presented by
Greg Burpee (Music Producer, DJ, Balance Expert, Kinesiolgist, Weight Training Specialist, Ski Coach)

bal·anceˈ
baləns/ noun

1. 1. an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady."slipping in the mud but keeping their balance" synonyms: stability, equilibrium, steadiness, footing "I tripped and lost my balance"
   
   

Balance is crazy. Maintaining balance requires coordination of input from multiple sensory systems including the vestibular, somatosensory, and visual systems. For that reason, it is imperative that all systems are functioning efficiently and are operating at maximum potential. The senses must detect changes of spacial orientation with respect to the base of support, regardless of whether the body moves or the base is altered. There are environmental factors that can affect balance such as light conditions, floor surface changes and changes of forces acting on the body. It is easy to see why balance is such an integral part of alpine ski racing, as our environment is constantly changing. 
Here are some terrific balance exercises.

• skateboarding
• rollerblading
• bicycling
• kayaking
• trapeze artist
• Sitting on an uneven chair

Some additional exercises:

• Swiss Ball! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQpE5aGHtME

In Greg's own words click HERE

Provided by: Andrew Lambert: He owns and operates ‘FITSolutions’ in Vernon BC and trains both recreational and competitive athletes across a variety of sports. He is currently the Director of Sports Science for the BC Alpine Ski Association, holds a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology (Mkin), is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is certified in Functional Movement Screening (FMS). To read Andrew's blog go to http://www.fitsolutions-online.com/blog

ATHLETE RECOVERY 101

There are few less desirable feelings for an athlete than showing up for a training session or competition with heavy legs and feeling tired or run down. 

Reasons:

-You are in a very hard training block and are going into what is termed ‘over-reaching’.  Suck it up!  However, make sure you follow up and over reaching phase with a block of recovery training.  Too much time in ‘the hole’ can eventually lead to over-training syndrome, a much more serious condition that has serious implications for both fitness and health.

-You are getting sick.  Training hard when you are sick makes no sense.  Pump the brakes for a couple of days and allow recovery.  As a rule of thumb, if the symptoms are above the neck you are still good to go, below the neck then rest and recuperation.  NEVER train with a fever.

-Low iron stores.  It is recommended that all athletes get a blood test once per year (twice for female athletes) to ensure stored iron levels are sufficient.  Low levels of iron can lead to poor performance (earlier to fatigue, difficulty tolerating training loads)

-Poor recovery following the last workout session.  There are many aspects to recovery which athletes should consider.

Recovery Aspects

·         Current fitness level
·         Hydration
·         Sleep
·         Nutrition
·         Active recovery

1.            CURRENT FITNESS LEVEL

Athletes who have developed higher levels of stamina (otherwise known as aerobic capacity) tend to recover more quickly between training runs and between training days.  They have more resilience throughout the course of the competitive season and this is one variable that can lead to more consistent results.  Less fit athletes are less efficient at removing the by-products of high intensity exercise (e.g. lactate) and therefore are not able to produce as many quality efforts OR recover efficiently after training.

2.            HYDRATION STATUS

Skiing usually occurs in environments where dehydration is a factor.  Dehydration can have a great impact on performance – poor training times, poor concentration etc.  In cold/dry OR warm/humid climates, dehydration can be a big issue.  At 6000 feet above sea level, you exhale and perspire twice as much moisture as you do at sea level. Over the course of a day, that is a lot of water and electrolytes lost!  Skiers are frequently train and race at altitudes at or higher than this.  Higher altitude means lower air pressure. This results in more rapid evaporation of moisture from skin surface, and from your lungs. Most high altitude areas are also very low in humidity, which means evaporation is further accelerated. The combination of these factors means that the higher up you are, the more water you need to keep your body functioning.

I recommend to athletes training in any of the conditions noted above to drink an electrolyte beverage in addition to water.  If training on a glacier in the summer, bring an electrolyte drink and water on the hill.  In the winter, teas can be easier to ingest and more palatable.  In normal conditions when the workout is < 1 hr, water is just fine.

