Summer Strength Training

Dear SkiPost,  

Hi - could you recommend summer strength training exercises, especially for high-school-aged skiers, including whether you recommend low weight/high rep or higher weight/low rep exercises? 

- First of all, for a high school aged skier I would recommend starting off with lower weight and higher reps to establish using correct technique for all of the lifts. Only then would I suggest moving up to higher weight. We do this to ensure that we do not injure ourselves. Weight training is used to not only become stronger in terms of being able to push more weight but as an injury prevention method by stabilizing joints and teaching our muscles how to work in sync.

I would suggest starting out with 2 x 10 reps for most of the lifting exercises at beginning and move up reps after every 3 weeks of strength training (1-3: 10, 4-6: 12, 7-9: 15, 10-12: 20) .  Working on high rep type strength will help build muscular endurance in the athletes and get them building lean muscle without too much mass.

Exercises should target all major muscle groups and should not be solely focused on one muscle,  dynamic full body exercises should be encouraged. An Example of this would be to combine two exercises below, such as the push up and the DB row or adding in some difficulty to the planks you are doing. When doing a front plank try lifting up opposite arm and leg.  I tend to stay away from machines and stick to Dumbbell and bodyweight lifts.

Some Exercise Examples:

Bench Dips or Full Dips

DB Row

Lat Pull Down or Pull Ups (w or w/o assistance)

DB Squat

DB Shoulder press

Push Ups

Lunge (Front and Lateral)

Planks (Front , SIde, Back)

Russian Twist with Medicine Ball

Medicine Ball Overhead Slam

Supermans

  **Sign up for your free trial and check out the video library on CXC Academy for demonstrations of strength exercises.

I would also suggest to get out of the weight room and do some partner strength outdoors. Pair kids up and do things like wheelbarrow and piggy back exercises to supplement other bodyweight exercises . Be creative and you'll see that the kids will enjoy that type of workout more then going into a weight room and sticking to sets and reps.

Good luck, and get strong!

-Andy Keller

CXC Jr. Development Coach

  **Sign up for your free trial and check out the video library on CXC Academy for demonstrations of strength exercises.   

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Buck Convention

By Pete Vordenberg for NNF 

Conventional wisdom says it is time to kick back and rest, do nothing and recharge your battery. But are you sure that is what you need to do? It could be, perhaps you have been racing hard since early November, traveling the World. Perhaps you have over-done it in training this year. Perhaps you need a big rest right now. Probably you need a bit of rest but spring offers a great chance to make gains beyond pure rest. Like many skiers you have likely knocked your training back considerably leading up to your big races late in the winter and probably those hours have not come back up. Likely you have raced twenty or twenty five times this winter rather than 40 or more times and traveled on the weekends except for a few big championship trips. 

Maybe you traveled overseas once. And most likely you have learned something this winter that you need to improve, drastically improve if you have big goals in mind.  After a bit of rest this can be a great time of year to take on a specific task. Back in 1991 after a great season living and racing in Sweden I determined that I needed way more pop in my legs. It became an obsession and I told myself I would do plyometrics twice a week or more all summer starting as soon as possible. In Sweden we raced into late April and I set out immediately after the season doing plyometrics to gain that pop.  It was a huge focus for me all summer and I began the week after the last race. of the season. My motivation was high, that winter I failed to make the Junior World Team. The following winter, after a very focused off-season that began early in the spring, I made the Olympic Team.

Becoming a Nordic Ski Instructor

How does one go about getting certified as a nordic ski instructor?

Thanks for any insight that you can lend.

From Scotty McGee, PSIA Nordic Team Coach:

Hi P!

Thanks for asking...PSIA/AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America/American Association of Snowboard Instructors) has 9 divisions nationally, and while we do agree on Certification Standards, the process in each division varies somewhat. In some divisions, the first step is through a member school, so you may want/need to get affiliated with a nordic center/ski school first.

