Make Your Body Your Machine : pike

Video: Body Saw to Pike

Fitness Anywhere — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:50:00 GMT

Fraser demonstrates how to stack the body saw exercise with a pike in order to create a complex movement that will to give your core a killer workout. In this video Fraser will show both an easy way and a hard way for those who are looking for more challenge.

Cold Weather Training

Fitness Anywhere — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:05:00 GMT

Whether it's having your training sessions restricted to climate-controlled indoor environments or dealing with inclement weather in your outdoor workouts, many people find winter a challenging time to keep their fitness program on track.

But it doesn't have to be that way. With some understanding of how to prepare for the colder temperatures, and a willingness to venture into the cold, the winter season can be transformed into an incredible time of outside fun and training opportunities.

So what are the options? We can divide them into two general groups.

Gravity-Based Winter Sports tend to be more strength and power-based and appeal to the fun-loving, adventurous type. The exertion is generally short-lived and intense and is usually coupled with great speed. Downhill skiing and snowboarding top the list, but for those with a more self-propelled spirit, ski touring, back-country skiing and ice climbing are great winter options.

The more vigorous cousins to Gravity-Based Winter Sports are Cardiovascular-Based Winter Sports. Snow-shoeing, running, skating, x-country skiing and skate skiing are winter activities that can be done in almost any temperatures. There is even the option of winter triathlons that merge trail running with mountain biking and skate skiing.

So why do people who love the outdoors hibernate through the cold months as they wait for spring? Most of the time it's because people just don't think they can stay warm, but the following guidelines can help you get beyond the initial obstacles cold weather can present.

10 Winter Training Tips

Use base-layer clothing made from fabrics that are designed to wick moisture away from your skin. This will keep you dry and warm for the duration of the workout.

Do not overdress. Though this may feel nice and comfortable at the beginning, you will sweat much more than you would otherwise, making your clothes wet. Wet Clothes = Cold Body. Generally speaking, if you feel slightly cool before starting your activity, you have dressed perfectly for the conditions.
Dress to your training plan. Hard workouts will require less clothing than easier workouts. If you are unsure how to dress, bring a shell jacket that can be used for your warm-up and cool-down, but can be easily taken off and stowed for the more difficult part of the workout.
Wear shades. In most cool or cold weather conditions, sport sunglasses will protect eyes from the bright sun reflecting off of the snow and prevent them from watering due to the cold or wind.
Keep it down. The down coat is king when it comes to cold environments and intermittent activities that involve stopping. A light-weight down coat is the perfect solution to keep you toasty during winter sports that incorporate periods of prolonged rest.
Staying on your feet and keeping them warm go a long way toward enjoying outdoor winter activities. Over-layering your feet will cause them to sweat, which can lead to cold toes. For cardiovascular-based sports, a single pair of warm, wicking socks will normally do. In very cold conditions or for gravity-based sports, use a double layer of socks.
A good trail running shoe provides extra traction for slippery surfaces and many offer waterproof features that help keep your feet dry. In areas with deep snow, a pair of light gators will keep the snow out of your shoes.
H2O. One of the biggest challenges for training in cold temperatures is avoiding de-hydration. While it may feel unappealing, drinking regularly during these lower temperature workouts is just as necessary as in warmer weather. Filling water bottles with lukewarm fluids will help to prevent them from freezing or being too cold to drink comfortably.
Plan your route ahead of time. Use a loop course to avoid getting too far away from home in the event something were to go wrong during your activity.
Avoiding frost bite and hypothermia is the most important consideration when preparing for cold weather activities. Make sure all of your skin is covered and carry an extra layer in case the conditions change during your workout.

The cold weather can bring a winter wonderland of training possibilities for the active person. With a little planning and knowledge, along with the right clothing, you will be amazed at how enjoyable the crisp air can feel. Almost as good as the well-deserved hot chocolate in front of a warm fire afterwards.