3.            SLEEP

There is no better form or recovery after a hard days training than a good night of sleep.  A night or two of poor sleep will have little impact other than maybe moodiness and perhaps poor concentration/focus.  However, when the athlete is consistently getting less sleep than they need, or poor quality sleep, a number of deficits occur.  With lack of sleep, a stress hormone called cortisol increases which will interfere with muscle repair and building.  Poor sleep also slows down both glucose metabolism and storage. 

Every athlete is different in how much sleep they need.  However, compared to the normal population they will need more sleep due to the physical and emotional stressors they experience in training and competition.  Anywhere from 8-10 hrs per day should be the goal for most athletes.

4.            NUTRITION

In order to fuel for training sessions, all athletes should have a firm grasp of the basics of nutrition and how it affects performance.  Here are some general rules:

Carbohydrates (obtained from foods such as pasta, bread, potatoes, fruit, legumes, cereals) are critical both in fueling for, and recovering from exercise.  If an athlete has low levels of this macronutrient in their diet, or tries to eliminate carbohydrate from the diet, they will be unable to sustain high intensity effort for very long.  Eat a form of whole, lower sugar (lower glycemic index) carbohydrate with every meal (you should eat 5-6 x p/day).  Within 30 mins of finishing your workout, have a more sugary (high glycemic index) carb.  When you are training on the hill, you should have more sugary foods available such as Gatorade, trail mix / bars and fruit to keep blood sugars (glucose) up.  Carbohydrate is converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles.  If muscle glycogen levels get low, then the anaerobic energy system can no longer function and exercise intensity will have to be reduced.

Adequate protein is very important to promote growth and to repair damaged cells and tissues.  There are many types of proteins which are effective for the athlete in meeting their individual needs.  These include:  meat sources, dairy sources; eggs, soy, nuts and grains (such as oats and quinoa).  It is most important for the athlete to take in a quality source of protein with every meal / snack and this is where many athletes fail, opting to instead take in large quantities later in the day.  Research shows that spreading your protein evenly through the course of the 5-6 meals you eat per day is most effective.  The recommended amount of protein for athletes engaging in strength or other intense activities is 1.5-2.0 g/kg of body weight per day.

Immune system maintenance – the main goal of training is push the body a bit harder than what it is used to, which leads to physical adaptations (better fitness).  However, athletes can be more sensitive to cold / flu bugs.  During training and competition, the body can be under a lot of physical and/or emotional stress and as a result the immune system can be weakened.  It is very important that the athlete is consuming a wide range of ‘micronutrients’ which are high in antioxidants and can help maintain a healthy immune system.  ‘Micronutrients’ can be found primarily in fresh fruits and vegetables.  The 5-10 per day recommendation is a good guideline.  More specifically, I like to ask athletes to incorporate 1-2 servings of fruit and vegetables with every meal/snack.  Also, consider a vitamin C supplement. 

One of the most effective recovery drinks (excluding supplements which I will not discuss here) is chocolate milk.  It is ideal because of its accessibility, price and composition.  Chocolate milk contains quality proteins, sugar (fast carbs) and electrolytes.  A number of studies have been conducted examining the effectiveness of chocolate milk in promoting recovery and they found that it did a similar job to many commercially available beverages.  As chocolate milk is very calorie dense, athletes should be careful with how much of this they drink as it could potentially lead to unwanted weight gains.

5.            ACTIVE RECOVERY

Following intense activity, it is important that the athlete spend some time doing light aerobic exercise in order to ‘flush’ the by-products of intense exercise from the system.  Failure to do this can result in heavy legs the next day and poor performance.  Examples of activities which I often use with my athletes are:

Spin bike (15-30 mins)

Jog (up to 20 mins)

Swim (up to 30 mins)

Hot:Cold hydrotherapy

OR…simply walk or hike

Anything that gets your heart rate up but does not cause additional fatigue can be useful.

