HELP - do you ski during winter cycle training season?

getprg

Just returned from a week's ski holiday (downhill not cross country) and returned to cycle training.

Blimey did my legs ache/burn when I got back on the bike/turbo at home and I've felt tired all week.

The thing is I took my Garmin with HRM on the ski holiday. A day's skiing (about 5 hours - including time on chairlifts) produced a HR peaking at only Zone 4 and usually in Z1 and Z2 (and less of course when on chairlift or stopped at side of piste). So not really aerobic or cardio.

Can anyone then explain

1 why do my legs hurt so much - has the action of skiing been like a week of squats and leg presses?
2 how should I fit skiing (I have 2 more ski breaks coming up this season) into my cycle training and especially recovery weeks?

deal

Did you do any exercises in the weeks before your ski trip to prepare? If not I suggest you do, not only will you get more out of you holiday you will likely return home in much better condition.

ride_whenever

For the love of god don't go skiing if you're committed to training, the likelihood of injury is just too high.

I've resorted to banning my athletes from skiing as I'm not having plans messed up again by dislocated knees...

getprg

Deal - I have been cycle training about 12-14 hours per week since the start of winter season (end of October) with a variety of base building and longer distance work. This is on top of a year when I trained for and completed a few sportives including Etape du Dales, National Cyclo sportive and rode some cols in the alps for a week.

Ride_whenever - Thanks for the injury warning. I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing ie injury risks when skiing but TBH I've skied for 20 years now without a major injury (hope that isn't a hostage to fortune!) and it is an important part of our family and outdoor life - I just love the mountains - skiing or cycling. I am committed to cycle training but I'm not a pro sportsman so it's not as though a skiing injury would end my career. A cycling injury is perhaps just as likely to curb my skiing (I have had an off the bike moment!)

So help - how do I include the ski week(s) into my cycle training.

deal

getprg wrote:

Deal - I have been cycle training about 12-14 hours per week since the start of winter season (end of October) with a variety of base building and longer distance work. This is on top of a year when I trained for and completed a few sportives including Etape du Dales, National Cyclo sportive and rode some cols in the alps for a week.

I think you misunderstood, I was talking about exercises specifically for preparing muscles for skiing, I had assumed you were training pretty hard on the bike, hence the recovery week. Just as you wouldn't ride for 20 hours a week (after not riding for 6 months), you really should not expect the body to handle 20 hours of skiing without some preparation, unfortunately cycling is not the best preparation.

I find if I take the time to do a little bit of training beforehand, I can ski harder for longer and return with less residual effects, sometimes even returning refreshed (set a season high ftp a few days after my last ski trip). Doesn't have to be an extensive program just 10 or so minutes in the 2-3 weeks beforehand - plenty of training programs can be found via google.

Youngfox

I live between 2 ski areas and ski at least 18 hours a week as well as using the turbo and running for early season cross training. Skiing may not be a CV workout but I find its an excellent active recovery and yep it will tan your legs if you do it hard enough. To ski well you need to have strong legs - no way round that. Try skiing after a hard hour on a turbo and you ski poorly. CV fitness is only part of training. It's strong legs that drive hard and skiing is a good cross activity. In fact it was the main early season sport for many top riders. Ski well, with the your bindings set right and "kick test" them for release and you shouldnt need to worry about injury. it's hellish boring to not have another fun activity and I have never found it harmed my times in the slightest - in fact I would say along with on bike training for "on bike" days it makes you stronger if you ski hard long days until your legs can't take anymore.

getprg

Thanks Deal - I must admit I had just thought that cycling was a good prep for skiing.

Thanks Youngfox - you reassure me that I'm not the only one who wants to combine both skiing and cycling! Now can you tell me how I might be blessed with living between two ski resorts and skiing 18 hours a week - sound idyllic! 18 hours of skiiing + 12-14 hours of cycling = nearly a full time job. Sighhhhh

So far as training is concerned I conclude from this thread that I need to do more skiing (or ski training) to get totally ski fit so as not to ache when I get back from the ski holiday but that the two sports compliment each other.

Thanks for all the help.

fish156

I'd have thought cyclists would be more suited to snowboarding?
- It's easy on the knees and the most common injuries are broken wrists & collar bones. ;-)

getprg wrote:

... (I have 2 more ski breaks coming up this season) ...

I'm not able to get a fix of snow this season

d_retallack

Just be careful you don't end up like this




Done it last January but off again on the 29th love skiing

rock_hopper

Personally, I think cycling is great preparation for ski-ing. Yes you need strong legs but when you ski your slow twitch leg muscles are constantly firing the whole way down the run, then repeat repeat repeat...........it's all about muscular endurance, cycling is great prep! The only thing I find is that it doesn't prepare your knees for the impact side, it takes days of ski-ing to tire my leg muscles but my knees soon get sore.

I agree getgrp, ski-ing is an amazingly fun activity, even if your dedicated to cycling/competing a week in the mountains with friends/family on a set of ski's is about the best way to spend a week away from our cloudy/grey winter.

