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Benchmarks and Tests
By Tim Reynolds: Green Racing Project Unlike other endurance sports, cross country skiing is in many ways unquantifiable; we can't record our watts on every ride, consistently time our mile splits, or compare times from one competition to another. Courses vary. Snow conditions change. Wax and ski performance can't be controlled. Even a skier's religious heart rate monitoring only provides limited insight. There are just too many variables to get a grasp of how well a training program works, or to track how much, if at all, we improve. For cross country skiers especially, consistent benchmark testing is crucial for measuring progress from training.
Every skier has established some kind of benchmark tests to monitor these improvements: running time trials, strength protocols, roller ski courses, hill climbs, etc. The ski world is rife with historical records for regional tests like these. If you race the same uphill three times a year, every year, it's a pretty good indicator of where your general fitness stands. If you run it faster every time, then you know your training is working. Simple.
But running isn't cross country skiing, and neither is roller skiing for that matter. The trick is establishing a small array of different benchmarks that measure a different kind of fitness. These tests can be repeated periodically and, taken together, help flesh out a bigger picture of how much better you are getting at the sport you are actually training for: cross country skiing.
At the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in northern Vermont, Green Racing Project athletes, like many other elite programs, use uphill running and roller skiing tests as fitness barometers. But we also use another test that is very quantifiable to help chart ski-specific improvement: SkiErg time trials.
On the SkiErg, we can chart power output, turnover, speed and heart rate over a set distance and monitor how all these numbers interact and vary from test to test. For example, we analyze our sustainable power output, and how steeply we dropped off from that point when we got tired during the test. We can also relate that power output to our turnover and help find an optimal balance between strength and speed. Perhaps most importantly, we can replicate testing conditions every time, eliminating some of those variables that make it difficult to track improvement. The GRP also uses respiratory measurements during these time trials to add a more precise data value to the test.
We consistently do both 1km and 5km time trials on the SkiErg to chart our progress in both aerobic and anaerobic double pole fitness. Every dryland season begins with these tests, and we will repeat them at least once in the summer and fall. We also do a 'step test' protocol on the respiratory machine to chart VO2max with gradually increasing speeds up to maximal effort. Sometimes we'll link the SkiErgs through the PM4 monitors to simulate a mass start race, too.
At the most basic level, we also do short sprints on the SkiErg to record max watts. It's easy to lose sight of the purpose behind lifting weights in the summer, but jumping on the SkiErg is a constant reminder: building ski-specific power. Over the course of the dryland season, we'll informally record max outputs to see how all of that strength work is paying off in our double poling.
SkiErging is not cross country skiing, but the muscle contractions and movements on this machine are very similar to double poling. Sure, you'll never race on a perfectly flat course in the winter, but that's not the point. This test offers a very reliable, and very ski specific test for tracking our improvement. And a challenging one, too: many skiers would agree that a one kilometer time trial on the Erg is one of the most painful tests out there!
At Craftsbury, we've found that the Erg is a critical piece of the testing protocols we use to track improvement. After all, sometimes you can lose sight of what all that summer training is actually about: skiing faster come winter.
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Spenst Training
Be the Bunny!
What is Spenst training?
Spenst training is a well-worn mode of training that is practiced in some form or another by world-class skiers the world over. Spenst is a Norwegian word means either explosiveness or literally Boing!" So be the Bunny!
Spenst training involves ski specific plyometric exercises that develop power, explosiveness, balance and strength.
If you are looking to gain that extra snap in your technique, learn to accelerate over the tops of hills, around corners, sprint to the finish, improve balance and strength, or just impress your friends at parties, then spenst training is for you.
Ski technique has always demanded a quick, dynamic kick, for both skating and classic, and spenst training is a great way to develop it. Often it is the skiers who seem to be skiing with the least effort that have the most dynamic kick. Their secret is a dynamic push and then relaxation of the pushing muscles.
Spenst is a great addition to training and it yields noticeable results with a fairly small time investment of 10 to 15 minutes a week. |
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NNF News
USSA J2 Talent Camp
The 3rd annual National J2 Talent Camp is set to kick off August 4- August 11, 2012 in Craftsbury, Vermont at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. The camp will provide a great opportunity for many of the top young cross country skiers in the U.S. to train together, and learn from USST staff and top club coaches. The camp is the first step along the U.S. development pipeline for promising young skiers.
