Summer Conditioning

SUMMER/FALL CONDITIONING

I hope at this point of the year most of you are hard at work with a conditioning program. If not, it’s never to late to begin for the season! A better conditioned athlete will always perform better and get more out of each training session. Also as we age, injury prevention becomes more and more paramount. Being as strong as you can be physically, coming into the winter season, can only benefit your successes on the hill. Also maintaining a fitness program throughout the season is key to injury prevention. Listed below are some key areas and exercises that you should be focusing on. This program will strengthen your physical foundation and guarantee a maximum performance level on the hill.

AEROBIC: Endurance sports rely on oxygen for continuous energy over long periods of time, and a well developed aerobic pathway carries abundant amounts of this major energizer to the muscles. The aerobic pathway enables a well-trained athlete to sustain exercise for longer periods of time.

1. Cycling (road or mountain)

2. Running (trail or road)

3. Hiking

4. Rollerblading

ANAEROBIC: Anaerobic training develops the energy pathways for sprint and shorter distances by enhancing rapid muscle contractions. This training consists of higher intensity but shorter exercise sessions, with more emphasis on speed and power. Anaerobic workouts help athletes tolerate lactic acid buildup that causes fatigue. The secret is to create a higher and higher lactic acid threshold so that the detrimental lactic acid buildup happens later and later during intense workouts.

1. Hill sprints

2. Bike sprints

3. Soccer

4. Basketball

5. Tennis

STRENGTH-RESISTANCE TRAINING: Muscle development is vital to improvement and being strong is more than simply having well-developed muscles or being able to lift heavy weights. There are actually three separate functions involved in muscle development:

Muscular Strength - the physiological basis for all other muscular functions.

Muscular Power - explosiveness and speed of movement.

Muscular Endurance - enables an athlete to sustain repeated muscular work.

These three functions, although separate in application at times in sports, are interdependent and overlap in muscular endeavors.

Weights (primary exercises)

1. +-Bench Press

2. Pull Downs

3. Squats or Leg Press

4. Hamstring Curls

5. Dips

6. Stomach

FLEXIBILITY: Results in freer movement about joint areas that involve muscle, tendons,ligaments and soft connective tissue. These anatomical parts form working relationships that more or less permit motion to occur at the joint. Every individual has her or his own flexibility patterns and limitations resulting from anatomical differences while growing up, selection of sports and age.

Hints:

1. Stretch to a maximum position, but avoid a bouncing movement once in the position.

2. Stretching is slow deliberate movement until and end point is reached when muscles will not tolerate any

additional pull.

3. It is essential to exhale slowly during the stretching phase of an exercise.

4. Perform all stretching exercises in a slow, controlled manner, avoiding any quick or bouncing motions.

5. Be sure to do warm-up and cool down flexibility exercises.

Areas:

1. Groin

2. Back

3. Hamstrings

4. Quads

5. Hip flexors

6.. Shoulders

7. Neck

Yoga is also a great way to achieve flexibility.

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY TRAINING!!!