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Nordic Skiing: Key to Your Next Tri PR...

Thursday, 02 February 2017 23:10

By A.J. Johnson (triathlete.com)

Winter represents a time for triathletes to take a break from swimming, biking and running, but that doesn’t mean you should sit on the couch. The key is to find a way to build your fitness in alternate ways so you improve physically while not burning out mentally. Luckily, there exists a single sport that can help you build aerobic fitness, aerobic threshold, as well as power and stamina in your legs, core and arms and you can do it outside, typically in beautiful surrounding—it’s called nordic skiing.

Nordic skiing, often referred to as cross country or nordorking, has become the off-season sport of choice for many endurance athletes during the winter months. Nordic skiing is a unique sport in that it gives you an opportunity to make use of your existing endurance in a new and fun way, while also still providing a significant boost to your ability to swim, bike and run. The list of professional triathletes...

getting on the skinny skis includes both long-course and short-course specialists. The likes of Heather Jackson, Cameron Dye, Lisa Norden, Joe Gambles, Paula Findlay and Daniela Ryf (the reigning two-time Ironman world champion) have all posted photos on social media showing them on their skis to gain both the physical and mental benefits that this sport has to offer.

The Physical Benefits

“Cross country skiing is the hardest overall body workout out there,” says Brett Sutton, the legendary coach of many world champions, including Ryf. “It is excellent for strengthening swim muscles, it is super for cardio fitness for the run and downhill skiing is great for bike strength work.”  READ MORE