For recovery workouts, on average you should keep your heart rate between 110-130 beats per minute or low intensity.  You will breathe a bit harder, perspire a little more but feel like you can easily maintain a conversation.

Some form of mobility work is also crucial after a workout / training session.  Muscles tend to become shorter and potentially more inflamed than is desirable during intense exercises.  In the long term, consistent failure to stretch and lengthen muscles and the tissue surrounding them can lead to problems with mobility.  This in turn can lead to increased incidence of overuse injuries and pain.

Finishing off the old season – starting the new one

Provided by Rob Boyd Whistler Mountain Mountain Ski Club
May 7, 2014

Well, it seems like the skis are barely dried off from a long winter of playing, training, racing and zipping around the hill - but next ski season for most racers starts in mid May (if it hasn’t already!).

While National teams are selecting their new recruits for the 2014-15 season and Provincial teams are planning out their summer fall and winter training plans, the clubs are working out summer camp logistics and athletes are setting their goals for next season. And the coaches? We’re all figuring out how we can do a better job at inspiring, challenging, motivating, enabling and firing up our racers to surpass their wildest dreams next season – with an ultimate goal of one day, having some of our athletes stand atop a World Cup or Olympic podium saying “Thanks coach!!”.

Goals

But for us to be able to help you reach those goals we need to know – what is your dream goal and how badly do you want it to become reality? What is it that you really want out of ski racing? Is it the competition, the camaraderie with your friends, is it to become a better person that can handle pressure and adversity, to conquer fears and become a victor of your own destiny? Perhaps it’s to be able to beat your parents or siblings down the hill… whatever your reason for ski racing, you will learn many life lesson from the commitment, dedication, preparation and goal setting to reach whatever you want in your life.

So, I challenge you now to reflect back on the past season, think about what it was you wanted to achieve… Perhaps it was qualifying for BC Winter Games, podium finish in Western Champs or to win Whistler Cup… think about your past goals (hopefully you wrote them down in your journal) and check off what you achieved, what you didn’t and then start to jot down what your future goals are.

Here’s a quick exercise for you – on a piece of paper, title the top of the page My Ski Racing Goals for 2015, then draw a big cross in the middle to make four quadrants. Label them Physical, Technical, Mental and Equipment. Now, what’s the first thing that comes to mind for each of these areas that you could improve? Write them down in their respective boxes. If you have more things come to mind, write them down too.

Now, pin, tape or staple this sheet to on a wall, fridge or mirror where you will see it often and be able to add to it as things come to mind.

If you wan to get more detailed with each of these goals (which you should over the summer) think back to your physical preparedness from last season. What did you do leading up to the winter that was really helpful? What was worked best in preparing you for optimal performances? What do you want to improve on, fix or learn for next season? Write those down under Physical.

Same thing for Technical, what part of your turn needs improving to build and carry more speed? What are some common mistakes that cost you time and speed? Many of these technical goals can be worked on in the off season by applying them to the next section which is Mental.

Mental rehearsal and positive self image is a huge factor in reaching goals – at all levels! Yes, even Erik Guay, Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shifferin and Tina Maze spend a lot of time improving their mental skills. If you can see it and feel it (whatever the technical skill is you’re focusing on) being done correctly in your mind’s eye, then you will be able to do it correctly when you get back on snow.  Mental skills are vastly overlooked and undervalued at the development levels. The sooner you can master these, the bigger the advantage you’ll have over the competition.

Equipment 

Are your skis tuned, waxed and put away properly for the summer? Boots in good shape or do you need new ones for next season? Any equipment needs, changes or upgrades should be jotted down as reminders…

Fitness

Your coach should have shared with you (or will be soon) a summer dryland plan which is should outline optimal progression of the energy systems. This is all pretty technical/scientific stuff that specialists have shared for our dryland planning needs, but it’s good for you as athletes to become knowledgeable to understand the why, how and when to get the most out of your workouts.