1. I think your legs are just tired from the constant day after day ski-ing, if you did that amount of cycling your legs would be trashed, non?

2. I would suggest taking 2/3 days off the bike before your trip and the same when you get back. Why? So you can hit the slopes with fresh, ready legs and to let them recover properly before you start cycling again, that's what I'm going to do. Remember being wiped out by day 5 last year as I had skied so hard.

Enjoy![/i]

MarkRB

Ok ... I've only a few years experience of both road cycling and downhill skiing having moved out to the Haute Savoie a few years ago. During the winter I'm lucky enough to go skiing most weekends and more (destroying most winter cycling plans!). ..my take is that you need to be reasonably fit to go skiing - but skiing won't make you fit.

... and therefore this week have just bought a Tacx Satori turbo trainer and looking for tips but that is another thread!

P_Tucker

rock_hopper wrote:

Personally, I think cycling is great preparation for ski-ing. Yes you need strong legs but when you ski your slow twitch leg muscles are constantly firing the whole way down the run, then repeat repeat repeat...........it's all about muscular endurance, cycling is great prep! The only thing I find is that it doesn't prepare your knees for the impact side, it takes days of ski-ing to tire my leg muscles but my knees soon get sore.

I agree getgrp, ski-ing is an amazingly fun activity, even if your dedicated to cycling/competing a week in the mountains with friends/family on a set of ski's is about the best way to spend a week away from our cloudy/grey winter.

1. I think your legs are just tired from the constant day after day ski-ing, if you did that amount of cycling your legs would be trashed, non?

2. I would suggest taking 2/3 days off the bike before your trip and the same when you get back. Why? So you can hit the slopes with fresh, ready legs and to let them recover properly before you start cycling again, that's what I'm going to do. Remember being wiped out by day 5 last year as I had skied so hard.

Enjoy![/i]

Its this kind of advice that keeps me coming back to BR when I need a good laugh.

fish156

MarkRB wrote:

.... having moved out to the Haute Savoie a few years ago.

If you can get up to Tignes, Eric runs great spin classes a couple of times a week. Kept me going for a winter season :-)

mrlobber

I wouldn't consider downhill skiing doing anything beneficial for cycling (just my personal opinion) except for having a different activity to mentally relax from hard training. And, based on the experience of some colleagues at work, the risk of getting a permanent injury to the knees is pretty high, especially for those who look for more adrenaline by seeking out faster downhills.

Cross country skiing, on the other hand, is one of the best things to do for the cycling in off-season or early base because, if done properly, it's a tremendous overall fitness booster, taxes many of the same muscles which cycling does, and more. Note also that most of the measured VO2max records have been set by cross country skiers

rock_hopper

P_Tucker wrote:

rock_hopper wrote:

Personally, I think cycling is great preparation for ski-ing. Yes you need strong legs but when you ski your slow twitch leg muscles are constantly firing the whole way down the run, then repeat repeat repeat...........it's all about muscular endurance, cycling is great prep! The only thing I find is that it doesn't prepare your knees for the impact side, it takes days of ski-ing to tire my leg muscles but my knees soon get sore.

I agree getgrp, ski-ing is an amazingly fun activity, even if your dedicated to cycling/competing a week in the mountains with friends/family on a set of ski's is about the best way to spend a week away from our cloudy/grey winter.

1. I think your legs are just tired from the constant day after day ski-ing, if you did that amount of cycling your legs would be trashed, non?

2. I would suggest taking 2/3 days off the bike before your trip and the same when you get back. Why? So you can hit the slopes with fresh, ready legs and to let them recover properly before you start cycling again, that's what I'm going to do. Remember being wiped out by day 5 last year as I had skied so hard.

Enjoy![/i]

Its this kind of advice that keeps me coming back to BR when I need a good laugh.

Why would that be? Do you have anything to add to the discussion?

granola girl

Jogging and hiking uphill with a loaded pack will help prep your legs. A lot!!!!! If you REALLY want to get in shape for skiing well then welcome to plyometric hell there's plenty of videos on the internet of plyometric exercises. Oh and by the way mogul and tree skiing are great for cross country and DH mountain biking- it's all about picking the right line, absorbing the terrain, and reflexes.Not to mention it's SOOO MUCH FUN! and skiing and snowboarding are actually pretty safe only 2 injuries per 1000 skier visits -comparable to tennis. Approx 38 people die from snowsports per year in the US., but 300 people every year slip and die in the bathtub.

tri-sexual

granola girl is right

effective training for different sports require specific exercises/ programmes to match that sport. power lifting and pulling trucks will get you fitter but its of no benefit to you if you are a marathon runner

you have to be match/ sport fit for your sport. i train with a guy who is very fit overall but went on a horse riding holiday last summer with his wife ( very experienced horse rider with her own horses). after riding for the first few days he had to crawl into bed really early because he was so knackered, he was using muscles he never usually uses. as the week went on, he found it much easier because his body was conditioned for it. getting the guy to cycle 100 miles or running marathons would be easy for him, whereas his wife couldnt even run around the block (different horses for different courses- sorry bad pun)