Xpertblogs

The Importance of Wearing a Helmet

In 2002 more than 23,000 snow sports enthusiasts suffered head injuries on the slopes. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) there is a 40 percent reduction in the risk for head and neck injuries among skiers and snowboarders when a helmet is worn. In 1998, two celebrity ski related deaths brought helmet use and snow sports safety to the forefront of the media. The Bono and Kennedy deaths are common of skier related accidents: the skier or snowboarder slams into a tree, or sometimes another skier, dying of head related injuries.

In 2003, Consumer Reports performed a comprehensive test on all ski and snowboard helmets. They found that the Boeri Range was “Not Acceptable” due to the chinstrap breaking. The one most recommended was the Giro Nine Point Nine at 110 dollars. Another thing to keep in mind when purchasing a helmet is its fit. The Giro is what is known as a short shell, which has soft removable earflaps. If you prefer a full-shell helmet that also covers the ears, Consumer Reports recommended the Leedom Scream for about 130 dollars. This might sound like a lot but it could save your life. The National Ski Areas Association has a website called Lids on Kids and is a cornucopia of information on ski helmets.

Although there is little data on the effectiveness of ski helmets in preventing deaths a group of researches at the Rochester Institute of Technology has estimated that helmets could prevent up to 80 percent of skiing head injuries. Some critics have said that a helmet would not help in the case of a neck injury.

A good rule to follow to help prevent injuries is to not ski near trees or rocks (although I am guilty of this myself but I do where a helmet!) watch out for other skiers or snowboarders and look for a highly rated helmet like the Giro Nine Point Nine or Leedom Scream.

Sites of Interest
Consumer Reports
Lids on Kids
Snell Website (Sets Standards for Helmets)

Stay Fit Skiing!
Andrew Hooge
www.fitskiing.com

20-minute workout to energize your skiing this year!

Most of us have a hard time fitting in all the chores of our daily grind let alone mustering up our muscles to push some iron. Don’t let the only six pack on the slopes be the one your curling at the end of the day. In just 20 minutes 3 times per week, you can fine tune your body into a skiing machine before you hit the snow.

As snow sports enthusiasts, we use every last inch of muscle on our frame so it only makes sense to train our entire body. We also use both our aerobic and anaerobic systems when making tracks so it is important to incorporate some energy system development into your program as well.

Try performing 2-3 sets of 4 or 5 “big muscle” exercises and 2 or 3 balance/core exercises each workout. Make sure to switch the exercises for each day of training during the week. For a good example check out our January Jump Start Weekly Workout to get you started. As I explained earlier it is important to improve your energy system development too. Warm-up at a low level for about 2-3 minutes-enough to get your muscles and joints warm-then add 5 x 1 minute hard runs or cycle sprints after your weights. For example you might try biking at about a level where your legs and lungs start to burn at about 30 seconds in. Continue for 30 more seconds and then back off the tension and speed to recover for 1 minute. Repeat four more times. This will help your body improve its lactate buffering capabilities and is very similar to the type of work you will be doing while skiing.

Try the January Jump Start Program Now!

Try the January Jump Start Program

Stay Fit Skiing!
Andrew Hooge
www.fitskiing.com

Guest Blog
by Paul Hooge

When I was 14, some 48 years ago, I stood in the basement of my parent’s house in Columbus, Ohio gazing alternately at the window well to freedom and the backpack on the floor in front of me. My plan was simple: exit the window, ride my bike to the rail-yard some 10 miles away and then hob it all the way to Colorado where I would ski endlessly into waste-deep powder and brilliant sunsets. Supporting this “dream” lifestyle was no problem since I had saved everything from my paper route and lawn mowing for a year. Keep in mind the cost of living in Aspen was considerably less in 1958. My obligations were all taken care of; I had released my two pet snakes and a box turtle to the wild. My paper route was given to a friend down the block and at that moment I didn’t care if all the grass in the world simply went un-mowed.

Above me, my parent’s dusty old ski boots from the mid 1940’s stared down from a shelf. Dad’s boots ordered me back to my homework and adult-like responsibilities; however, mom’s boots wished to go along to be a part of my great adventure.

This story is true, although the conversations with my parent’s boots occurred only in my mind and it was thirty-two years later that Kathy (my wife) and I purchased a condo in Silverthorne, Colorado. Later we built a small lodge in Crested Butte, Colorado. Prior to moving, my wife owned a business and I was the Director of a small Archaeological Institute in Licking County, Ohio. Our Ohio friends were aghast that we would just liquidate everything and move to the great American “middle of no-where in the Rocky Mountains”. They obviously did not understand, as they were more concerned about the locations of the nearest hospital or the future need of quality care facilities for those golden years.

