Ski for Light

Skiing. Sharing. Learning. The mission of Ski for Light is to enhance the quality of life and independence of visually or mobility-impaired adults through a program of cross-country skiing.

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Physical Conditioning

Physical Conditioning for Ski for Light Skiers

Congratulations! You are signed up for Ski for Light!

You’re thinking about what clothes to bring, your travel arrangements and what it will be like to cross-country ski for a week in the great outdoors. Yes, cross-country skiing for a week. If you are new to cross-country skiing, or if you haven’t done it in a while, you might be a little concerned about whether you are physically prepared for Ski for Light. To help you prepare for a week of cross-country skiing, we have put together some suggested, but optional, activities, exercises and a training calendar. In the following sections, you will find several links to additional information and resources.

Getting Ready for Ski for Light

Cross-country skiing is a great way to exercise and experience the outdoors in winter. It can be as mellow as a casual hike, or as vigorous as a 10 km running race. Regardless how you approach cross-country skiing, it is a total-body activity using most of the muscle groups in your body and involving some level of balance, coordination, strength and endurance. You can maximize your Ski for Light experience by undergoing some conditioning and training before you arrive at the SFL venue for a week of cross-country skiing. This is true for visually-impaired skiers, sit-skiers and guides.

Where to start? You will be skiing at Ski for Light sometime in January or early February, but it is best to start preparing for this 3 or 4 months earlier. The idea is to increase your fitness gradually over several weeks so that you are in the best shape when you arrive at Ski for Light. Once you are at Ski for Light, you can put all of your focus on skiing because you will be in good shape.

How to do this? You might already be doing some things that increase your fitness, like walking the dog, using the stairs instead of the elevator, hiking, bicycling, swimming, yoga, Pilates, etc. To better prepare you for cross-country skiing, we offer some suggestions for ski-specific conditioning and training that you can customize to your needs and fitness goals.

The following conditioning and training guidelines are offered as a way to help you prepare for the Ski for Light International week, whether you are a casual or first-time skier, a serious experienced 10-km skier, or anything in between. These are suggestions, not mandatory steps. The conditioning and training guidelines are grouped into several categories, including:

  • A. Balance and Conditioning
  • B. Strength Training
  • C. Endurance and Aerobic Training
  • D. Stretching and Flexibility
  • E. How Much Is Enough
  • F. Skiing at High Altitude

In addition, there is a Weekly Training Calendar (G) to help you set training goals and track your progress over several weeks before coming to Ski for Light and a list of Additional Resources (H).

Use the conditioning and training guidelines and the Weekly Training Calendar as a template, or make up your own program. Do them on your own, or join a fitness group, class or facility. Work out with a friend or a family member. Think “Fitness is Fun” and remember “I will ski better because I am fit.”

Stay hydrated. Eat well. Rest and recover. And play it safe. Consult your physician before increasing your exercise intensity or duration.

Training on Your Own Before Coming to Ski for Light

Select activities and exercises from the following suggested Training Categories to customize your workout schedule or fill out the Weekly Training Calendar we have provided.

A. Balance and Conditioning

Anything that improves your balance, your coordination and your core (abdominal/lower back) strength is good for skiing as well as overall fitness. Go to A. Balance and Conditioning for a list of suggested exercises. These examples are just a few of many things you can do.

B. Strength Training

These ski-specific strength training suggestions focus on three general areas of the body where strength is important: the upper body, the abdomen or core and the legs. Go to B. Strength Training to see a list of strength training for these three areas.

C. Endurance and Aerobic Training

There are many options here. They can be done at different speeds or resistance, to get your heart rate up into the “Training Zone.” Or they can be done for longer durations to improve your endurance. Both kinds of conditioning will help you ski up those hills (when your heart rate zooms up too) and ski for a longer time. Go to C. Endurance and Aerobic Training for a list of activities

D. Stretching and Flexibility

Having good flexibility allows you to develop good ski technique and to avoid muscle fatigue and injury. Stretching after every strenuous activity facilitates flexibility. And it just feels good too. Go to D. Stretching and Flexibility to see some suggestions for stretching and improving flexibility.

E. How Much Is Enough

Cross-country skiing is great fun, but it can be physically taxing because you might be skiing for several hours in a day. And you will be skiing uphill too! To prepare, the game plan is to increase your fitness gradually over several weeks. As such, you don’t want to jump into a fitness routine too quickly or too vigorously. Go to E. How Much Is Enough for some guidelines about how hard and how often to engage in your fitness routines.

F. Skiing at High Altitude

Often the best snow is in the mountains at elevations above where most Ski for Light participants live or train. Even if you can’t spend time at elevation before you come to SFL, there are some things you can do to deal with high altitude. Go to F. Skiing at High Altitude, by Dr. Carl Heine, to learn about some basic things you should know about altitude illness and things you can do to stay healthy at Ski for Light.

G. Weekly Training Calendar for Advanced Skiers and Guides

Now that you have some specific suggestions for improving your balance, getting stronger, having more endurance and being more flexible, how do you put this all together in a sensible way and build gradually until the week of Ski for Light?

If you are a recreational skier, or a first time skier, you might just choose from among the previously listed guidelines and do what feels right for you.