TRX Ski Conditioning Part Two

Fitness Anywhere — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:52:00 GMT

During the course of a typical day of skiing, it’s easy to bag 10,000-30,000 vertical feet of descending. As you go down the mountain, you’ll drop from one leg to the other several hundred times.

The basic skiing motion entails going across the fall line then turning your body to look down the hill. When you look down the hill, the first thing you do is pole plant which swings your rear end to the side, snaps your legs around and gets you on edge. All of your weight transfers to that edge, then you cross the fall line and repeat the motion going the other way. Most skiing injuries happen when a skier loses control and is ‘stood up’ on one ski resulting in a knee injury.

Munching up thousands of feet of vert while snowboarding can make your thighs burn like they’re covered in molten iron, too. But in snowboarding, the motion is more frontally oriented than the side to side motion of skiing, but turns are still initiated in a similar manner: the downhill arm/shoulder leads followed by the caboose followed by the board turning beneath you.

Whether you’re skiing or snowboarding, gravity doesn’t just propel you down the hill - it tries to fold your body into the hill, too. Your objectives as you tackle the program below are to:

Increase Mobility
Flexible hips are a must for getting down the hill, and your increased flexibility will serve you well when you inevitably eat drift, too, and go tumbling downhill like a rag doll.
Increase Strength
Increase Muscular Endurance
So you can go all day every day you’re on the slopes without having to stop to catch your breath.
Increase Power
So your last turn of the day has as much pop as your first!

This program has been designed using exercises that specifically address the challenges of snow sports. In part one we focused mainly on the core, now we are going to rock your legs and shoulders to help protect your knees as you bomb down those hills and hit the moguls.

Complete the following set of exercises as many times as you can in 20 minutes. Start with two days a week and build up to as many as four days per week over the course of nine weeks.

Notes:

in weeks 1-3 focus on form and increasing mobility
in weeks 4-6 add speed, increase tempo of exercises
in weeks 7-9, emphasize power with explosive movements and increased resistance.
start with 30 seconds per exercise/side each 3-week cycle
when 30 seconds per exercise becomes manageable, add 15 seconds
progress with15 more seconds per exercise as needed

Workout Part 2:

Postural squat

Shoulder Series

Suspended Lunge

Balance Lunge

Sprinter’s Start

Ski Conditioning Workout Part One

TRX Ski Conditioning Part One

Fitness Anywhere — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:47:00 GMT

As storms lay blankets of powder on ski resorts across North America, say adios to autumn and get ready to hit the slopes. But before you drift into daydreams of wowing the folks on the lift with your supreme mogul technique or your jibbing skills in the terrain park, take a moment to think about what kind of season you want to have. Do you want to be in dynamite condition, ready for another charge down the hill? Do you want to make it through the season with your knees intact? Then you’ve come to the right place. Whether you snowboard or ski, rock at a green or double diamond level, training on the TRX can help you reach your best this season. The goals of your winter sports TRX training will be two-fold:

Train your body into the best condition possible for the specific demands of your sport.
Prevent injuries before they happen by preparing your body for the inevitable impacts that come with sliding on snow.

Below is part one of our two part TRX program for skiing and snowboarding that will have you shred ready in 9-12 weeks.

Complete the following set of exercises as many times as you can in 20 minutes. Start with two days a week and build up to as many as four days per week over the course of nine weeks.

Notes:

in weeks 1-3 focus on form and increasing mobility
in weeks 4-6 add speed, increase tempo of exercises
in weeks 7-9, emphasize power with explosive movements and increased resistance.
start with 30 seconds per exercise/side each 3-week cycle
when 30 seconds per exercise becomes manageable, add 15 seconds
progress with15 more seconds per exercise as needed

Workout Part One:

Body Saw
Suspended Crunch

This video explains how to do both the Body Saw and Suspended Crunch
Suspended Pike
Oblique Pike

This video explains how to do both the Suspended Pike and the Oblique Pike

Side Plank with Taps

Overhead Back Extension

Get out there do part one of the workout and let us know what you think.
Ski Conditioning Workout Part Two