Kathy and I shared a different dream for the future and one day after the kids had both graduated from high school, we looked at each other and said “why not?”
So here we are, with absolutely no regrets, well over 50, and skiing the extremes with lots of other over –the-hill like-minded crazy people. This blog is about our life here in the mountains, it is about skiing as lifestyle, it’s about the dreams of a now older kid who finally escaped to the mountains.

Paul Hooge

The Importance of Wearing a Heart Rate Monitor

In a recent tip of the day I mentioned the importance and effectiveness of wearing a heart rate monitor. Since I received so many emails regarding how to properly use a monitor I decided to discuss it here.

Think of a heart rate monitor as a gauge, a tachometer for your body so to speak. The speedometer in your vehicle tells you how fast you are moving but does not explain how hard the engine is running. On the flip side, a tachometer tells you exactly how fast the engine is turning at any given RPM (Revolutions Per Minute). Similarly, a heart rate monitor may not tell you how fast you are walking or running but it does indicate how hard or fast your heart is beating (BPM-Beats Per Minute).

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
In order for you to gain the most out of your training you should define your goals. Do you want to lose fat, increase aerobic capacity or improve your body’s ability to buffer lactic acid? For most snow sports enthusiasts it is a combination of all three. In order for fat to burn efficiently once it enters your muscles a constant and steady supply of oxygen must be present at all times. If your heart rate or level of exercise intensity is too high, your muscles will tend to rely more heavily on sugar instead of fat due to alack of oxygen. On the other hand, If your heart rate and corresponding level of exercise intensity is too low you will most likely make poor use of your time, slow your rate of fat loss and decrease the development of intra-muscular changes needed to reprogram your body to be fit and lean for the slopes.

HOW DO I FIGURE OUT HOW HARD MY HEART SHOULD BE WORKING TO REACH MY GOALS?
The easiest way (although not always the most accurate) to determine your recommended Target Heart Rate is to use the AGE Predicted Maximum Heart Rate Formula. Simply subtract your age from 220, and then multiply that number by a percentage depending on what your goals are. If you are just starting out, caution should be taken when going above 70% of your maximum heart rate. Below are some general guidelines for training sensitive zones:

“Fat Burning Zone”: 60%-75% of maximum heart rate
Building Aerobic Fitness: 75%-85% of maximum heart rate
Anaerobic Threshold Training: 85%-100% of maximum heart rate

Try incoporating a month of working in the “fat burning zone” (60-75% of max HR) a month of improving your aerobic capacity (75-85% of of max HR) and a month of increasing your body’s ability to buffer lactate acid (85-100% of max HR) before you hit the slopes.

Always remember to consult your physician before beginning any new workout or nutrition program.

How to maximize overtraining

To many, maximizing overtraining may sound a bit like an oxymoron. In the late 1960’s Russian exercise scientists discovered that after 3 weeks of “very hard” strength and conditioning work the athletes needed to back off a little on their training. They found that applying 60 percent of the workload in the fourth week allowed the body to recover and perform better the following 3 weeks.

For example, if Herman Maier were to perform 20 sets of different exercises in his 60 minute routine at 100 percent of his 5 rep max in the first 3 weeks of the month, he would need to back off to 12 sets @ 60% of his 5 rep max in the final week? Make sense?

Here’s a more detailed example of a common strength building routine:
Week 1:
Frequency: 5 days/week
Duration: 60-70 minutes
Intensity: 100% of 5 Rep Max (or 85% of 1 Rep Max for 5 reps)
Number of Exercises: 5
Number of Sets: 20
Rest Interval: 60-120 seconds

Week 2:
Frequency: 5 days/week
Duration: 60-70 minutes
Intensity: 100% of 5 Rep Max (or 85% of 1 Rep Max for 5 reps)
Number of Exercises: 6
Number of Sets: 24
Rest Interval: 60-120 seconds

Week 3:
Frequency: 5 days/week
Duration: 60-70 minutes
Intensity: 100% of 5 Rep Max (or 85% of 1 Rep Max for 5 reps)
Number of Exercises: 6
Number of Sets: 24
Rest Interval: 60-120 seconds

Week 4
Frequency: 3 days/week (60% of 5 days)
Duration: 35-40 minutes (60% of 60-70 minutes)
Intensity: 60% of 5 Rep Max
Number of Exercises: 3-4
Number of Sets: 12-14
Rest Interval: 60-120 seconds

As you can see I have decreased the workload by 40 percent for week 4. The Soviets found that this gave the nervous and endocrine systems a “break” from the stress of the previous 3 weeks workouts. I have implemented this with many of my athletes over the years with good success. As people differ so will their results. Some find that 5 weeks of very intense training followed by a week of implementing the 60 percent rule works better.