However, if you have cross-country skied before, if you want to get better and better each ski season, or if you’d really like to ski a hard 10-km race this year, you can follow a more structured approach. The accompanying Excel spread sheet, Weekly Training Calendar has suggestions and goals for a 16-week program to help you do this. You can use this as a template for your personal training, or modify the Weekly Training Calendar to suit your own needs.

The Weekly Training Calendar is set up to begin several weeks before the Ski for Light International week. Each week has suggested activities that fall into four categories. You can populate your Weekly Training Calendar with the specific activities of your choice from the following links:

The Weekly Training Calendar includes recommendations for how much time should be spent on these activities or how many repetitions (also called Volume), recommendations for how vigorously they should be done (also called Intensity), as well as recommendations for the number of days per week these activities should be undertaken (also called Frequency).

The weekly training schedule we’ve developed starts slowly and gradually increases in activity level and intensity. But even as you begin to exercise more regularly, it is always a good idea to rest each muscle group for at least a day after exertion and to take a well-deserved rest every three or four days. Let’s say for example, that you do an aerobic workout on Monday, strength training on Tuesday and balance exercises on Wednesday. You should probably do something more relaxing like a walk or stretch, or take a break on Thursday so your body has a chance to recover. Too much intensity can lead to injury from muscle fatigue or overuse. After a rest, you can repeat the cycle, or vary it to keep things interesting.

We have tried to provide clear and accurate instructions, but there is a risk of injury if these activities are not done correctly. We strongly urge you to discuss and pursue these activities with a qualified instructor. Some of these exercises may seem daunting at first. Even regular fitness gurus will find some of them challenging. We have tried to include a variety of exercises that will appeal to the novice as well as people who already make fitness a part of their weekly routine. Start with exercises that are comfortable for you where you are now, and challenge yourself to improve your fitness before you attend the Ski for Light week. Instead of thinking, “I can’t do this exercise,” think, “I can’t do this exercise right now.” If you work at it, perhaps you will do it in the future. Anything is possible!

We have also compiled a list of resources that include exercise routines that are accessible to blind people. These cover physical conditioning, health and fitness. Some of those are listed in this section: H. Additional Resources

Training On Your Own and Before Coming to Ski for Light

A. Balance and Conditioning

Anything that improves your balance, your coordination, your core (abdominal/lower back) strength and your lower-leg strength is good for skiing as well as overall fitness. Good skiing technique leads to efficient skiing and efficient skiing makes a day on the snow less fatiguing and more fun. Good cross-country skiing technique depends heavily on your balance, especially on your ability to maintain balance on one foot.

Many aspects of cross-country skiing involve shifting all or most of your body’s weight from one foot to the other foot while you are gliding along. Many of the following activities benefit multiple areas of your body and all of the exercises will benefit your balance. These examples are just a few of many things you can do. Select activities and exercises from the following examples to fill out your Weekly Training Calendar.

  • 1. Stand with feet parallel and shoulder width apart. Lift the left foot off the floor and slowly step farther to the left until you can gracefully put it back on the ground. Repeat several times. Then do the same with the right foot.
  • 2. Place your right hand on the wall or on the back of a sturdy chair. Lift your left foot up a couple inches out in front of you and hold for 30 seconds. Try not to lean on the hand touching the wall or chair. Then, turn around and put your left hand on the wall or chair and raise your right foot. Tightening your core (meaning your stomach and butt muscles), standing up straight and raising your chest will help you balance. While holding onto the back of the chair to keep your balance, try moving your raised foot around and swinging your free arm.
  • 3. Place your hand on the wall or chair back as in #2 above. Gradually let go, so you are balanced on one foot. Hold for 30 seconds and as you get better at this, aim for one minute.
  • 4. Yoga Tree Pose: Stand with the inside edge of your feet touching and your heels apart so that your feet form an upside down V. Turn your left foot out to the left so that your knee points slightly to the left. Place your left heel on your right ankle, with your left toes touching the floor. Tighten your core and stand as tall as possible. Hold for as long as you can, striving for 30 seconds. Putting your hands on your hips and tightening your core will help you balance. As your balance gets better, slide your left foot away from the floor so it rests on your calf and if you get really strong, you can place your left foot on your upper thigh! Your arms can also be lifted above the head with palms together in a prayer position. Repeat on the other side.
  • 5. Attach a bungee cord or fitness band to a stationary anchor, such as a post or the leg of a heavy couch or bed. Tying a knot and placing on the other side of a closed door would also work. The cord or band should be attached at about ankle level. You can get a set of fitness bands at Amazon for about $10. See https://www.amazon.com/resistance-bands-fitness-bands/b?ie=UTF8&node=3407931 Loop the other end of the bungee or band around one ankle. Pull this leg laterally left to right like you are sweeping the floor with your foot. Now change your position in relation to the anchor so you can move your foot from front to back. Repeat with the other foot. In addition to improving your balance, this exercise will strengthen your quadriceps muscle (on the top of your leg), your hamstring muscle on the back of your leg and the adductor muscle on the inside. The tighter the band is stretched, the stronger you will get.
  • 6. Hold the anchored bungee cord or band in one hand. You can now exercise arms by pulling your arm from front to back. Then move your arm from side to side. Again, the more taut the cord, the stronger you will get.
  • 7. With the bungee cord or band still anchored, loop bungee or band around one ankle with that leg held out to the side. Hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand with your hand over head and slightly to the side. When you start this, your body will look like a standing letter X. Now pull both the bungee and your hand with the dumbbell diagonally toward your centerline (now your body looks like a letter I). Repeat on the other side.
  • 8. Lateral shuffle. Loop a short exercise band or bungee cord around both ankles. Your ankles should be about hip-width apart. Step your right foot sideways to the right, followed by your left foot. Your knees should be slightly bent and your hands on your hips in a “sideways crab-walk.” You can do this without anything around your ankles too.
  • 9. Fitness ball or therapy ball: Many great exercises can be done with one of these large-diameter, inflated balls. They can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_8?url=search-alias%3D aps&field-keywords=fit+ball+exercise+ball&sprefix=fit+ball%2Ca ps%2C189&crid=29WC4BZ8XKJ4 Sit on the ball like in a chair. Bounce a few times just for the fun of it. Slowly raise one foot and try to extend it forward. Hold this foot out for a few seconds while maintaining as little movement of the ball as possible.
  • 10. Fitness ball squats. Stand with the ball in front of you. Place your hands on the ball and squat, keeping your core engaged, your back straight and making sure your knees do not extend in front of your toes. As you squat, roll the ball away from you. As you return to a standing position, roll it toward you. (Taken from “Eyes Free Fitness Stability Ball, Ball Squats” (Free Preview)