·         Aerobic (endurance) – good to work on lots in early off season, helps with recovery during and between workouts;

·         Anerobic Alactic (sprint/explosive power) – gets you out of the start gate fast, builds speed in the first 5 - 10 seconds of the course;

·         Anerobic Lactic (continual power output with the lactic acid building and flushing) – this is the most important energy system for ski racing.

So, in essence, I’m saying if you really want to get good, better or become the best in your sport, then a clear set of goals are essential. It’s like a road map to get you to your destination.  Trust me, I know. I’ve experienced it as an athlete and seen it as a coach. If you don’t have a fitness program yet, ask you coach for advice. Get a training partner, join a group or gym and get going on next year. And… I look forward to seeing you at the 2014 Alpine Athletic Challenge!!

Cheers,

Rob Boyd

Rob Boyd skied in the World Cup for 12 years, won several medals,  and is currently Sport Development Manager - athletics, coaching, DMNTC for Whistler Mountain Ski Club rob@wmsc.info

Presented by Mike Janyk (Canadian National Ski Team racer)


Clara Hughes, a six time Olympic medal winner, once told me that her best piece of advice was from her old coach that said, “When you get in the start gate, there is only you... you better well know yourself.” This statement can be scary or is the most powerful place in the world. What does this message mean? It means that it is up to you to know why you ski, why you compete in racing, why you love this sport, to know why you choose it all. If you do not “know” yourself you may stand in the start gate feeling very alone and mentally unprepared to which you will find ways to be “mentally tough” and block out your negative thoughts. On the other side of this, if you take the time to learn and connect to that place within you of why you compete, why you love ski racing, you discover a place of power and creativity. From this place of “knowing yourself” your nerves turn to excitement and joy because you see an opportunity of full expression out on the course. 

Mental training
Close your eyes and picture yourself at the top of your favourite mountain, you are the only one there. When you look down the run there is nothing but untouched powder or a fresh groomer waiting for you to ski it. Go ahead, visualize yourself standing there, I can wait :) How does this feel, how stoked are you to ski this run any way you want? If this excites you, if this makes you a little nervous but also gives you tingles, then this is you coming to know yourself. This is you, this is you starting a conversation with yourself, about why you ski, what excites you in life, this is your heart speaking to you. You are now the most powerful person alive and from this place there is no need for mental preparation because you are already there, you already know. From here you simply can go rip it up and have fun!

Mike Janyk

Mike Janyk has been a ski racer since he was little and has been on the Canadian National Ski Team since 2000. He won bronze in slalom at the 2009 world championships. Mike Janyk and Manny Osborne-Paradis organize the  Mike & Manny Cowboy Ski Camps. Check out Mike's website http://www.mikejanyk.com

Provided by Montana Molyneux

Nutrition Preparation for Competition

"I wasn't feeling well in the first half. I felt down, man. I had three slices of pizza before the game and the food took me down." 
- Leroy Loggins, basketballer with the Brisbane Bullets after 1986 semi-final

Does a car run well when it is low on fuel? Nope, just like Leroy Loggins didn’t play basketball well when he ate pizza before his game.

FOOD for THOUGHT

There are a number of factors contributing to an athlete’s success in competition. Keep in mind that every athlete is different and the proper food prescription may vary. Before we layout pre-comp nutrition methods it is important that YOU - the athlete- have developed a balanced diet with positive eating habits. These methods will not be useful, if basic nutrition and diet principles are not followed. The dietary caloric intake for an athlete should follow these guidelines:

• 55-70% Carbohydrates (CHO)
  
  
• 20% Protein (PRO)
  
  
• Rest can be Fats
  
  

Food is energy and energy allows our bodies to perform in the activities we decide upon. Ski racing is quick and requires maximal exertion, and a pre-race nutrition should be prescribed with that in mind, while a training day typically lasts longer, with multiple runs. Pre-race nutrition guidelines should be tried out in practice before they are used for competition.

