Dry-Land Conditioning Pt. 2
Last week I shared what my dry-land training blocks look like throughout the year, and what the focus and goal of each block is. Today, I’m going to share some things I’ve learned over the years, including a couple general workout/wellness tips, and some of my favorite workouts!
Wellness Reflections
Ski racers don’t have much on-snow time to train, especially if you take into account how much time is spent on a chairlift! So it’s incredibly important to not only optimize our dry-land efforts for peak physical condition, but also to make sure our bodies are 100% ready for the short periods of training we do get. This is something I’ve learned to take more and more seriously as I mature as a racer and I am continually trying to read and learn more about ways I can maximize my body’s performance. A couple things I have found extremely beneficial are:
Sleep: no surprise here. I use melatonin when I’m changing time zones, try to limit sugar before bed, no caffeine after noon, read/journal before bed etc. (we all try our best on these :)) nose breathing! and getting my tonsils out was life changing!
Nutrition: This is another obvious one, but so important. The biggest thing I’ve realized lately is the importance of fueling as soon as possible after working out to maximize my gains from the workout and help my body recover as fast as possible. So I will try to have protein smoothies right after my workouts at home, and bring lots of snacks to the hill for training sessions.
Walking: I’ve found walking to be extremely beneficial for a couple reasons. For starters, it is usually done in solitary and are a great opportunity for solo reflection. Taking time to reflect is, for me, the most successful remedy to stress. Walking is also an opportunity to get outside with a very low barrier to entry, and being in nature always increases the zen :) Finally, I am super inspired by my 94 year old Grandma who walks at least 5 miles a day, so I’m hoping that some form of daily walk will help in my longevity too!
Supplements: Taking supplements can be a slippery slope because there are so many options out there, and a lot of the products, despite convincing advertising, are unnecessary and sometimes not good for you. I look for the cleanest products with the least amount of ingredients. I take protein powder (for building muscle), Beta Alanine (for strength endurance), BCAA’s (for muscle recovery), Collagen (for joint health), electrolytes, and Athletic Greens (for general health :)). I also want to note that I think supplements are most beneficial when you are already doing everything else to optimize your health.
Gut Health: I have had some bad GI issues for a couple years after I got very bad food poisoning and only sorted these out last year. I did a gut cleanse with immunoglobulin and take daily L-Glutamine to keep my gut strong and healthy. I also figured out that keeping my diet consistent while traveling to different countries was very important. Part of the solution for me was taking athletic greens (or any greens powder) to make sure I always had the base amount of nutrients. But I think this is only needed when I’m traveling so much and not in control of what I’m eating at meals.
Workout Tips and Advice
Everyone knows that working out is good for us, and as athletes it’s even more important because it’s absolutely critical to help us get to the next level in our sport. But even though working out is quite literally ‘part of the job’ for me, it can still be very hard to get started, stick to a routine and challenge myself throughout the workouts. I wanted to share a couple tips that help me stay accountable and push myself to maximize my efforts in the gym.
Planning: Planning my workouts is necessary for me to map out my training blocks so that I can get as much out of my body as possible without over working certain systems. But it is also so helpful in keeping me accountable. I highly recommend trying to plan out your day, week, or month of workouts in advance, so that you don’t waste half your gym time trying to decided what to do.
Consistency/Routine: Finding and sticking to a routine is the best way to stay accountable and remain consistent with your workouts. This plays a little into the planning suggestion, because it’s helpful to know what time you’re going to workout and commit to it instead of thinking about it all day and then not having time. Getting up early and finishing my first workout before breakfast has been the biggest breakthrough for me this summer. It feels terrible every time to get up early, but I feel so much better for the rest of the day when I do.
Workout Buddies: Working out with a friend is not only so much more enjoyable, but also a great to hold yourself accountable. I was lucky to have lots of my siblings and parents join me for workouts this summer, and that made the workouts more fun and I pushed myself harder!
Fun: Don’t forget that working out can be super fun and rewarding. It doesn’t always need to be a grind! Plan a fun obstacle course or relay race with friends. Challenge your friends and make working out into a game. Try a new workout class! Play super fun music. I know this is so cliche but working out and feeling endorphins is so amazing and rewarding, and we should all feel proud of the work we put in to make our bodies as healthy as possible. I am a firm believer that the healthier our bodies are the happier our minds are :)
Some of My Favorite Workouts
Here are some of my favorite workouts that anybody and everyone can do!
Yoga: I used to really dislike yoga and couldn’t imagine why anyone wasted their time doing it, but now I absolutely love it and try to do at least 10 minutes every day. It’s both very relaxing/meditational and also great for my improved mobility which has allowed me to feel super nimble/mobile even while I’m getting a lot stronger/bigger this summer. I will warn you that there are a lot of bad youtube yoga tutorials out there so I would make sure you don’t just try any yoga class. I mostly use the peloton app because that’s what my family has and they have awesome workouts I can do anywhere, but I also included some youtube links. Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by peloton in any way, but I do love their workout classes (especially yoga) so I am a huge supporter :) If anyone is interested, I am happy to share free classes and more information!
HIIT: High intensity interval training workouts can take a lot of different forms. It usually means you work super hard for x amount of time and take a break for y amount of time. I like to do 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off for anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes. These workouts are super fun and very flexible so you can do them anywhere, with any equipment, and focus on different things like cardio, full body workouts, lower body strength, core etc. I make up my own workouts by picking ten exercises (you can google exercises) and doing two or three rounds, but there are also so many different options online. Here are some of my favorite.
Metcon: Metabolic Conditioning combines strength training and cardio at varying levels of intensity to focus on increasing your overall fitness level. It’s also what majority of crossfit workouts focus on but can be done in a lot of different ways. These workouts are my favorite because they are usually short, they are a race or challenge of some sorts, and they make me push myself the absolute hardest. Definitely more fun to do them with other people. My family does a form of this where we just create a long list of things we have to complete (ex. ten laps of the driveway, 100 burpees, 200 jumprope, 100 sit ups, 100 pushups etc.) and then race to see who can finish the fastest (it usually takes around 30 minutes depending on how many challenges we add), and you can break it up any way you like. There are also unlimited crossfit and other metcon challenges online. Here are some fun ones:
https://runningonrealfood.com/20-minute-crossfit-wod/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/545076361153710829/
https://wodwell.com/wod/seven-deadly-sins/
Games/Activities: Soccer, Volleyball, Mtn Biking, Hiking, Kite Boarding, Family Waterpolo, Pickleball: Games are great for recovery days or long a1’s which means they can be a workout too!
This summer’s workout block has been super hard and I am definitely excited to get out of the gym and back on snow! I remember about three weeks ago thinking, “wow I don’t know how much longer I can keep pushing myself in the gym at this level.” But looking back now, I am super proud of the work I’ve put in and happy to report that I am feeling the strongest and fittest I ever have! It’s been both challenging and fun to learn more about conditioning on my own over the past few years and to put that learning to the test. I really love sharing my knowledge or just chatting about different philosophies, approaches, workouts etc. with others, so please feel free to reach out with any fitness or wellness thoughts or questions!