Here are some more advanced options.

  • 11. Leg Swing. Stand on one foot. Swing the opposite leg rhythmically (like kicking a ball) while swinging both arms, back & forth. Add a hop from the stationary foot. Next, switch to the other leg.
  • 12. Stand on one foot. Bend forward at the waist and extend the other leg behind you. Now your extended leg and your back are in a nearly straight line. Your arms can be hanging down, out in front, or out to the side like wings. Next, straighten up slowly and lift your opposite knee toward your chest and balance for a few breaths. Repeat and switch to the other leg. Slow is better. As your balance gets better, try this holding light dumbbells.

For additional exercises to improve balance, download Balance Exercises, provided courtesy of Blind Alive.

B. Strength Training

The suggested strength training exercises are grouped into three main areas of the body, but many of these actually benefit more than one area simultaneously. These examples are just a few of many things you can do. Select activities and exercises from the following examples to fill out your Weekly Training Calendar. Remember to take rest days. It’s a good idea to give each muscle group a rest and not exercise each muscle group on consecutive days.

Upper Body Strength

One of the unique aspects of cross-country skiing is that both arms and legs are used as you move through the tracks. Developing more upper body strength helps in developing more speed and reducing the stress and fatigue on your lower body. This is especially true if you have the strength to double pole on flat and down- hill terrain.

The type of upper body strength that is most beneficial in cross-country skiing is strength that can be sustained over a five or ten-kilometer course. With that in mind, many of the suggested activities focus on extending the exercise over a longer period than traditional upper body strength building exercise.

Most people know the basic pushup position. (We describe it further in #3 below.) This exercise is inexpensive, accessible and very effective. If it’s been a while since you worked your upper body, start out with your knees on the floor and hands spread just slightly more than shoulder with apart. As you bend at the elbow, allow your forehead to gently touch the floor. This is best done on an exercise mat.

If the hands and knees position feels too easy, just do a few sets of 25 or 50 and you should feel some fatigue in your arms and shoulders. If you are not accustomed to working your upper body you will want to begin with fewer reps in each set and be very aware of back or shoulder strain. As this exercise becomes easier, you may want to graduate to the traditional pushup position with your toes on the floor and over time build up your reps.

Free weights or dumbbells are relatively inexpensive and offer many ways to build upper body strength. To get to the point where you can sustain one exercise over an extended period (five, ten or fifteen minutes) it is extremely important to begin with very light weights and build up. Depending on your level of fitness, dumbells of two, five or ten pounds can be effective. We strongly recommend consultation with a qualified trainer or instructor before trying the exercises below.

Another inexpensive, accessible and effective method for developing upper body strength is to use Thera bands. These come in different colors with each color representing a different level of resistance. There are resources on the web describing Thera band exercises and we’ve described a few of them in the balance section, but again it would be advisable to consult a trainer or physical therapist if you have any concerns.

Health clubs generally have a variety of resistance machines designed to develop upper body strength. Most of the exercises described below can be done or simulated on the type of exercise machines found in health clubs, fitness facilities, gyms and even many hotels. For example, you can do chest-presses, curls, rowing and pull-down exercises for your upper body, as well as a number of exercises for your core and lower body. If you prefer working out at a health club consultation is generally available.

Remember that cross-country skiing is a whole-body activity and it’s important to develop and sustain a total fitness plan. Below we provide a few examples of the many things you can do. Select activities and exercises from the following examples to fill out your Weekly Training Calendar.

