[birey]

birey on August 9, 2019 at 9:58 am · in reply to: Advice on best fit for ski mountaineering plan #26551

Answered my own question. Purchasing the 12 week freeride and will modify to approx 32 weeks.

[birey]

birey on August 6, 2019 at 2:25 pm · in reply to: Advice on best fit for ski mountaineering plan #26354

Wow! I have a very similar question and was happy to see this was the first tread in the Ski Mountaineering Forum. Must be that time of year. I have completed 2.75 of four 32-week ski mountaineering training cycles in the past four years. The first year I was able to train 400 hours. The last three years I’ve planned around 275 hours per year. One year I had to quit mid way due to a new job, house, etc. I’ve been planning on targeting 300 hours for this year. All four training plans have been written by myself, based off of your first training book. I’ve just finished Training for the Uphill Athlete and have signed up for trainingpeaks.com and am looking to purchase a training plan.

Last year I wrote in about my perceived weakness on the downhill portion of my ski mountaineering exploits and Scott J. suggested I use the 12 week free ride training plan to build my edge-holding and survival skiing thru Montana timber specific strength. Should I purchase the 12 week free ride and modify to be 32-weeks annual training plan or should I purchase the 24 week mountaineering plan, that is most like what I’ve been doing for years, and modify it? What intrigues me about the 12 week free ride is the sport specific strength training. Thank you!

[birey]

birey on December 18, 2017 at 1:54 pm · in reply to: Ski Mountaineering #7204

I am starting into my ninth week of base training and thus am about to do my first muscular endurance (ME) workout. Based on the advice above, I’m planning on doing one ME workout in the gym focused on circuits of the downhill specific exercises and upper body ME. I’m planning on doing another ME water jug carry on steep terrain each week and I see that this workout is optimally done at a near or perceived Zone 3 pace (pace limited by the weight, terrain, and legs, not by lungs and heart). My question is, should I consider this jug carry my Zone 3 workout for the week as well, even though I don’t actually get into Zone 3?

I’ve described what I’m training for earlier in this thread but will add that I’ve gone through two training cycles in the last three years, skipping last year due to other commitments. I hardly skied at all last year and want to make sure to get plenty of long easy distance (LED) skis in this year to polish technique. I am time limited, but I don’t want to cut short the benefits of Zone 3 training.

Thank you,

BI

[birey]

birey on November 23, 2017 at 11:54 am · in reply to: Strength training #6791

Rich,
I struggled with how to count strength training time during my first couple training cycles. When planning this third cycle, I realized that the histograms in TFTNA’s “Planning Your Training” chapter show total training for the week and the proportion of that week that belong to each type of workout, including strength. I think the ratios are working for me because, as uphill athletes, we are all too prone to focusing on mountain time at the expense of arriving rested, strong, and psyched to gym workouts. In short, those ratios have kept me proportionally focused on strength training, which I’m hopeful will pay dividends for a spring peak.

I’d love to hear a Scott or Steve reply to this to see if I’m on track. Thanks for posting.

Birey

[birey]

birey on September 27, 2017 at 1:54 pm · in reply to: How to train when sport-specific training is not possible #6216

Luke, Scott, or anyone else in the know –

Are classic roller skis worth it if you do not plan on racing but are focused on ski mountaineering objectives?

I’m looking at the inflatable three wheeled ones from V2 as I’m surrounded primarily by rural unpaved roads. Thoughts?

[birey]

birey on September 27, 2017 at 12:24 pm · in reply to: Logging Semi-Training Time (ie Walk to Work) #6206

Great Q and A, I’ve been wondering this for years. The solution I’ve settled on for myself is to make sure I hit my targets for the week (25% zone 1 outing, two max strength, etc.) and then I am free to count my farm chores, walks, and bike commutes as filler to get me to my total planned volume for the week. Everything at a swift walking pace and above is picked up by my Apple Watch as exercise. Again, I only record the amount I need to fill the gap between my planned workouts and my planned weekly volume. I think TFTNA says in the planning chapter, “the rest [of the weekly volume] at zone 1 or recovery pace”. To be clear, if I miss a planned workout, I don’t fill the void with routine exercise. For me, with a full time desk job plus farm obligations (hand digging, wood splitting, cleaning pens, tromping through fields, trimming orchard trees, shoveling the drive, firewood cutting, etc.) I’m at or near my ceiling for formal training right now so to count or not count is somewhat moot, except that I need to ensure that I don’t let chores plus training push me into a fatigued state. That’s where workout grading and being self aware during all activities is key.

I think I remember S. House saying somewhere, “It all can be training”. That also seems to be the theme from Will Gadd’s article last year on training philosophy. Wax on, wax off – B.I.

[birey]

birey on September 7, 2017 at 4:05 pm · in reply to: Ski Mountaineering #6029

I’ll look forward to seeing the steep skiing training plan, Scott. In the meantime, I’ll carry on with my general strength during the second half of my transition phase. Thank you for your reply.

[birey]

birey on September 5, 2017 at 12:34 pm · in reply to: Ski Mountaineering #5997

I’d like to second everything said above. I have very similar objectives for the Grand Teton, Cascade volcanoes, and the Canadian Rockies. It seems to me one legged squats and box steps do a pretty good job of training our “shock absorbers” and scotts killer core helps us hold a strong form, but any other strength tips for holding those precious edges would be great.

Also, I’ve noticed in years past that I have a tough time staying below Zone 3 during the descents back to the car. I’ve often felt it is the descent that makes me tired and sore the next day, not all the Zone 1 skinning. Also, my form starts to really break down on long descents, which can be sketchy near the bottom, during the tight tree skiing phase. Any tips?

[birey]

birey on August 30, 2017 at 2:04 pm · in reply to: Nose breathing + AeT #5966

In the three training years past, I think I’ve relied on heart rate a little too much to tell me what zone I’m in. This year, after reading your two new articles on breathing, I’m trying to pay more attention to breathing intensity. Unfortunately, my nose has never worked as well as it should and the docs tell me my nostrils are about 1/2 the diameter they should be. Can you recommend breath rates as an alternative indicator for the top of zone 1 and zone 2?

Thanks,
Dedicated Mouth Breather