The divisional websites typically have a roadmap to certification, or certification handbook, to lay out the process from joining to getting Level 3 certification. Here are the websites for the various divisions (One might need a map to determine where divisional boundaries lie in some regions). Eastern: www.psia-e.org, Central: www.psia-c.org, Rocky Mountain: www.psia-rm.org, Norther Rocky Mountain: www.psia-nrm.org, Intermountain: www.psia-i.org, Northern Intermountain: www.psia-ni.org, Western: www.psia-w.org, Northwest: www.psia-nw.org, Alaska: www.psia-a.org.

The Level 1 certification is typically the first stepping stone, usually a 2 or 3 day event, and is a combination of clinic and assessment for meeting the certification standards at that level. These events are highly educational, and orient participants to technical and teaching models, movement analysis, and resources that the organization, divisionally and nationally, has to offer.

The Level 1 process usually involves a workbook, to be done prior to registering (workbooks available online), which involve referencing and applying information found in the manuals. The Core Concepts Teaching Manual, and the Nordic Technical Manual may suffice, but the workbooks also call for information found in the Children's Educator Manual, to ensure that instructors have exposure to considerations and tools for teaching kids.

Check out your divisional website to glean more details, and consider the www.thesnowpros.org (national) website as an another invaluable resource. I hope I've answered your question; please let me (or SkiPost) know if there's more you'd like to know.

Best,

Scotty McGee

PSIA Nordic Team Coach

A Fund-Raising Opportunity for Ski Clubs and Programs

*       Full name and address of organization

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*       Date of raffle or auction

Events and Destinations 

 Momentum Northwest

Head Coach/Director wanted

Newly formed Momentum Northwest is seeking a full time Head Nordic Coach/Director to help develop and build a top tier junior racing program for the greater Seattle area. Seattle, a city of 2 million people, enjoys a vibrant Nordic community with over 50k of trails within close proximity. The ideal candidate should have significant racing and coaching experience at the divisional and national level.  The position involves coaching and mentoring Middle School and High School aged athletes and to help foster and grow Nordic Racing for the Seattle metropolitan area. The Head Coach will provide year round coaching and skier development. In addition, the Head Coach will help drive ongoing fundraising efforts. This program will allow the ideal candidate an opportunity to help shape the program and its trajectory.

Those interested should contact Coert Voorhees at Coert@ExtraBlue.net

Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation 

Executive Director  wanted

A non-profit 501(c) (3) corporation based in the southwest corner of the Heber Valley, SHLF oversees the facilities and programming of the Soldier Hollow venue, which hosted the cross-country skiing, biathlon, and Nordic combined events during the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games. Today, Soldier Hollow is a year-round facility focused on recreational, youth, and elite level sports programs. Soldier Hollow also provides winter snow tubing and hosts multiple events during the summer. At all times, the organization and its staff work to promote Olympic and Paralympic ideals, and expand opportunities for people in the communities it serves.

  Overview of Position:

Reporting to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director ensures the consistent excellence of programming and facilities in furtherance of the Foundation's mission. 

Apply:

No later than May 15, 2014, please submit a one-page letter of interest, a resume, and three professional references to the Foundation's Hiring Committee at soldierhollowlegacy@gmail.com 

Questions may also be directed to this email address.  

 US Pole Company

The United States Ski Pole Company is seeking one summer employment position. At least 18 years of age, located in either the U.S. or Canada, and have excellent organization and communication skills. The position is commission based with incentives, which can lead to other future business opportunities within the skiing industry. A good job for a post-college or current student. If you're looking for flexible hours that will mesh well with your training schedule, this would be ideal. Please send resume's and/ or questions to Andy Liebner at aliebner@hotmail.com

Backwoods Mountain Sports

Backwoods a nordic, backcountry, bike, water sport and camping specialty shop in Ketchum Idaho is looking for a lead buyer and manager for its hard goods department. Experience necessary. Please send resumes and questions to info@backwoodsmountainsports.com 

or call Andy Munter at 208-726-8818.

CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER,  

Job Opening

LAKE PLACID, NY HAS A MANAGERIAL POSITION OPENING FOR THE NEXT WINTER SEASON (2014-15. IF INTERESTED IN DETAILS, CONTACT US: 4833 CASCADE ROAD, LAKE PLACID, NY. 12946; PHONE-518-523-9605; XCSKI@CASCADESKI.COM

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