  • 1. Chin-Ups / Pull-Ups. Do these in the gym, or if at home, be sure the chin-up bar is securely fastened overhead. Chin ups are done with your wrists away from you; pull ups are done with your wrists toward you. Rock climbers do finger-tip chin ups from the trim over a door jam. This is an advanced skill and if you can do them this way, you are a Monster!
  • 2. Dips. You can do these from the arms of a sturdy chair if you don’t have a set of parallel bars at your gym or fitness facility. Put a hand on each bar (or chair arm) and your feet out in front of you. Push yourself up by straightening your arms. Now most or all of your weight is carried by your arms. Slowly lower your body by slightly bending your elbows. Do not go down too far if using parallel bars; this can injure your shoulders. Doing dips in a sturdy chair prevents you from dipping too low.
  • 3. Push-Ups. There are two ways to start these; either a) on your hands and toes, or b) on your hands but resting on your knees instead of your toes. Keep the line straight from your neck through your shoulders and down your back. Keep your tummy tight and do not strain your back. Lower to the floor by bending your elbows and letting gravity do the rest. Push back up until your arms straighten out. Over time, try to increase the number of push-ups you can do; slow them down or speed them up. This is a great, quick exercise. Push-Ups strengthen your shoulders, triceps muscles and upper back and also strengthen your core.
  • 4. Dumbbell “Flys.” Lay on your back on the floor facing the ceiling, or with your back on a fitness ball or on a bench. Hold a light dumbbell or other weight (e.g., bottle of energy drink) in each hand. Start with both hands together in front of your face, arms straight over you. Slowly lower your arms out to the side, bending your elbows slightly, like you’re ready to give someone a big hug. Then bring your hands back together. Be careful with this if you have shoulder discomfort and never let your wrists go below your elbows. Lighter (or no) weights, having elbows slightly bent, or just not lowering the weights as far to the side will make this easier.
  • 5. Curls. Start by standing upright, sitting in a chair, or sitting on a fitness ball. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your wrists facing forward. Bring weights toward your shoulders by bending the elbows. An alternative way to hold the weights is called the “Hammer Grip,” with your wrists facing toward your body instead of forward. The Hammer Grip works slightly different muscles than the traditional grip.
  • 6. Rowing (this is simulated here, assuming that no rowing machine is available). Start by standing up and bent over at the waist with a straight back and tummy muscles tight, or start by sitting on a fitness ball or a stool. An alternative technique is to start face down on a fitness ball, tummy on the ball, knees on the floor. In either starting position, you are facing the floor, eyes down with a straight neck and back and with a tight tummy. With a dumbbell in each hand, pull the elbows backward and above the level of your horizontal back. Your elbows should be pointed toward the ceiling. Try this pull while keeping the elbows close to your torso. You can also try this pull with your elbows pointing outward and it will strengthen a different set of your back muscles.
Core Strength:
  • 1. Planks. Place your hands and toes on the floor. Your hands should be just a bit above your shoulder sockets. Make sure your back is straight and your tummy is tight like doing a push-up. If this position is hard on your wrists, you can put your hands and knees on the floor, or your forearms and toes on the floor. Try to hold for 30 seconds and build up to a minute.
  • 2. Side planks. From here you can do a side plank. Turn onto your left side, placing your left elbow on the floor and your left foot on the floor with the right foot either stacked on the left foot or on the floor. You will be facing sideways. Raise your right arm up to the ceiling. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. Be careful not to strain your back. This exercise isn’t for everyone.
  • 3. Sit-ups. There are lots of variations. The conventional way is to lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. You can tuck your feet under something if you need to for stability. Place your hands behind your head and slowly raise your torso in four counts up and four counts down. You should not feel strain in your neck. Another variation is to sit up, twist left, back to center, twist right, back to center and lower down. You can also do side sit ups, where you lie on one side, one hand behind the neck. Try to raise your armpit toward your hip with a lateral bending motion.
  • 4. Russian twists. Sit on your butt with feet out front and knees bent and heels on the floor. Lean backward slightly balancing on your butt. Your belly should be pulled in so it is concave and your back is rounded. With hands together, twist from side to side, You can pick your feet up off the floor when you get good at this. This can also be done holding dumbbells or a fitness ball for extra challenge.
  • 5. Dead Lifts. Stand upright with your body weight on your heels, knees softly bent. Bend at the waist, keeping back straight, lower hands toward the floor but don’t go below the bottom of your kneecap. Straighten up slowly. You can hold a light dumbbell in each hand and when you stand, bend your elbows, then raise your hands or dumbbells in front of you over head doing a press. Another option is to rise up on your toes as you raise your hands or the dumbbells overhead. This is a good exercise for the calf muscles.
  • 6. Fitness ball exercises. There are many you can do with a fitness ball. An excellent fitness ball exercise routine can be downloaded courtesy of Blind Alive, from www.sfl.org/blind-alive/stability-ball.zip

    Here are a few you can try.

