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Tim Crowley, CTS: Slide Through Winter
By Tim Crowley, BS, CSCS, NASM-PES
1/29/2008 |
Slide Through Winter Utilizing slide boards for performance and injury prevention
You might think this article is about skiing or ice skating, but no matter where you live, you can utilize slide boards to supplement your training. The key benefits of regular slide board use are performance enhancement and a decrease in injuries. The use of slide boards in your winter training can add variety to your indoor training, as well as become a versatile tool for increasing performance and building specific strength.
Slide boards are not new. I remember watching the 1980 Olympics on tv, and seeing Eric Heiden doing dryland training on a slide board. Today, many quality training facilities are equipped with slide boards, which take up little space, and are extremely versatile.
Frequent use of the slide will enable you to develop strength in the gluteus medius muscles of the hip. These muscles are very active during running, and weakness is often associated with many common running injuries, such as IT band problems. When a runner is sidelined with an impact related injury, an athlete can often perform slide board intervals safety. This enables them to maintain much of their running fitness and specific strength.
The slide board can add variety to your longer indoor trainer sessions. Instead of spinning easy for several minutes between long intervals, jump off the bike and slide for 3-5 minutes before saddling back up for the next long interval. This will help alleviate the boredom that often comes after doing indoor rides for several months.
In addition to skating on the board, many great single leg strength and core exercises can be performed, such as split squats and leg curls.
Below are some workouts you can try using a slide board.
Bike
10-15 min warm up
3x 10 min climbing repeats at 80 rpm’s/ recover for 5 minutes between intervals by sliding at a moderate pace.
10 minute cooldown
Dryland Swim and Slide
Warm up with 10 min of easy running or cycling
Perform 3-5 sets of the following:
• 3 min on slide board, alternating 20 sec easy/ 20 sec fast
• 3x 20 swim pulls with tubing/ rest 20 seconds between efforts.
• End with 10 minutes of easy running of cycling
Post Strength intervals
After completing your strength workout, jump on the slide board for 6 to 10 reps of 30 sec fast/ 30 seconds easy. This will help develop the hip stabilizers, and lower body power in a very time efficient manner.
If you are looking for a tool that will help boost performance and decrease injuries with as little as 10 minutes a week, then you need to begin incorporating slide board work into your training plan.
Tim Crowley is a Pro-Level Coach for CTS. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and has a degree in Athletic Training.
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