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ENLARGE
Bonanza Photo - Carrie Richards Also to improve lateral movement, SNC ski team member Matyas Mleziva tosses a medicine ball to his teammate Kevin Gnsheehan while he runs back and forth during dryland training last Friday evening.
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ENLARGE
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A basketball player wouldn't step on the court for a game without first jacking up a few shots from beyond the free-throw line.
A golfer wouldn't tee off in the spring without first hitting a few on the range.
A cross country runner certainly wouldn't enter a 5-kilometer race without first training for that distance.
And, if you ask Sierra Nevada College ski team coach Branko Zagar, or Patt Aiello of the Incline Recreation Center, a skier or snowboarder shouldn't hit the slopes without first getting into shape.
Both coaches are putting their charges through off-season, dry-land workouts. Zagar's is the SNC ski team, and Aiello's is the members of the Recreation Center's Winter Sports Conditioning class.
A golfer wouldn't tee off in the spring without first hitting a few on the range.
A cross country runner certainly wouldn't enter a 5-kilometer race without first training for that distance.
And, if you ask Sierra Nevada College ski team coach Branko Zagar, or Patt Aiello of the Incline Recreation Center, a skier or snowboarder shouldn't hit the slopes without first getting into shape.
Both coaches are putting their charges through off-season, dry-land workouts. Zagar's is the SNC ski team, and Aiello's is the members of the Recreation Center's Winter Sports Conditioning class.
They each agree that winter sports athletes absolutely need pre-season conditioning.
"It's an incredibly important thing," Zagar said. "They need to be in shape so they can have a high quality of skiing right away, and it helps them avoid injury."
"Pre-season conditioning is absolute," Aiello said. "You must have it, it's the difference between being out of breath and sore for the first couple weeks of the season and coming into it in mid-season condition."
The SNC ski team does dry land workouts four days a week for two hours a day. Zagar stresses the importance of lateral-movement exercises for his athletes, boosting both strength and quickness in side-to-side workouts.
"We work with them on their explosiveness and strength so they can turn in and out of gates quickly and with good balance," Zagar said.
"It's an incredibly important thing," Zagar said. "They need to be in shape so they can have a high quality of skiing right away, and it helps them avoid injury."
"Pre-season conditioning is absolute," Aiello said. "You must have it, it's the difference between being out of breath and sore for the first couple weeks of the season and coming into it in mid-season condition."
The SNC ski team does dry land workouts four days a week for two hours a day. Zagar stresses the importance of lateral-movement exercises for his athletes, boosting both strength and quickness in side-to-side workouts.
"We work with them on their explosiveness and strength so they can turn in and out of gates quickly and with good balance," Zagar said.
A look into a SNC workout is a study of constant motion. Zagar's athletes are bouncing all over the gym, whether they are balancing on top of a ball or throwing a medicine ball back and forth, they never stop moving.
"Their cardio fitness is really important as well," Zagar said. "In our first week or two of skiing it's very hard to get things done if they aren't in shape."
It's a point Aiello agrees with.
"We recommend that on top of people coming to our conditioning class twice a week, they have a regular, sustained workout where they get their heart-rate up to a certain level and keep it there for 30 to 45 minutes at a time," Aiello said.
Her winter sports conditioning class starts Monday at 9 a.m. and also meets Wednesday and Sunday at the same time. It is open to all winter sports athletes of all ages, whether that means snowboarding, downhill or Nordic skiing.
"Their cardio fitness is really important as well," Zagar said. "In our first week or two of skiing it's very hard to get things done if they aren't in shape."
It's a point Aiello agrees with.
"We recommend that on top of people coming to our conditioning class twice a week, they have a regular, sustained workout where they get their heart-rate up to a certain level and keep it there for 30 to 45 minutes at a time," Aiello said.
Her winter sports conditioning class starts Monday at 9 a.m. and also meets Wednesday and Sunday at the same time. It is open to all winter sports athletes of all ages, whether that means snowboarding, downhill or Nordic skiing.
"I have a couple of 75-year-olds in the class and it is as much for them as it is for the elite athlete," Aiello said.
She says that she conducts her class as a boot-camp, complete with a whistle and a little in-your-face coaching.
"If I see someone not jump-roping as hard as I want them to, I'm going to get in their face and tell them to pick it up," Aiello said. "The only difference is that if they're 70 and tell me they can't do it, I'm going to say OK and move on to the next person."
Her class focuses on balance and strengthening both sides of the body. They work a lot with BOSU (Both Sides Utilized) balls, which is a plastic workout ball cut in half. Aiello's students balance on top of the ball in a skier's tuck, which she says helps them recover quickly if they start to fall.
Aiello's favorite part of the job is seeing students from her class out at Diamond Peak.
"They are always yelling I love you, I loved your class, look what I can do," Aiello said. "Sometimes I'll get people that tell me they did my class this year and didn't the year before, and the year they didn't they were in pain for the first couple weeks of the season."
She says that she conducts her class as a boot-camp, complete with a whistle and a little in-your-face coaching.