    • 1. “Knee Balance.” Kneel on the fitness ball (and hold on to something until you get good at this!). Try to balance on the ball for 30 to 60 seconds. Be careful with this exercise because you can come off the ball quickly.
    • 2. “Hand-Offs.” Lie on your back with your back flat on the floor. Hold a fitness ball between your hands. Start to do a sit-up and bring the fitness ball over your head and toward your feet. Grasp the Fitness ball with your feet and hold it between your feet. Straighten out with your legs and your arms extended away from your core. Pass it back to your hands.
    • 3. “Jackknifes.” Face down, ball under the thighs, hands on the floor like a push up. Roll the ball to your shins while raising your butt toward the ceiling.
    • 4. “Frog Kicks.” Lie face-down over a fitness ball with the ball beneath your waist and pelvis. Extend your arms down to the floor, under your shoulders like you are starting to do a push-up. Push your legs straight back and start with your feet and knees together. You should have a straight line from your neck, through your shoulders, back and legs. Now kick your feet and legs out sideways; try to keep everything parallel to the floor. Bring your feet and legs back together and extended behind you. This exercise is good for your lower back and your butt muscles.
Leg and Lower Body Strength

Fortunately, most of the activities mentioned in the section below on endurance also provide excellent opportunities to develop additional lower body strength. This will be extremely beneficial as you stride on gentle terrain or climb a hill. As you increase your endurance through walking, running, cycling, rowing or similar activities, you will be adding power to your lower body. Most participants at SFL find that regular and moderately intense endurance activities provide adequate lower body conditioning for an enjoyable SFL week. There are many exercises specific to building even more lower body strength. These include a variety of hops, squats, jumps, lunges and use of machines designed specifically for this purpose. We provide specific exercises dedicated to increasing lower body strength for those who wish to build more strength in their lower limbs.

  • 1. Forward lunges. Stand straight, step out forward with one foot and do a deep knee bend. Do not go down past a 90-degree knee bend; that puts too much strain on your knees. Hold a second or two. Repeat leading with the other foot. When getting started, you may want to touch a wall or the back of a chair for balance. This can be done with or without holding dumbbells.
  • 2. Backward lunges. This is similar to a forward lunge, but step backward instead of forward. The weight should be in your heel of your front foot and your knee should be bent at about 90 degrees. Bring your other foot far enough back so that your front knee does not go forward beyond your toe. Hold a second or two, then try it with the other leg. Again, hold onto the wall or the back of a chair for balance.
  • 3. Squats. Stand flat-footed, with your feet about hip width apart and body weight in your heels. Keep your back straight and knees slightly bent. Squat down like you are about to sit in a chair. Make sure your knees don’t go forward beyond your toes. You will bend slightly at the waist as you do this, but look straight forward rather than down. Do not go down past a 90-degree knee bend; that puts too much strain on your knees. A variation with a static squat can be done by holding the squat position for several seconds with your back against a wall for stability. You can do this with weights in hand for more leg strengthening.
  • 4. “Skate Hops” or “Stability Hops.” Stand with feet shoulder width apart and with your knees and waist slightly bent. Spring side-to-side, landing on one foot, alternating from left foot to right foot, back and forth. Your knees will bend slightly with each hop. Pause between hops holding your balance on one foot with your knee slightly bent. You can swing your arms individually, or swing them together like you are double poling. To put more emphasis on your balance, you can put your arms behind you. This is a great exercise for the Classic Nordic technique because it builds quadriceps and glute muscle strength, makes you completely transfer your weight from one foot to the other and improves your lower-leg stability. If you speed this up, it can really increase your heart rate. Listen to your body and back off if your knees are sensitive.
C. Endurance and Aerobic Training

Endurance refers to the ability to maintain a certain level of physical exertion, despite fatigue, over a prolonged period. Improving one’s endurance is a key to being able to enjoy a day of cross-country skiing. There are many options for meeting your goals and each activity can be done at a beginner, moderate or advanced level. To develop or improve your level of endurance, it is important to integrate one or more aerobic activities into your regular fitness program several months before the SFL event.

There are many options here. These activities can be done at different speeds or with varying resistance, to get your heart-rate up into the “training zone.” Or they can be done for longer durations or at slower speeds to improve your endurance. Both kinds of conditioning will help you ski up those hills (when your heart rate zooms up too), recover more quickly and ski for a longer time. For more on what the “training zone” is, see E. How Much Is Enough

Ski for Light 5 km Rally skiers typically ski the Rally in 40 minutes to 2 hours. Ski for Light 10 km Race skiers typically ski the Race in 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on age, ability, conditioning and the nature of the ski trail. Given these typical times to do the Rally or Race and depending on your event objectives, try to do some endurance training at least as long as it might take you to complete one of these events. Remember to take breaks; there is no need to do endurance training more than two or three times per week. Here are a few things you can try.

