Topic - Off-snow training: Building stamina through
Nordic walking
Date first posted on eCommunity - 4 February 2007)
INTRODUCTION
Since November I've been putting together a 10-week
Ski Readiness course for a group of Nordic walkers preparing for a cross-country ski week. As some members of this eCommunity are keen Nordic walkers
I thought I'd summarise some elements of it here.
The course is progressive: it gets harder as it goes on. The usual warning applies: if you have any doubts about your suitability
for fitness training then see your medical practitioner before starting.
In WEEK 1 we asked participants to assess their stamina, using their current level of Nordic walking (NW) as a rough measure.
The aim was to sort themselves into categories.
If they did 5 or more sessions every week – they went into CATEGORY A
If they did 3 or 4 sessions every week – they went into CATEGORY B
If they did 2 sessions or fewer every week – they went into CATEGORY C
As a double-check, participants were asked to warm-up and then go out Nordic walking for exactly one hour on a route they could
measure, moving at a brisk but comfortable pace. If they covered 4 miles (6.4km) or more, then they stayed in the category just
described. If they did less than 4 miles, they dropped down one category. (If they were in Category C and did less than 4 miles,
they stayed in Category C.)
In WEEK 2 our main emphasis was on maintaining the habit of regular NW, working always at an intensity easy enough to allow a
conversation to be held.
Those in CATEGORY A did:
Three sessions of 30 minutes, plus two sessions of 60 minutes.
Those in CATEGORY B did:
Two sessions of 30 minutes, plus one session of 60 minutes.
Those in CATEGORY C did:
One session of 30 minutes, plus one session of 45 minutes.
In WEEK 3 all participants did the same NW programme as last week. But now we asked them to add a two-minute "burst of speed" to
each of their 30-minute sessions. The bursts were to be just a little bit faster than normal pace: conversation should still be possible,
though perhaps made up of fairly short sentences! Participants were to walk at normal speed for about 15 minutes before starting the fast bursts.
WEEK 4 was a "reinforcement week" in which we asked everybody to repeat last week's programme, including the speed work.
However, this week we asked them to try hard to achieve good NW technique in all sessions, concentrating especially on:
- performing a good pushback in which the poling hand goes well behind the hip,
- engaging the abdominal muscles,
- rotating the shoulders.
In WEEK 5 we introduced some gentle hill-work into just one of the sessions. NW on hills is great exercise, raising the heart rate
and toning all the main muscle groups. But care is needed. You need a gentle hill with a good surface, free from hummocks and potholes,
ideally at least 200 metres long. And you need to take things easy.
All categories were to do the same NW programme as last week. In addition, they were to do some hill-work in one of their 60-minute
sessions (Category A & B) or in their 45-minute session (Category C). On a slope like the one just described they were to walk up
(for about 200 metres) and then immediately turn around and walk back to the bottom.
Those in CATEGORY A did TEN repetitions of the up-and down sequence.
Those in CATEGORY B did EIGHT repetitions.
Those in CATEGORY C did FIVE repetitions.
In WEEK 6 we continued with the speed work and the hill work. But in addition we increased the duration of the NW sessions, by adding
five minutes to each one.
Those in CATEGORY A were now to do three sessions of 35 minutes plus two sessions of 65 minutes.
Those in CATEGORY B were now to do two sessions of 35 minutes plus one session of 65 minutes.
Those in CATEGORY C were now to do one session of 35 minutes plus one session of 50 minutes.
In WEEK 7 we continued with the speed work and the hill work and we maintained the longer durations introduced last week.
Now - in addition to all that - we added still more speed work.
All participants were now to include TWO two-minute bursts of speed in each of their 35-minute sessions.
In WEEK 8 we did the same NW programme as in WEEK 7. But in addition we added some double poling. We gave the following advice:
Standard NW uses alternate arm poling, but for a slightly different workout you can do some double poling, in which you plant both poles
at the same time and use them to push yourself forward on to your next stride. You will need to experiment with the number of strides
between each double pole plant, and find out what suits you. Some people take two strides, some three, and some four. You will
probably find that if you pole hard you will take more strides, and walk more slowly, than if you pole lightly. Double-poling with two
strides will therefore tend to boost your speed. Double-poling with three or four strides will tend on the other hand to favour muscle
endurance and strength.
Experiment a little. Then when you have found your own style, add a two-minute double-poling session to each of your 35-minute walks.
Double poling can feel quite hard on the shoulders and upper back, so do take it easy to begin with.
In WEEK 9 we did the same NW programme as in WEEK 8. But we used one of the long walks as a repeat of the "time-trial" we did in WEEK 1,
walking for one hour without pause and then measuring how far we had walked. We looked for progress and expected to find it.
In WEEK 10 the group went to Norway, to ski . . .
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