Anecdotally I have found that those who might be a little “under the weather” also benefit from using the 60% rule. When many of my clients have had a late night or have come down with the common cold I drop the workout duration and intensity to approximately 60% of what they would normally do. This way they still get a workout without overly stressing their immune system.

Give it a shot and let us know what kind of results you experience.

Always remember to consult your physician before beginning any new workout or nutrition program.

Stay Fit Skiing!
Andrew Hooge, CSCS
www.fitskiing.com

Mark Verstegen, owner of Athlete’s Performance in Tempe, Arizona recently penned, Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to Transform Your Body & Your Life. His clientele is a who’s who of professional sports. Soccer player Mia Hamm and baseball star Nomar Garciopia are just two of the athletes that add some great tips throughout this book.

The The Core Performance program focuses on strengthening the dozens of core muscles (including the hips, pelvis, lower back, abdominals, ribs and shoulder blades) that line one’s frame. By building what Verstegen calls the body’s “suspension system,” the whole body grows not only stronger but more functional.

The book is a quick and easy read. Be forewarned, however, some of these movements will make you feel incredibly awkward and off-balance (which will help improve coordination on the slopes). The author outlines a “Movement Prep” section that gets your body “primed” for exercise. From my own perspective, as a fairly accomplished athlete, I’ve found these exercises to be pretty challenging from a balance and coordination standpoint.

In addition to Movement Prep, there are seven other “stages” of strengthening one’s body. I found the exercises to be very well laid out with good explanations. If you do have questions regarding any of the exercises or information, go to www.coreperformance.com for more detailed explanations.

Stay Fit Skiing!
Andrew Hooge, CSCS
www.fitskiing.com

I was talking with one of my coaches this morning and he said, “did you see that Bode was back!”

Was I confused? Did Bode actually go somewhere? Was he abducted? When I asked him, “should we tell the media to turn off the “Amber Alert?” he didn’t seem amused.

Kidding aside, Bode has been here all along… pushing and plowing his way through media scrutiny and most recently his competition. I always wondered what all the fuss was about. Everyone knows that skier’s favorite post workout meal is a beer. Long day on the slopes=a couple beers. So, Bode simply stated the obvious. Apparently that was a taboo subject for both the US Ski Team and the media. Let’s take a look at the facts of Bode’s performance over the last 2 years:

Career Highlights:
2006
World Cup Overall: 3rd
USA Championships: 1st

2005
World Cup Overall Title
World Cup Super G Title
World Championships: Gold in both Downhill and Super G

Okay, no Gold or Silver at the 2006 Olympics but let me make one point here…the best athletes are always the most consistent. And in this case, Bode meets those criteria. The Olympics were designed or redesigned if one truly looks at history, as a way to bring nations closer together, to have the youth of the world compete in sports, rather than fight in war. It seems that now the media and the mass public to some extent, has made it more about the medals and less about the camaraderie and sportsmanship. If golf were an Olympic Sport and Tiger Woods placed 4th do you think anyone would say, “Oh, he’s all washed up”. No, they would look at his overall life in the sport and say, “so what… he’s still one of the best athletes golf has ever seen.”

Bode and I have different training regiments. He definitely likes to let loose after a hard day of training where I might get loose with a few stretches. Just because we have different philosophies on life and training doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve his due. For those who may say he disrespected himself and his country I would ask them to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves if they’re perfect. In Bode’s mind he’s doing what he wants, not hurting anyone along the way, and for the most part is making many positive societal contributions. As for the media and the reporters who made Bode’s comments out to be more than they really were, ask yourself how much time and money you have donated to a cause other than your own before you lay judgement.

To check out a sample of Bode’s training program check out his new video Flying Downhill at our website www.fitskiing.com or at their website at www.flyingdownhill.com

Stay Fit Skiing!
Andrew Hooge, CSCS
www.fitskiing.com