  • 1. Brisk walking: A good way to begin is to monitor how much you walk each day and set goals to increase distance and speed each week. A FitBit, pedometer or IPhone app are good ways to measure the number of steps you take each day. A treadmill is an excellent alternative to walking outside. Adding hills to your walk or elevation to your treadmill workout will give you a good idea of your current level of endurance. Choosing stairs rather than the elevator builds exercise in to your daily routine.
  • 2. Jogging or running: Depending on your overall level of fitness and ability to tolerate the additional stress on your muscles and joints, jogging or running can greatly increase your endurance. Like brisk walking, this can be done outside, with or without a partner, or indoors on a treadmill.
  • 3. Cycling: Spin classes at local gyms using a stationary bike have become very popular as an exercise designed to improve endurance. Once you develop an understanding of basic elements, you can design an individual program if you have access to a stationary bike. For fun and variety, tandem cycling, especially when hills are involved, is hard to beat. The endurance required to cycle up a hill combined with the thrill of speeding down a hill, where gravity does much of the work, simulates the effort and exhilaration experienced while cross-country skiing.
  • 4. Rowing/Rowing machine. Many fitness centers have a rowing machine and this activity is great for your upper back, arms and core.
  • 5. “Ski Machine.” This is a ski-specific piece of equipment that simulates the poling action of classic or double poling. The pulling resistance can be varied to emphasize arm and core strength, endurance, or a combination. Ski machines can be hard to locate but most health clubs and hotels have elliptical machines, which operate in much the same way. You will push down on your legs, sort of like running in place, while your hands pull a bar back and forth. You can increase the resistance for both arms and legs, so this is excellent preparation for skiing.
  • 6. Swimming. All swimming techniques (freestyle, breaststroke, etc.) are good cross-over activities for cross-country skiing. Swimming is great for upper body strength and flexibility, core conditioning and breathing. Just hanging onto the poolside and kicking your legs has benefits too.
  • 7. Skiing (if available in early season). Nothing beats conditioning for Nordic skiing like getting out on skis. Not everyone has a chance to do this before coming to Ski for Light. But if you have the opportunity to come to SFL, or another Nordic facility, a few days early, you can get some beneficial time on the snow to complement all the training you have been doing over the previous weeks.
  • 8. Other activities: Other activities that will help you build endurance include jumping rope or using equipment generally found in health clubs such as a step machine or elliptical trainer. If you have access to an instructor at a health club or personal trainer, even for a few sessions, you can obtain helpful advice for setting goals and creating a realistic exercise plan.

The greatest benefit of a regular exercise program, three to five times a week, is that you will improve your overall health, feel better and develop the habit of year-round fitness. As you increase your endurance training, listen to your body and pay attention to signs of pain or extreme difficulty with breathing. It is natural to experience some fatigue and increase in heart-rate and respiration, but if you experience significant discomfort, immediately interrupt your training and consult your healthcare provider.

These are just a few examples of activities that if, done over a sustained period with a gradual increase in intensity, will improve your endurance and help prepare you for the SFL week. Such training involves “different strokes for different folks.” So, select one or more activities, consult with your healthcare provider and get ready to enjoy the many thrills and pleasures of a day of cross-country skiing.

D. Stretching and Flexibility

Ideally, you should find a stretch for every part of your body that you will be conditioning for Ski for Light. That is, for your upper body, your core and your legs and lower body. Stretching right after exercise helps the muscles release lactic acid, a waste product that accumulates during exercise and stretching promotes muscle recovery. All stretches should be done gently and gradually. Do not bounce or do these abruptly. Stretching should feel good and if you feel pain, back off or discontinue that stretch.

There is an excellent stretching routine available for downloading courtesy of Blind Alive at www.sfl.org/blind-alive/whole-body-stretch.zip.

Here are just a few that you can try.

