For you Nordic ski triathletes, how do you balance your double- pole sessions with swimming? I’m still new to this xc ski thing, so how do you recommend a newbie keep some semblance of double- pole fitness/ strength while swim training for tri’s? Not worried about it now, but just thinking it could get tricky in the summertime.
Earlier this winter when I was getting ready for my ski races, I was skiing 5-6 days a week and swimming 4-5. It wreaked my arms trying to ski and swim this much, don’t do it!
You don’t need to double pole much if you’re swimming. I’m not sure if it works the other way around, but I didn’t swim May-Dec and when I started swimming in December I was pretty fit from roller skiing 100-200km a week.
For you Nordic ski triathletes, how do you balance your double- pole sessions with swimming? I’m still new to this xc ski thing, so how do you recommend a newbie keep some semblance of double- pole fitness/ strength while swim training for tri’s? Not worried about it now, but just thinking it could get tricky in the summertime.
Just take a break from XC ski training in the summer and do triathlon…you don’t need to ski/rollerski all year unless you are really at the pointy end of the elite…on the other side, if you are even semi proficient in swimming, you can take the entire XC ski season off swimming and within 2 weeks of returning to the pool you’ll be within seconds of your 1500m best summer tri race season times. There is a really a decent transfer from on to another in terms of the physiological loading and oxygen distribution to the required major muscle groups. If you are not proficient at swimming then it might take longer than 2 weeks to get back to last summer’s best times, but no more than a month. Having said that, your swimming won’t improve much. One year before Kona, my pool was shut down for over a month, and I did not have enough time to make my way across town to another pool, so 3x per week I just roller skied really hard for 60 min and then hopped on my bike and TT’d to work. I barely did 1swim per week in a real pool (too much time investment). I got to Kona and I needed a couple of swims to get my shoulder rotation and range of motion, but after that, for race day I was fine for a 3.8K swim.
Basically during ski season I can just run and ski and be in peak triathlon condition instantly doing very little riding and swimming. Unfortunately this ski season, I can neither skiing nor running (barely walking) so it’s mega pool time and some trainer time.
1-200k a wk on the rollers? Whew! Impressive. I can’t believe I’m thinking tri’s are now secondary to Nordic. Second winter at it and the hook is buried. Friggin love it. Thanks for the advice.
I would say I only did a couple in the 200’s… most were in the 150 range. I was biking and running way too much to do any more without killing my body.
What Paul guy said above is what I would go with. I can take a couple weeks off swimming and ski, and then come back to swimming feeling like I didn’t stop.
IMO - Ski while you can, the snow will be gone soon and the pool is always waiting!
I would say I only did a couple in the 200’s… most were in the 150 range. I was biking and running way too much to do any more without killing my body.
What Paul guy said above is what I would go with. I can take a couple weeks off swimming and ski, and then come back to swimming feeling like I didn’t stop.
IMO - Ski while you can, the snow will be gone soon and the pool is always waiting!
But when you took from May-Dec off from swimming, that’s 7-8 months. I fully get that XC skiing works the upper body tons but still you are not doing the over-the-shoulder rotation every single stroke like in freestyle swimming. It would seem that, if you were a serious swimmer, as in 5000-6000 yd/m per workout, your deltoids would feel pretty beat up after a few workouts, b/c you just don’t use the shoulders in the same way in XC skiing as in swimming. I could see how you could potentially swim pretty fast for one 1500 m or even 3800 m swim but your deltoids would be hurting afterwards, kind of like i’ve heard XC skiers say they run their fastest 10K coming off ski season, but then their legs are sore as sh*t for a week or so. Your thoughts???
I would say I only did a couple in the 200’s… most were in the 150 range. I was biking and running way too much to do any more without killing my body.
What Paul guy said above is what I would go with. I can take a couple weeks off swimming and ski, and then come back to swimming feeling like I didn’t stop.
