Last week we posted an entry talking about what it means to find your training edge; something unique to incorporate into your daily life and training to help take your fitness to the next level. Over the next few weeks we will post articles and studies outlining some of the newest developments in training theory. Will one of these be your new edge? At the end of the day it's entirely up to you.
Are these training recommendations? No, they are not. In fact, some of these new training methods should be approached with caution. Here at NTS our motto is to be a student of the sport and to never stop exploring new ideas, but we also believe in training plans that are simple and based on tried and true training principles. I like the expression 'don't put the cart in front of the horse'. We will also never find the next training edge without a little exploration.
Learning from other sports is one of the best ways Nordic athletes and coaches can develop. Why? Skiing is a generally small sport in the grand scheme of things so often the latest training methods are tested in other arenas. Additionally skiing is a very specific sport (think... motion, mechanics, equipment) so not only are studies generally not done on skiers, but our training is so specific that it can sometimes take time to find practical application for new training methods. It's my option that this second point is where we as skiers have the most potential to improve. Sometimes taking a step back from the super-narrow, very specific forms of xc training can help us find new worthwhile training ideas and explore new ways to implement them.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way (remember this is not a training recommendation) let's explore some new ideas that are circulating in the sports physiology world. Below I will post two articles related to hypoxia induced training a.k.a. holding your breath.
The concept of reducing the amount of oxygen the body receives is nothing new in athletes. This is a key element to an altitude response and red blood cell production. The idea of combining breath holding with exercise seems so simple but it's a training theory that is gaining a lot of traction these days.
These two studies are focused on RSA (repeated sprint ability) so these athletes were tested by simply running 40 meter bouts. This is obviously far from Nordic-specific training but also a much easier way to perform a test than on a snowy 10k race trail. The question now is whether or not the same priciples can be adapted to help train skiers. Let the discussion begin and let us know what you think!
