FITNESS
DOUGIE FLOCKHART
To go fast, train slow …
Professional endurance athletes spend 80% of their training time in zone 2 of their aerobic heart rate zone (50-70% of heart max). Recreational athletes spend too much time in the “grey area” between aerobic and anaerobic
anaerobic energy metabolism. This forces them to use carbohydrates as their fuel source and elicits the production of lactic acid causing muscle pain and fatigue.
To improve your skinning performance, aim to increase your lactate threshold - in other words, train in your fat burning zone. The good news is if you don’t have a heart rate monitor you can tell if you are in zone 2 by the fact you can talk while you are exercising.
Here are four great exercises which concentrate on improving your leg and hip strength to allow you to skin with more confidence and endurance:
- Step downs
- Step up jumps
- Elevated single leg squats
- Lateral squats