  • 1. Standing and Sitting Stretches. Stand next to a solid object, like a table, chair, or handrail. If your balance is good, try these by standing unassisted. Some of these stretches, or variations of them, can be done sitting on a chair, on a bench, or on a stool.
    • a. “Big Hug.” Cross your arms in front of your chest and grab your shoulders. Gently pull like you are giving yourself a big hug. Gently bend forward and feel the stretch in your upper back, lower back, shoulders and upper arms.
    • b. “Ships Prow.” Reach behind your back with both arms. Grab one wrist and straighten out your arms as much as you can. Raise your chin toward the sky and feel the stretch in your chest and neck.
    • c. “Toe Touch.” Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Gently bend forward at the waist and touch your knees, shins, ankles and toes if you can. Feel the stretch in your butt, hamstrings and calves. Don’t force it, let gravity do the work. This can be done sitting on the floor with your legs out front. Vary this stretch while sitting by spreading your feet wide apart, touching the floor between your feet, then slowly moving both of your hands first to the left foot, then slowly to the right foot.
    • d. “Great Blue Herron.” Stand on one foot like the great hunting bird. Hold onto a stationary object or do this with hands free if you can. Pull your left heel up to your left butt cheek and grab your left ankle with your left hand. Gently pull your heel closer to your butt and feel the stretch in the front of your thigh (your quadriceps). Stop here if it makes your knee hurt. To get even more benefit from this stretch and to improve your lower leg strength and balance, bend forward from the waist and hold this position for a few breaths. Repeat with the other leg.
  • 2. Fitness ball stretches. The section on B. Strength Training introduced you to several exercises that can be done with a fitness ball. There are a number of stretches you can do on a fitness ball and as long as you are using a fitness ball for part of your strength training workout, that is an ideal time to do some stretches with the fitness ball too. Many of these fitness ball stretches can be done sitting on a chair, on a bench, or on a stool.
    • a. Sit on a fitness ball or a chair with both feet on the floor. Put your left hand on the outside of your right knee. Gently twist your body to the right and look over your right shoulder. Keep your upper body upright, in other words, don’t bend forward. Reach back with your right hand extended and feel the stretch in your neck, chest and core.
    • b. Sit on a fitness ball or a chair with both feet on the floor, but have your feet a little wider apart than in the previous stretch. Bend forward and put your left elbow against the inside of your left knee and your right elbow against the inside of your right knee. Keep your elbows on your knees. Dip your left shoulder down and turn your head to the right and look over your right shoulder. Reverse everything and do this toward the left side. Alternate slowly from side to side. Feel the stretch in your neck and lower back.
    • c. “The Spider.” This one is easiest on a fitness ball. Sit on a fitness ball with your feet on the floor and wide apart. Bend forward at the waist and reach for your ankles. Hold your ankles and roll the fitness ball backwards until your legs are stretched out in front of you and your feet are now resting on your heels. Roll the ball forward and back. Roll the ball side to side. This is a great stretch for your hamstrings and lower back.
    • d. “The 4.” This one takes a lot of balance on a fitness ball and might be easier to learn on a chair. Sit on a fitness ball or a chair and cross your left ankle over your right knee. Gently bend at the waist and move your chin or chest toward your right knee where your left ankle rests. Feel the stretch in your hamstring and piriformis muscle (outside of your butt). Sit back up and repeat on the other side with your right ankle on the left knee. This stretch can be done on the floor too. Lay on your back, face up, both legs straight out. Cross your left ankle over your right knee. In this position, your body looks like the number “4.” With your left ankle still on your right knee, bring your right knee toward your chest. Put your hands behind your right knee or leg and gently pull to get the full feel of the stretch.
  • 3. Yoga. Take a class, or make this a regular part of your week if you already know some of the yoga positions, stretches and movements. See the H. Additional Resources section for accessible yoga workouts.
  • 4. Pilates. Like Yoga, Pilates exercises are a bit difficult to describe. Take a class, or download the excellent Pilates training materials provided courtesy of Blind Alive. Begin with Pilates Mat Level One and then move on to Pilates Mat Level Two. Make this a regular part of your week once you become familiar with some Pilates positions, stretches and movements.
  • 5. Dance. Put on some good music and dance with a partner. Or, do it solo and “dance like nobody’s watching!.” If you can’t get enough dancing before you come to Ski for Light, fear not. There will be several opportunities to dance to a DJ or a live band at the annual SFL International gathering.
E. How Much Is Enough

The Weekly Training Calendar makes recommendations for how often (referred to as “Frequency”), or how much time (referred to as “Volume”) to do various exercises and activities to build your fitness before coming to Ski for Light. But how hard (referred to as “Intensity”) should these things be done? Remember, you are doing these activities over a period of several weeks (3 or 4 months), so there is time to gradually build up your balance, coordination, strength and endurance as you gradually increase the volume and intensity of these activities. The following sections give you some guidelines for exercise intensity and volume, in other words to determine “how much is enough.”

1. How Hard Should I Do These Exercises? (Intensity)

Many trainers and coaches relate exercise intensity to a person’s heart rate. Your maximum heart rate theoretically is 220 beats per minute (bpm) minus your age. So for a 40-year old skier, his or her maximum heart rate is about 220 – 40 = 180 bpm. For a 60-year old skier the maximum heart rate is 160 bpm.

When you exercise at a moderate-intensity level, your heart rate is between 50% and 70% of your maximum heart rate. Training at this intensity is good for your general fitness and your endurance. For our 40-year old skier, this will be between 90 and 126 bpm. Many stationary bikes, treadmills, step machines and elliptical trainers have built in heart-rate monitors. But if you don’t have a heart rate monitor or can’t read the ones provided at health clubs, there are other ways to know if you are exercising at moderate-intensity, such as the “talk test.” The rule of thumb using the talk test is that if you can comfortably talk while exercising, but not sing a song, you pass the talk test and are in the moderate-intensity zone.

Examples from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of moderate-intensity activities include:

  • 1. Walking briskly, about 3 miles per hour
  • 2. Water aerobics
  • 3. Bicycling, slower than 10 miles per hour
  • 4. Ballroom dancing
  • 5. General gardening

When you exercise at a vigorous-intensity level, your heart rate is between 70% and 85% of your maximum heart rate. A person exercising with this heart rate is said to be exercising in the training zone physiologically. Exercising with vigorous-intensity, or in the training zone, is good for increasing your aerobic threshold and for decreasing your recovery time after you slow down or end the activity. For our 40-year old skier, he/she is in the training zone with a heart rate between 126 and 153 bpm. Using the talk test method, if you can only say a few words at a time between heavy breaths, you fail the talk test and are in the vigorous-intensity zone, or the training zone.

Examples from CDC of vigorous-intensity activities include:

  • 1. Jogging, running, race walking
  • 2. Swimming laps
  • 3. Bicycling, faster than 10 miles per hour
  • 4. Aerobic dancing
  • 5. Heavy gardening
  • 6. Jumping rope
  • 7. Hiking up hills, or climbing stairs
  • 8. Hiking with a heavy pack.

These examples are just a few of many things you can do with variable intensity. As with any change in your activity level, consult your doctor before jumping right in. You decide which activities best suit your needs and when and how to do them during the week. Remember to keep it fun so you will stick with your program over the weeks.