Here are a few pre-comp guidelines:

• Pre-race meal should be taken at least 2 hours before competition
  
  • High CHO % (complex vs simple CHO) and low PRO and FATs
    
• Pre-race shake should have 3:1 CHO to PRO ratio (reverse after competition)
• Simple CHOs are suggested closer to competition
  
• Proper hydration is important
  
  

Examples of some pre-comp meals could include(3CHO:1PRO):

• 12-17oz Fruit Smoothie with milk or almond mylk
• Large bowl of cereal with milk or yogurt and fruit
  
  

Montana Molyneux ski raced in Ontario.sSe has a Masters degree in Kinesiology , and will work as the U14 Head coach for Sun Peaks Ski Club in 2013-14. She is also  strength and conditioning coach for the BC para alpine team.

Presented by Britt Janyk

After 15 years on the National Ski Team I’ve learned a lot about training, one key component of an athlete’s overall fitness is their ‘strength’. Strength varies from individual to individual, if you take a quick look around some of the World Cup winners you’ll see that they come in all different shapes and sizes.
A few examples, Lara Gut, Lindsey Vonn, Maria Riesch, Anna Fenninger. On the guys side, Marcel Hirscher, Jens Byggsmark, Aksel Lund Svindal, Bode Miller.

What they all have in common is they are very strong in proportion to their size and body frames. You don’t need to be big to be strong, but to be fast on your skis, you need strength.

Here is a quote from Bode Miller in a recent New York Times article where he is saying that in Alpine Skiing size and mass doesn’t matter, it’s a balance of overall fitness.

“It’s an equation,” Miller said. “You can’t just say mass helps, because it has to do with friction and air resistance. We’re not going in a straight line. We’re not speed skiing. If we were just speed skiing, then being heavier would definitely help. But you’re changing directions the whole way down, and I think in Sochi, fitness is going to be a huge component.”

You can break the body down into three main strength areas to build, your upper body strength, your lower body strength and your core strength. All three of these areas are very important in skiing.

Let’s start with your upper body. Your strength here is what propels you out of the start gate; a strong start can win you a run. Here are a list of a few exercise to help build upper body strength: (in all of these no weights are needed)

1. Push-ups
   
2. Tricep dips: Find the end of a chair or a low table
   
3. Arm curls: load up some water bottles with rocks or water and do curls.
   
4. Chin ups: If you can find a bar, this is a great upper body exercise. You can find these in parks sometimes.
   

These are very simple upper body exercises and they can be done anywhere.

Moving onto our mid-section, our core strength. This area is very important in skiing because with a strong core you will be able to resist all the forces created in the turn and at speed. A strong core equals a stable upper body position and more speed on your skis. Here are a couple of great core exercises to get things started:

1. Front Plank: Elbows on the ground, a nice straight ‘planked’ body, on your toes and hold for 30 seconds, eventually increasing your holding time to 60 sec.
   
2. Side Plank: Either on your elbow, or up on your hand, a straight body, resting on the outside of your foot. Do each side and hold the same time as above.
   
3. Crunches: Important when doing these to really focus on how your core is working. Really feel the lower part of your stomach(core) contracting.
   

 Ask a coach about your transverse abs, this is a really great muscle to start to learn how to control and strengthen.

Lastly we have our lower body strength, the skier legs! To start to gain some strength in your legs here are a couple of exercises. Strength here will help you recover on your skis, put power into your turns and also help you in dealing with the forces created in the turns.

1. Squats: Technique is really important here, even if you are just doing body weight. Ask a coach to show you how to do a proper squat an then start working on your body weight squats.
   
