X-Country Skiing
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RV posted 2 years ago.
I'll do x-country - classic style - And style is certainly a stretch for how badly I ski, but it is a mega cardio workout for me. It is really great to get out there right after or even better during a snow storm. :)
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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catwood posted 2 years ago.
Its great! I think the classical style helps running more and skating helps biking more. I mostly skate and love it. In the cycling conference I race in, Dartmouth's the best (we're #2) and a large percentage of them are also on the xc ski team...
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jeslol posted 2 years ago.
Skiing sure as heck beats sitting on your fanny when it's too cold to bike! I love switching to skiing in the winter. It's a great way to break up the monotony of training specifically for tris.
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BrianMc posted 2 years ago.
Ok, so skating is better for biking? This means I should invest in skating skis right.
Thanks for your input guys. Now I can't wait for it to snow. Its to damn cold here already to go biking it seems.
Brian
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1228 days
Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
Man, I only wish I could ski during the "winter" It's nice being able to ride all 12 months of the year, but its tiring, too. I gave XC a shot when out in Colorado on one of my trips, tons of fun! Have you seen the world class XC skiers? Freakin HUGE legs.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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brittda posted 2 years ago.
I mostly skate....love it, and it's an awesome work out. Of course I don't get to doing it all that often .......
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Anton posted 2 years ago.
BrianMc..Skinny skiis are THE way to stay in shape in the winter...X-c ski racers are known to be the most fit athletes on the planet...just look at Bjorn Dahle and Vegarrd Ulvang...(The wax heads out there know who I'm talking about) And being from the Great White North I'm surprised you don't have em already!
They are great for cardio-vascular,endurance and strength,both upper and lower body,which will definately help on the bike...Every serious xc skier I know can spank just about anyone on the bike. For over all leg strength develop both classic and skate technique.
And you can race!
I talked with a three time IM finisher last summer about his finishing the Lake Placid Loppet 50K race..he said it was far harder than IMLP!
check out xcskiworld.com
Good Schussing!
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
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robfineberg posted 2 years ago.
Definitely skate skiing to substitute for cycling. They use primarily the same muscle groups. An added bonus is the double poling. It gives your upper body (specifically those muscles used in swimming) a great workout.
If you ever have any impact injuries from running, you can always try classic skiing. I find it is similar to running.
Have fun dude.
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1122 days
skeats posted 2 years ago.
IMHO there's no such thing as cross training. To keep your biking muscles in shape you have to bike. But XC skiing, especially skating is GREAT for aerobic capacity.
Running in snowshoes is a good way to keep the running muscles going. It's like running in the soft sand at the beach.
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1029 days
robfineberg posted 2 years ago.
I don't know about that "no such thing as cross-training" bit. I agree that the cross over isn't perfect and that it is important to do each sport at least once during the week during the off season. However, participating in aerobic activities using similar muscle groups keeps the capilary density in the muscles (and even improves them as you are using the muscles in a different way than they are used to). In addition, the mental benefit of cross training is HUGE. To not do the same thing day in and day out will help keep the athlete away from burnout.
Those are my $0.02 and you get what you pay for, but I really believe cross-training and xc-skiing especially has a lot of benefit.
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BrianMc posted 2 years ago.
Thanks for the input guys. I realize that XC isn't a complete replacement for biking, but I think it'll be good cross-training, a way to get outside and use those muscles during the winter. I'll still be hitting the bike trainer every week.
Brian
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1180 days
inlovewithcerve posted 2 years ago.
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen did Alpe d'Huez in 2004. His time: 45 minutes, the climb only. Pretty good, I think, only 12 min down on Pantani.
German TV had a star race up the Alpe, which was a great fun to watch.
Hopefully I can find a place to ski! I'll give the skating style a try.
Just wondering if X-country skiing is a good winter substitution for biking. I am buying a XC package this winter, and just wondering how to incorporate it.
I'm doing it anyway, cause its damn good cardio workout. Seriously. Always has me sweating like crazy.
Brian