Ankle Weight Training

[BLOOWERPOW]

I'm thinking about getting some ankle weights for hiking this fall to get in shape for ski touring so I don't suck so bad. The thought was to imitate ski boots and skis. Any thoughts on this?

Did a search and found that it can be bad, but I don't understand how it's any different than wearing ski boots while hiking...

[Scotsman50]

You are overthinking it! Hike with a pack!.....ankle weights.....jeeeeez!

[Gone Skiing]

#Idon'thavethefactstobackthisup but I believe that would fuck up your knees.

[skimaxpower]

Seriously. Spend less time thinking about ankle weights and more time doing some sit-ups.

[eshed]

I think the OP has a point.

I don't know about all y'alls, but the part of me that gets tired/cramps up ski touring early season are my hip flexors and groin muscles. Muscles that are especially used to pick up ski boots and skis when touring/sidestepping. I don't care how heavy your pack is, it doesn't work those muscles near as much as ski touring. I can train my lungs and quads easily. I've thought about doing the same thing. (ankle weights) Never did though...

As for potential harm...who knows? (somebody probably. just not me)

[BCMtnHound]

I agree with eshed - very different muscles used when weight is put on the shoulders vs the feet. No amount of summer with a heavy pack has ever fully prepared me for the first day or two of wearing snowshoes (more affectionately referred to as misery slippers at work).
That said, ski touring is relatively low impact, your stride is very different, and you are wearing very supportive footwear. Any exercise should reflect that to prevent damage - especially to your feet and perhaps your shins & knees.

[Meathelmet]

Talked with my physio couple years ago about the subject. She advised strongly against any excessive weight training.
Her take was the (larger) added weights fucked up your walk mechanics and messed up things fast.
Said that short,low impact trainings were ok. Like 15-30 min stair/uphill walks with small weights (0.5-1kg) were ok up not
3-4 hour speedwalks,let alone running...

I would say the basic 3 days of running + 3 days of gym/week is enough to get you in shape for the winter. If you wanna keep things intresting, then maybe you could substitute something with exotic training regimes, like the said stair walking with backpack+weights.
Thing is to have your core strong in the beginning of the season, stamina and endurance will build up during the 6-9 month season anyway. But with a weak core, you are liable to fuck up your back/groins/knees etc...

[Stikki]

^^ What his physio said. Walking mechanics are not skinning mechanics.

If you want a low impact way to work your hip flexors over longer time periods ride a bike with pedal straps or clips but only use upward pedal strokes.

[gramboh]

Another vote against, might even be a study done about it but common sense prevails.

No matter what you do, downhlil skiing, skinning and bootpacking in ski boots is different from what you can reasonably train in the offseason. The goal of your off-season should be general strength/conditioning. Some things I think help:

Squats (back/front, DB split squats are good too)
Deadlifts/RDLs (hamstrings and butt + torso strength)
Weight step-ups (I prefer barbell on back, can do these with a light load like 95# for 100 reps, kind of feels like bootpacking)
Running/hiking, good for conditioning/endurance
Don't forget the upper body, shoulder press, bench pull-ups (balance your push/pull)

As Meat said, a strong torso is important to protect your back and groin. If you are a desk jockey, work on your hip mobility in the off season (http://www.mobilitywod.com/ is a great resource). If you have tight hip flexors/dormant glutes from sitting in a chair all the time, your lumbar spine is going to take a beating in many athletic pursuits, including running.

[neufox47]

If you want to work your hip flexors, hook your toe into a light kettlebell and lift your foot up as high as you can w/ out leaning, do flutterkicks (lay on back and raise alternative feet 10" at a time). You can use leg weights if you want.

[Tuckerman]

Another vote against, might even be a study done about it but common sense prevails.

No matter what you do, downhlil skiing, skinning and bootpacking in ski boots is different from what you can reasonably train in the offseason. The goal of your off-season should be general strength/conditioning. Some things I think help:

Squats (back/front, DB split squats are good too)
Deadlifts/RDLs (hamstrings and butt + torso strength)
Weight step-ups (I prefer barbell on back, can do these with a light load like 95# for 100 reps, kind of feels like bootpacking)
Running/hiking, good for conditioning/endurance
Don't forget the upper body, shoulder press, bench pull-ups (balance your push/pull)

As Meat said, a strong torso is important to protect your back and groin. If you are a desk jockey, work on your hip mobility in the off season (http://www.mobilitywod.com/ is a great resource). If you have tight hip flexors/dormant glutes from sitting in a chair all the time, your lumbar spine is going to take a beating in many athletic pursuits, including running.

Add to that overhead squats.

[XtrPickels]

If you want to work your hip flexors, hook your toe into a light kettlebell and lift your foot up as high as you can w/ out leaning, do flutterkicks (lay on back and raise alternative feet 10" at a time). You can use leg weights if you want.

It must be functional if you use a kettlebell!

