The road to Vasan - how to train!
If you are one of the almost 16,000 people who have registered for Vasaloppet 2018, it is high time to start training! PT and cross-country enthusiast Julia Månsson knows how to do it.
Completing 90 kilometers of skiing requires a lot of preparation and careful training. Julia Månsson has competed in cross-country skiing and competed in Vasaloppet 2016. Today she is a PT at Sats Hötorget in Stockholm and helps many of her customers train for Vasan.
There are less than three months left until Vasaloppet. What are your training tips?
- If you train at a gym, I think the most important thing is not to do the same things every session. When you're cross-country skiing, you work your whole body. Therefore, it is good to train complex exercises that activate the whole body at the gym and not focus on isolating exercises for, for example, the arms, says Julia Månsson.
How many miles a week should you ride before the competition?
- It is very different depending on how far you are going to ride. If you are only going to ride three miles, two miles a week divided into three sessions may be enough, says Julia Månsson and continues:
- "If you're going to ride nine miles, I recommend a calm long session of 1.5 miles and upwards that you increase as you go, and then two slightly shorter sessions where you practice riding and feel the technique. These sessions can be between 5 kilometers and 1.5 miles. Make sure your body gets used to riding, so you don't just ride once a week.
Complement your three cross-country sessions with gym training 1-2 times a week, and you will be in good shape for Vasaloppet. Here are Julia Månsson's three tips on strength exercises to focus on before the race.
#1 lunge
- Both forward and sideways. Feel free to vary with both shorter and longer steps.
#2 Push-ups
- Keep your arms diagonally backwards to work more with your back.
#3 Balance training
- Many may think that balance training is scary but there are a lot of hills in Vasaloppet. Practice standing on one leg. Learn to jump, land and stand stable on one leg.
READ MORE: How to dress when cross-country skiing
READ MORE: Cross-country skiing without arm pain - how to do it!