2. Walking lunges: Doing these properly will strengthen some very important muscles around your knees in throughout your quads. Doing lunges with the squats helps to work in a little balance
   
3. Hamstring curls with the swiss ball: Also, technique is very important with this one. If you don’t have a ball you can put your heel up on a ledge, couch height and lift your bum up

Before you do any of the exercises that I listed, talk to a coach and get your technique right. It is VERY important to do all of your strength exercises with good technique. This will keep your joints and your muscles happy and healthy and injury free.

Ski fast and have fun!
Britt

Provided by: Greg Burpee (kinesiologist and ski coach Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club)

Balance
"Balance is the ability to maintain the bodies centre of mass over its base of support."

Provided by: Stan Rey, professional Freeskier and former National Team SkiCross racer

AGILITY
Agility is the ability to move your body quickly and easily by maintaining balance and body control while adapting to a situation.  This is a very important part of ski racing as we are constantly having to adapt to terrain change, turn shape and snow conditions while staying in a balanced yet aggressive position. Being agile is a key part of not only being a good ski racer but a good athlete in general. 

There are three main components that are tested during agility training: balance, coordination and speed.

BALANCE
Balance is the ability to maintain the bodies centre of mass over its base of support. While doing agility, proper balance is needed to allow us to see clearly while moving, identify orientation with respect to gravity, determine direction and speed of movement, and make automatic postural adjustments to maintain our stability in various situations and conditions.  

COORDINATION
The adjustment  of our bodies reaction towards any stimulus. Having good coordination is key to enable all organs to function as a unit to detect stimuli and respond towards them, thus enabling us to adapt with ease to a changing environment . See fitness tip #5 by Jordan for full explanation.

SPEED
Rapidity of movement or action. Speed is the toughest part or agility because the faster you try to go the more stress you are putting on your balance and coordination. Start off slow focusing on the proper movements. As you progress try to go faster and faster, while still maintaining accuracy in movement. 

Here are a few of my favourite exercises for agility training.
T Drill: Set out four cones as illustrated in the diagram below (5 yards and 10 yards) . The subject starts at cone A. On the command of the timer, the subject sprints to cone B and touches the base of the cone with their right hand. They then move left and shuffle sideways to cone C, also touching its base, this time with their left hand. Then shuffling sideways to the right to cone D and touching the base with the right hand. They then shuffle back to cone B touching with the left hand, and run backwards to cone A. The stopwatch is stopped as they pass cone A

Slalom Obstacle Courses: Set up a 6 to 8 cone slalom course with a few obstacles (i.e.: hurdles, boxes, cones) in between turns and sprint through it as fast as possible while timed.

Ladder drills: Pick 4 to 6 drills and run them through as a set, do 3 to 4 sets. Here is a little video to give you some ideas. Again, focus on proper movement before increasing speed.

With hard work, over time your agility training will result in a build up of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which will help you out on the slopes. Being more agile will enable you to reduce mistakes and will help you recover from mistakes quicker and efficiently so you can get down the course with faster times!

Stan Rey  grew up racing out of Whistler ski club. He was on the  BC ski team for 2 years, on the ski cross national team for 3 years and is currently a professional freeskier.
 www.stanrey.ca

Provided by: Nebojsa (Frankie) Miljkovic MSc, CSCS

STRENGTH ENDURANCE

"Strength endurance is the specific form of strength displayed in activities which require a relatively long duration of muscle tension with minimal decrease in efficiency" (Stiff 2000). Strength-endurance is similar to muscular endurance, but with strength endurance there is a greater emphasis on the amount of the force which can be resisted. The base of strength-endurance is strength, which makes it markedly different from strict muscular endurance. In essence, the goal of strength-endurance is to be as strong as possible for as long as possible.(If strength is the ability to exert force and endurance is the ability to resist fatigue, then strength-endurance is really the ultimate combination that everyone should seek to achieve.) Sports that involve strength
endurance are numerous in nature from the rower to the swimmer to the wrestler on the mat, and especially alpine skiing. Even these examples are differentiated by the abilities expressed, dynamic or static, general or local strength endurance.