The OP has a point.
While its kinda a dumb idea to hike with ankle weights, its about as "functional" as you can get by walking/hiking/ anything but skinning.
The only reason its partial legit is that you have to drag the weight of boots, skis, skins etc when you are skinning.

I would take them off for the way back down. I also wouldn't do it for more than 2 days per week and only for short amounts of time.

[Stikki]

Another option is a Nordic Track. You can find them on craigslist for $10.

[wooley12]

I hike 1.5 miles/day minimum. Use ankle weights 2-3 times/wk. Go at a slower pace with the weights. Go quickly while rocking to my tunes on the other days. Fortunately I have a 3 mile paved trail in my back yard so I can look like an old fool and no one sees. Better that sitting here posting methinks. I still suck on the uphill. My trail only has 60' of vert.

[cliffhucker]

Forgive my ignorance, but isn't wearing a 4 lb + ski boot the same as ankle weights? I suppose the boot provides ankle support, but how would either effect walking mechanics differently? Running I understand would be bad, but stairs really don't seem any different.

[catfishjon]

get in the gym and start doing squats and deadlifts.

[Nic.A]

If you want a low impact way to work your hip flexors over longer time periods ride a bike with pedal straps or clips but only use upward pedal strokes.

After I started riding my bike to work full time, noticed a significant improvement when on long[er] tours. biking uphill and using the upward stroke is where its at.

Add to that overhead squats.

I love overhead squats. The load burden is less, but not only does it work your core and upper torso, it also forces you get in tune w/ your balance more so than a traditional squat would. If not dead lifting, I do overhead squats. I like a routine of 27,21,15,9,3 @ 110# - quickly as you can. This is a takeoff from a CROSSFIT style routine.

do some leg blasters too.

[aj5474]

the strain that you feel in your hip flexors can also be a flexibility issue. Hiking with skis forces you to bring your knees up higher than when you walk or jog, the motion is closer to that of sprinting than jogging. find a low hurdle or fence and do a few step overs a couple of times a week. It will strengthen the flexors and give you a better range of mobility. It will also help out your balance and general coordination.

[Egreenaw]

Another plug for Kstar's MobilityWOD and being a supple leopard.

You can get strong and fit for touring without too many sport specific movements.


Squat, deadlift and press. Sprint, run hills and go on the occasional 30+min journey.
By increasing your anaerobic capacity you can make significant improvements in the efficiency of your aerobic engine. You don't have to train long and slow to go long and slow out in the snow. If you can squat 225#s 10 times, you can damn sure move a ski boot as many times as you want.

[StopMakingSense]

If you want to work for your uphill performance the following matter:
- Raise your heart rate, do lots of cardio 5 times a week (Biking, hiking up steep hills, do some intervals in between like 5 or 6 times to get that lactic acid feeling built)
- Work the abs
- Stretch 3x or more a week and use a foam roller
- Use this to work the groin and hips, it'll work out those muscles you don't use biking or running/hiking http://www.performbetter.com/webapp/...752_1003893_-1

Other then that I don't do the gym thing, it would help, but I'll never be able to get into a consistent routine with it. What tools have I bought? I bought a PVC pipe to roll out my legs and one of those aforementioned black bands.

[neufox47]

I like a routine of 27,21,15,9,3 @ 110# - quickly as you can.

Why? What is this accomplishing for you? In my opinion these types of workouts are like an all mountain ski. They aren't really good at developing strength, endurance, muscular endurance, or VO2, but they are passable for all of them. The one benefit I see from them is that they are good at making people work hard who are normally lazy in the gym.

[StopMakingSense]

Why? What is this accomplishing for you? In my opinion these types of workouts are like an all mountain ski. They aren't really good at developing strength, endurance, muscular endurance, or VO2, but they are passable for all of them. The one benefit I see from them is that they are good at making people work hard who are normally lazy in the gym.

EXACTLY, go running, if it isnt hard, keep pushing

[skiing-in-jackson]

You are overthinking it! Hike with a pack!.....ankle weights.....jeeeeez!

#2 post wins!

Some time back there was an excellent thread on ankle health. Someone posted a link to an excellent article from the NYT. How to Fix Bad Ankles. A must read for every skier.

[Beyond]

#Idon'thavethefactstobackthisup but I believe that would fuck up your knees.

^^^^ Truth. No one uses these things anymore. If you want to build up your legs for skiing, bikes or hiking. Try loading a pack with rocks if you're worried about not getting enough of a workout.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

After I started riding my bike to work full time, noticed a significant improvement when on long[er] tours. biking uphill and using the upward stroke is where its at.



I love overhead squats. The load burden is less, but not only does it work your core and upper torso, it also forces you get in tune w/ your balance more so than a traditional squat would. If not dead lifting, I do overhead squats. I like a routine of 27,21,15,9,3 @ 110# - quickly as you can. This is a takeoff from a CROSSFIT style routine.

do some leg blasters too.

Overhead squats are good but doing them all the time makes little sense. Squats are the king of resistance exercises. A lower "load burden" is not good for getting stronger.