowing and cycling will help.
15-25 minutes of one form of exercise or a combination will help.
5 minutes @ 55% warming up then ending with a further 5 minutes 65% to 55%.
The Main set should never be higher than 70%

MISTAKES TO AVOID
Training straight after Skiing you will still need to warm up cycling or rowing. (Different muscle groups)
Starting too HARD can increase muscles soreness the next day because you are taking the blood supply away from tired ski muscles and this will slow up there recovery.
2 -3 types of exercise in one work out -You may be  warm from cycling  but will still need to warm up if you switch to rowing etc
Swimming is a great Ski recovery warm down work out however it is unlikely where you are staying will have a swimming pool.
Avoid pushing off from the sides too vigorously to avoid cramping your calf muscles.
Cycling must be done with a cadence above 95 revs per minute.
Make sure you have the saddle at the correct height (not too low or too high) tight muscles will resist the wrong height.
(know your leg length take a tape measure or a piece of tape or string, remember the length from bike saddle to axle of pedals so you can adjust a gym bike correctly)
More injuries are caused form an incorrect bike position than the skiing; it’s worth spending the extra 30 seconds to get it right.

Remember the above are active recovery work outs not specific sessions where you are working hard.
Perception of effort when completing active recovery work outs should be 4-6 out of 10 (10 is as hard as you can go & 1 is as easy as you can go)


ENJOY
Learn to relax when falling and enjoy rolling.

Ironmate Mark Kleanthous has coached many athletes who have had a Skiing holiday and wanted it not to affect their fitness and up next season

CAUTION
ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY NEW CONDITIONING EXERCISE.

IRONMATE COPY RIGHT
www.ironmate.co.uk