Muscle requirements
Predominantly the fast twitch muscle fibers create maximum power output in the explosive sports such as sprinting and weightlifting. Slow twitch fibers are the prime fibre cells used in long distance aerobic events. Combining, and training, these two types of fibers at all speeds and angles produces strength endurance. They are a combination of the two not fully fast twitch or fully slow twitch. But, strengthening these muscle fibers will enable a greater expression of strength endurance to occur.

Dynamic and static strength endurance
"Dynamic strength-endurance is typically associated with cyclic exercises in which considerable tension is repeated without interruption during each cycle of movement" (Stiff 2000). Static strength-endurance implies isometric tension of varying magnitude and duration or in holding a certain posture. "Static strength endurance is associated with relatively long or short term sustained muscular tension, its duration in each case being determined by its magnitude.

General and local strength endurance
General strength endurance is built around the utilization of large muscle groups to power the activity. In local strength endurance, a particular muscle group is targeted for improvement based upon its use during the sport.
The purpose of a strength and conditioning program for alpine skiers is to maximize lower-body strength, explosive power, a focus on low-velocity (primarily eccentric) force production, and developing the anaerobic metabolism, specifically developing the lactate threshold and lactate tolerance. The macrocycle for alpine ski racing can be broken down into 5 mesocycles: 1) active recovery, 2) off-season hypertrophy, 3) preseason strength, 4) preseason strength endurance, and 5) in-season maintenance and peaking.

To increase strength-endurance, a program needs to accomplish three things: uses
heavy (near limit) weight, requires shortening rest periods, and utilizes volume.

1. Heavy Weight - Strength itself is the core of strength- endurance, and the point is to lift as much weight for as long as possible. To do this, lifting as much weight as possible is the starting point.

2. Shortened Rest Periods - The body needs to be able to exert maximum strength when not fully recovered aerobically. The body needs to be trained to recover faster. One needs to either sustain effort longer or sustain it multiple times in quick succession.

3. Volume - Doing a large volume of work (coupled with shortened rest periods) results in endurance, the second component of strength-endurance. When that is coupled with heavy weights, you have strength-endurance.

Example Session
Start with three sets of three repetitions at 80% to 90% of a one Repetition Maximum (1RM) with rest of two to three minutes. Then drop the weight to 40% to 50% 1RM and perform four sets of fifteen repetitions each in a medium to slow pace.At a weight of 40% to 50%, perform the maximum number of lifts you can in twenty seconds, rest twenty to thirty seconds, and then repeat for one to two extra sets. Maintain pulse at 120 to 140 beats per minute. (Maintain your pulse at around the 80% target heart rate levels.)
Perform eight to ten different circuit exercises in a medium to slow pace with thirty to sixty seconds of rest between exercises. Keep pulse below 140 repetitions. (Maintain your pulse at around the 65% to 70% target heart rate levels.) Choose exercises common to your sport.

As an example of the skiers circuit, these exercises are performed according to the schedule above in a twenty-minute time span.

- hang snatch
- front unilateral squat - Push Press
- Unilateral Death lift
- Close chain Pull ups
- resisted core twist
- Split squat jumps

This circuit illustrates a method of improving all strength endurance fibers.

Nebojsa - or Nesh or Frankie as he is usually called - Miljkovic is Professor of Physical Education and Sport science. Nesh holds Certified Strength and Conditioning (CSCS) designation from National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is a ski instructor certified by International Ski Instructor Association (ISIA) and a ski coach Development level certified by the Canadian Ski Coach Federation (CSCF).
http://neshperformancesystems.com/about/

Provided by: Andrew Lambert: He owns and operates ‘FITSolutions’ in Vernon BC and trains both recreational and competitive athletes across a variety of sports. He is currently the Director of Sports Science for the BC Alpine Ski Association, holds a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology (Mkin), is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is certified in Functional Movement Screening (FMS).)