IMO - Ski while you can, the snow will be gone soon and the pool is always waiting!
But when you took from May-Dec off from swimming, that’s 7-8 months. I fully get that XC skiing works the upper body tons but still you are not doing the over-the-shoulder rotation every single stroke like in freestyle swimming. It would seem that, if you were a serious swimmer, as in 5000-6000 yd/m per workout, your deltoids would feel pretty beat up after a few workouts, b/c you just don’t use the shoulders in the same way in XC skiing as in swimming. I could see how you could potentially swim pretty fast for one 1500 m or even 3800 m swim but your deltoids would be hurting afterwards, kind of like i’ve heard XC skiers say they run their fastest 10K coming off ski season, but then their legs are sore as sh*t for a week or so. Your thoughts???
Sorry, but I don’t really get what you’re asking… 
A fast 10k coming of ski season is 100% true… 3 years ago (I think?) I took the whole winter off running and just skied. In mid April that year I ran 34:30 off 0 running (I know a few skiers in a couple of the development centers that usually run fast in April as well)
I guess I’m not that serious of a swimmer though, as I swim a most 3500-4000m a workout (and thats a huge workout for me). I can handle 1-1.5 hrs of swimming a workout maximum, but I can classic/skate ski for 3+ hours np. Mind you I have been skiing since I could walk and only been seriously swimming since December.
I would say I only did a couple in the 200’s… most were in the 150 range. I was biking and running way too much to do any more without killing my body.
What Paul guy said above is what I would go with. I can take a couple weeks off swimming and ski, and then come back to swimming feeling like I didn’t stop.
IMO - Ski while you can, the snow will be gone soon and the pool is always waiting!
But when you took from May-Dec off from swimming, that’s 7-8 months. I fully get that XC skiing works the upper body tons but still you are not doing the over-the-shoulder rotation every single stroke like in freestyle swimming. It would seem that, if you were a serious swimmer, as in 5000-6000 yd/m per workout, your deltoids would feel pretty beat up after a few workouts, b/c you just don’t use the shoulders in the same way in XC skiing as in swimming. I could see how you could potentially swim pretty fast for one 1500 m or even 3800 m swim but your deltoids would be hurting afterwards, kind of like i’ve heard XC skiers say they run their fastest 10K coming off ski season, but then their legs are sore as sh*t for a week or so. Your thoughts???
Sorry, but I don’t really get what you’re asking…
A fast 10k coming of ski season is 100% true… 3 years ago (I think?) I took the whole winter off running and just skied. In mid April that year I ran 34:30 off 0 running (I know a few skiers in a couple of the development centers that usually run fast in April as well)
I guess I’m not that serious of a swimmer though, as I swim a most 3500-4000m a workout (and thats a huge workout for me). I can handle 1-1.5 hrs of swimming a workout maximum, but I can classic/skate ski for 3+ hours np. Mind you I have been skiing since I could walk and only been seriously swimming since December.
What I’m asking is when you start back swimming after a long break during which you were XC skiing, do your deltoids not hurt from the “specific to swimming” way that you are turning over your arms in swimming, i.e. you don’t throw your whole pole over your shoulder each time you push off in your skiing, whereas that is in essence what you do in swimming. OTOH, if you have only been swimming for 15 months, you may not have experienced this deltoid soreness yet:)
For you Nordic ski triathletes, how do you balance your double- pole sessions with swimming? I’m still new to this xc ski thing, so how do you recommend a newbie keep some semblance of double- pole fitness/ strength while swim training for tri’s? Not worried about it now, but just thinking it could get tricky in the summertime.
If you want to be as good as possible in either double poling or swimming you have to be 100% dedicated to one of them. BUT life is to short to just do that. Luckily swimming and double poling/skiing is a good combination. Xc-skiing is also one of the best ways to build endurance that will benefit running to.
Just make sure you are using your core when double poling. Also make sure your poles are not too high.