 The collaboration from regional coaches along with substantial support from the National Nordic Foundation (NNF) and USSA (United States Ski and Snowboard Association), have enabled this camp to continue and to grow. This year NNF will contribute $4500 in support of this camp. This strategic investment, made to Support Tomorrow's Stars Today, greatly helps offset camp costs and ensures some of the top coaches in the country will be guiding these young athletes. This year's site at Craftsbury Outdoor Center (which also hosted Spring Nationals/SuperTour finals) offers a spectacular setting for athletes with great hiking, rollerskiing, mountain biking, swimming, training facilities, lodging, and fabulous meals.
For a list of the Athletes that qualified to attend the National J2 Talent Camp based on results from the 2012 USSA Junior Cross Country Ski Championships visit NationalNordicFoundation.com
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U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing
National Team Announced
Roster comprised of six athletes;
three athletes named to development team
U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, announced today that six athletes were nominated to the 2012-13 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Team; three athletes were also named to the development team for emerging and military athletes. The national team is highlighted by five athletes with U.S. military ties including Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), ret. Army, and Lieutenant Dan Cnossen (Jamestown, Mich.), U.S. Navy. Soule won the bronze medal in biathlon at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, becoming the country's first ever medalist in Paralympic or Olympic biathlon. Last winter, in just his second season with the program, Cnossen was Team USA's top performer, garnering multiple top-10 results in biathlon and cross country events. Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), a three-time U.S. Paralympian, is also among the national team nominees. For more information TeamUSA.
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CXC Triple
The Telemark Forest Mountain Bike Race is the 2nd leg of the the CXC Triple. Modeled after the prestigious Norwegian Birkebeiner Trippel, the CXC Triple provides competitors with a year-round competition to crown the best outdoor-endurance athletes. The American Birkebeiner ski race, Telemark Forest Mountain Bike Race, and Birkie Trail Run make up the CXC Triple. In addition to the Marathon category, there are also a Half-Marathon, and Sprint Triple to allow athletes of all ages and ability levels to participate.
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Boulder Mountain Tour
& National Masters
Early bird discount through end of June
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Summer Training Programs and Camps
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CXC TECHNIQUE TRAINING CAMP July 27-29 - Cable,WI
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Haig Glacier -Summer XC Ski Camp with Matt Liebsch
August 27th- Sept 3rd
~ for Masters, Seniors and Juniors ~
Join coach and elite athlete Matt Liebsch for one week of hiking and summer skiing on Haig Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. *Last year was a very successful camp... summary and pictures can be found here . We had athletes ages 16-65. *The daily routine includes: early breakfast, hike 45 minutes up to the glacier, ski on fresh piston-bulley tracks until noon. Hike back down for lunch, stretch, take a nap, read, short (optional) hike or strength, eat dinner, review ski technique video from the morning, go to bed, get up, repeat. *The camp fees include grooming, helicopter transport of your gear up the mountain, 3 hearty meals prepared by camp staff, bunk beds with separate sleep areas for men and women. *The ski program emphasizes easy distance altitude skiing. Technique coaching will take place most mornings and will include video analysis. Most of the mornings will be for easy distance skate and classic skiing. This camp is physically challenging due to the alpine environment, changing weather conditions, long distances, and moderately high altitude. *This is a back-country camp manned with seasonal staff, radiophone and satellite communications with ranger station and helicopter support teams down below (no cell phone reception on the glacier). There are hot showers, TV w/movies, full kitchen, bunk house, and strength area. |
Sisu Skiers Summer Training
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Bend Endurance Academy
Nordic Summer On-Snow Training Programs and Camps
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Green Mountain Valley School
XC Summer Camps & Training
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Summer Training Programs and Camps
Does you have a summer programs you wish to promote?
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About SkiPost
Cross-Country skiing's community lodge. Where knowledge and stories are shared. The goal of SkiPost is to make the sport of Cross-Country skiing easier and more enjoyable for all who choose to participate. If you have questions on Cross-Country Skiing email us weanswer@SkiPost.com and visit SkiPost.com
Enjoy Winter,
Andrew Gerlach
Director/Editor- SkiPost
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Bliz Active Eyewear
Finally in the US, email endure@endurance-enterprises.com
to find or become a dealer
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SkiErg |
SalomonNordic on Facebook |
Bjorn Daehlie |
Ski West Yellowstone |
 | | Support Tomorrow's Stars Today Donate To The NNF |
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 | Bliz Active Eyewear
Finally available in the US |
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 | | The one gift you receive at birth is time. You'll never have more than you have today. Find the Time. |
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Ski West Yellowstone |
Bjorn Daehlie |
| | Support Tomorrow's Stars Today Donate To The NNF |
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SalomonNordic on Facebook |
| | The one gift you receive at birth is time. You'll never have more than you have today. Find the Time. |
|
| | Download catalog here |
Bliz Active Eyewear
Finally in the US, email endure@endurance-enterprises.com
to find or become a dealer
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