2. How Much Time Should I Spend Doing These Exercises? (Volume)

If you were a world-class caliber, full-time athlete, you would have coaches and trainers to help you figure this out. But if you are not that kind of athlete and you are serious about setting some volume guidelines to help maximize your fitness while you live the rest of your busy life, the CDC recommends the following general exercise guidelines for adults. Note that the CDC weekly recommendations for beneficial exercise volume include a mixture of exercise intensity.

For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least:

  • 1. 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., you pass the talk test), or
  • 2. 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., you fail the talk test and your heart rate is in the training zone), or
  • 3. an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity.

Some kind of aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes duration and preferably, it should be spread over a number of days throughout the week. See the C. Endurance and Aerobic Training section for examples of aerobic activities.

If you are training to increase your endurance, you will want to increase the Volume of your aerobic activities (i.e., engaging them for longer durations during the week). The CDC recommends for additional and more extensive health benefits, adults should:

  • 1. increase their aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or
  • 2. 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or
  • 3. an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

Adults also should do B. Strength Training activities that are moderate or high intensity and involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week (frequency), as these activities provide additional health benefits.

F. Skiing at High Altitude

Cross-country skiing at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado can be a wonderful experience, but a number of folks coming from sea level to ski at an elevation of 9,000 feet may have some challenges with the altitude. Here are some basic things you should know about altitude illness and things you can do to stay healthy at Ski for Light.

One of the most important facts is that adjusting to altitude takes time. Taking it easy in the beginning and spending a night at an intermediate elevation, such as in Denver, can help you feel better in Granby.

As you go up in elevation, atmospheric pressure goes down, which means oxygen molecules are farther apart. As a result, when you breathe in there are fewer oxygen molecules in that volume of air compared with the same volume of air at sea level. For most people this difference only becomes noticeable at altitudes above about 5,000 feet. What you’ll notice immediately is that your breathing rate and heart rate increase. This is normal; your body is working harder to get the oxygen you need. This increase in your breathing causes other changes in your body that make it important for you to adjust from your regular routine.

The most important thing is to stay well hydrated and not with alcohol, at least not for the first day or two. Your kidneys need to do extra work to compensate for chemical changes from the increased breathing, plus the air is generally drier at altitude and you will lose more moisture when breathing harder. Staying well hydrated and drinking more water than you do at home will help you adjust to the altitude.

There are a number of signs and symptoms that are frequently associated with mild altitude illness. The most common is difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep, especially the first night or two. Choosing the right approach to help you sleep is important. Avoid medications, or any substance, that suppresses the respiratory drive, such as most of the standard sleep aids and alcohol. These may help you sleep a bit better but they will inhibit your acclimatization.

The other very common complaint at altitude is a headache. Over the counter ibuprofen and possibly acetaminophen will help with the altitude headache and may also help with acclimatization.

Some folks may feel nauseated at high altitude and, while vomiting is not common, anti-nausea medication can be helpful.

A final comment on medications; Acetazolamide or Diamox is a useful medicine that your doctor can prescribe for you prior to coming to SFL if you are concerned that you will struggle at altitude or you have had altitude sickness in the past.

Exercising such as cross-country skiing at altitude can be frustrating as your sea level performance will be diminished at 9,000 feet. Your times for a set distance will increase and you will get more winded than you are used to at home, especially going uphill. The best solution to this is to train before you come and arrive at SFL in good physical shape and to be happy and proud of the performance you can achieve during the week. It takes about 10 days to two weeks at altitude to regain your sea level performance. The fancy altitude simulators and hypoxia training aids generally do not work and should be avoided.

On a final note, while it will be common for many of us to have some mild issues with altitude at 9,000 ft., it is very unlikely that any of us will have a serious altitude illness. Signs that there is a more dangerous problem are things like staggering while trying to walk or difficulty doing simple everyday tasks, or having trouble catching your breath at rest. While we will all be more short of breath when skiing, or even walking upstairs, we should not be short of breath without doing something exertional. If you feel any of these symptoms please see someone on the medical team right away.

G. Weekly Training Calendar
H. Additional Resources

There are many additional resources that cover physical conditioning, health and fitness. Some of them are listed in this section:

1. Exercise recordings for people with vision impairments
2. High-Intensity fitness programs:

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank John Elliott who spent countless volunteer hours developing the draft of this document. Several other Ski for Light skiers and guides made significant contributions to this document, including Amy Brannan, Judith Dixon, Marion Elmquist, Scott McCall, Tim McCorcle, Bonnie O’Day, and Doug Powell. Additionally, we wish to thank Carlton Heine, M.D. who wrote the section on Altitude Conditioning and Acclimatization for Nordic skiers. Kiel Hovland, Wellness Center Manager, Denver Federal Center contributed information to the sections on balance, strength, stretching and flexibility routines. Bill Pierce, former Director and Coach, Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center contributed information to sections on exercises and skills for Nordic skiing. The training calendar is from a multi-week training calendar provided by Ken Campbell, Head Coach, Nordic Waterloo Region Nordic, Ontario Canada, Canadian National Coaching Certification Program.

To see easy ways to incorporate exercise and stretching into your daily activities, go to Ten Easy Steps to Increase Fitness

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