Fitness for Ski Instructor Training: The Final Push 3, 7 & 11

Hopefully your legs have started to recover after the last Fitness for Ski Instructor Training session. Luckily they have one more day to recover as we are not back focusing on legs just yet. Todays session is again looking at the upper body with the aim being to maintain strength and shoulder stability.

The Session today will use the tempo guidelines below.

2,4,x,1 – When ever you see a series of numbers & letters written like this it is a short hand way of describing the tempo of a movement. The series of digits could be anything 3,0,0,1 or 6,6,x,2 but the way you interpret them is always the same.

The first digit refers to the time spent on the eccentric part of an exercise. The eccentric part is where a muscles is lengthened under tension. For example as you move from a standing position down into a squat, or as you lower your chin from above the bar in a pull up back below the bar. If the number here is 2 you spend 2 seconds making that part of the movement if it is 6 you spend 6 seconds making that part of the movement.

The second digit refers to the part of the exercise that immediately follows the eccentric part. In a squat this would be the pause at the bottom in that seated position before you drive back up. In the pull up that would be hanging with your arms completely straight. Again spend the amount of time in seconds indicated by the number in that position.

The third digit or number refers to the concentric part of the movement. This is where a muscle shortens under tension. In a squat that would be returning from the bottom to standing and in a pull up it would be moving yourself from hanging with straight arms to having your chin above the bar. If you see a number here spend the amount of time indicated in seconds performing that part of the movement. If you see an X here perform that part of the movement as explosively as possible.

The fourth and final digit refers to the part of the movement that follows the concentric phase. In a squat this would be standing, and in a pull up this would be holding yourself stationary with your chin above the bar. Again spend the amount of time in seconds here indicated by the number.

Warm Up

Main Resistance Training

Eccentric Incline DB Press – 6,1,1,1

Week 1 Perform 3 sets of 6 reps at the prescribed tempo.

Week 2 Perform 3 sets of 5 reps at the prescribed tempo.

Then perform 1 x set of 50 reps using 50% of the weight used for the first 3 sets. For the 50 reps try and perform then as fast as possible only resting when you need to.

Tricep Pushdown – Perform 4-5 sets of 10 – 20 reps

Pull ups – Perform 3-4 sets of 8 – 12 reps

Lateral Raises – Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Wheel Roll outs – Perform 4 sets of 12 reps

Cool Down

Full body stretch and foam roll

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