"If I see someone not jump-roping as hard as I want them to, I'm going to get in their face and tell them to pick it up," Aiello said. "The only difference is that if they're 70 and tell me they can't do it, I'm going to say OK and move on to the next person."
Her class focuses on balance and strengthening both sides of the body. They work a lot with BOSU (Both Sides Utilized) balls, which is a plastic workout ball cut in half. Aiello's students balance on top of the ball in a skier's tuck, which she says helps them recover quickly if they start to fall.
Aiello's favorite part of the job is seeing students from her class out at Diamond Peak.
"They are always yelling I love you, I loved your class, look what I can do," Aiello said. "Sometimes I'll get people that tell me they did my class this year and didn't the year before, and the year they didn't they were in pain for the first couple weeks of the season."
Dryland Workout:
Many of coach Branko Zagar’s workouts to train his SNC skiers for the upcoming ski season deal with lateral movement and cardio-vascular health. “Lateral movement is so important because these guys are always going side to side, in and out of gates. It really helps to train for this so skiers can work on the technical part of their skiing rather than conditioning once we get on the snow,” Zagar said.
Cardio-vascular health is important to the skiers because they are moving constantly and need to be in shape to keep up with Zagar’s demands.
The following workouts are designed by Zagar to meet both these needs.
Dryland Workout Video Tips:
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“The lateral jump”
The lateral jump can be performed by anyone and Zagar recommends it because it increases vertical quickness, allowing skiers to move in and out of very technical runs.
The athlete stands next to a cone or pylon which is about one foot tall. Next, they hop back and forth over the cone for about 30 seconds, jumping non-stop with both feet together. Zagar’s athletes do about 10 sets of these 30-second periods, but you should tailor your own workout to your level of conditioning.
“The tuck”
This is a workout that Zagar only recommends for serious skiers who are in shape. The athlete balances in a tucked position on a giant workout ball for about 30 seconds. Zagar says this helps his skiers learn balance and get used to skiing in a position that is aerodynamic.
Explosiveness and lateral movement
In this workout, one of Zagar’s skiers jumps onto and off of a platform elevated about a foot off the ground with both feet. Zagar says that this workout assists an athlete with explosiveness and lateral movement. His athletes do about 10 sets of the jumps, and each set lasts for 30 seconds.
In this workout, the athlete trains on the same platform as the previous video but uses only one foot. Zagar says that this helps the athlete shift their weight from knee to knee and strengthens their legs for ski season. It also improves quickness in changing directions.
Horizontal shuffle
This workout requires two athletes and is another Zagar recommends for well-conditioned athletes only. Two people line up about four feet across from one shuffles horizontally while the other throws a five pound medicine ball back and forth with the person that moves. The athletes keep this up for about a minute at a time, then break and switch sides, with each one completing each position twice.
“The lunge”
Again, Zagar recommends this workout only for well-conditioned athletes. A person balances their back leg on an one-foot elevated platform and their front foot on a small, soft pad, about a foot and a half in front of the platform. The athlete then bends forward, placing all their weight on the front foot with a 5- to 10-pound weight in both hands. Zagar says this exercise works out the thighs and calves, muscles essential to skiing. Three sets of 10 lunges apiece are recommended.
The lateral jump can be performed by anyone and Zagar recommends it because it increases vertical quickness, allowing skiers to move in and out of very technical runs.
The athlete stands next to a cone or pylon which is about one foot tall. Next, they hop back and forth over the cone for about 30 seconds, jumping non-stop with both feet together. Zagar’s athletes do about 10 sets of these 30-second periods, but you should tailor your own workout to your level of conditioning.
“The tuck”
This is a workout that Zagar only recommends for serious skiers who are in shape. The athlete balances in a tucked position on a giant workout ball for about 30 seconds. Zagar says this helps his skiers learn balance and get used to skiing in a position that is aerodynamic.
Explosiveness and lateral movement
In this workout, one of Zagar’s skiers jumps onto and off of a platform elevated about a foot off the ground with both feet. Zagar says that this workout assists an athlete with explosiveness and lateral movement. His athletes do about 10 sets of the jumps, and each set lasts for 30 seconds.
In this workout, the athlete trains on the same platform as the previous video but uses only one foot. Zagar says that this helps the athlete shift their weight from knee to knee and strengthens their legs for ski season. It also improves quickness in changing directions.
Horizontal shuffle
This workout requires two athletes and is another Zagar recommends for well-conditioned athletes only. Two people line up about four feet across from one shuffles horizontally while the other throws a five pound medicine ball back and forth with the person that moves. The athletes keep this up for about a minute at a time, then break and switch sides, with each one completing each position twice.
“The lunge”
Again, Zagar recommends this workout only for well-conditioned athletes. A person balances their back leg on an one-foot elevated platform and their front foot on a small, soft pad, about a foot and a half in front of the platform. The athlete then bends forward, placing all their weight on the front foot with a 5- to 10-pound weight in both hands. Zagar says this exercise works out the thighs and calves, muscles essential to skiing. Three sets of 10 lunges apiece are recommended.
