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This week's tip:
Cross-Training on Skis
Skate skiing is one of the best ways to stay in shape during the off-season
By Brent Bovitz
The wily veteran Terry Holm once told me: “Never take more than three days off in a row from working out.”
And he was right.
When I was younger, I could get away without training during the off-season. But after I hit forty, I found I could no longer hibernate in the winter and easily get back into shape in the spring.
Many skaters move their training indoors or switch to ice skating during the off-season. But I like to take a break from skating in the winter and switch my training, primarily, to skate skiing.
In case you are unfamiliar with it, skate skiing is a style of cross-country skiing in which you push your skis to the side (like skating) rather than sliding them forward (as in traditional cross-country skiing).
Skate skiers use many of the same muscles as inline racers. That makes it’s a great way for us to stay in shape during the off-season.
And if you want competition, skate skiing has that, too. Last winter, I competed in my first Birkebeiner, a 52-kilometer cross-country race in Wisconsin that draws 10,000 skiers a year.
Unfortunately, with climate change, snow has been tough to come by for the last few years in the Twin Cities area, where I live. As a result, I have also added cycling and running to my offseason routine.
I ride a cyclocross bike on the LRT, a crushed limestone trail. And I run on a hilly single-track.
I also work out with weights and do plyometrics. Some of my favorite drills are box jumps, side to side jumps, hex bar deadlifts, and front and side lunges.
My off-season training keeps me in shape and gives me a welcome break from skating. And for me, a break is a good thing. A few months away from skating always makes me eager for the the new inline season.
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Brent Bovitz won the Pro 40 (Pro Vet) division of the 2012 National Roller Cup. He is a member of Team Twincam and a technology coach for the Eden Prairie School District in the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
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