Jayme Smithers dominates the peak to valley fitness circuit, beating out Dr.O and many others. Could he be this season’s Saturday fastest?

Welcome to the Peak to Valley training program – a comprehensive pre-season fitness program that will help you become a stronger skier or snowboarder and prevent injury this year on the slopes.  Every month, we will post new programs for you to follow so please stay tuned at the start of each month for your new programs.  The training plan is well thought out, starting with simpler exercises at lower intensities and progressing toward more complex activities at higher intensities at the start of winter.

This is called the Peak to Valley Training (PTV) Program because it peaks in February at the same time as the annual Peak to Valley ski race on Whistler’s Creekside.  You don’t have to be competitive to use this program – everyone should use it to get into shape for the ski season!  For the competitive types, we will be posting a special power training program for the 6 weeks leading up to the PTV ski race – we highly recommend you check back to the website for these workouts, because they are extremely effective at helping you make large, last minute fitness improvements that can help you take your ski fitness to a much higher level for a short period of time.  The Peak to Valley Power Training program will be posted the final week of December!

Training Program FAQ’s

Should I see a doctor before performing these workouts?

Everyone who participates in this program should see his or her Medical Doctor first because the workout intensities are vigorous, and will likely push your heart and lungs to their upper capacities.

How do I decide how many sets I should do of each exercise?

You will notice a range of sets for each exercise.  For example:

- 1-4 Sets of:  4(30 sec hard: 30 sec easy)

People who are relatively unfit and are not used to the type of workout that is assigned, should do the smallest amount of sets on the first week of the month, and then they can slowly increase the number of sets of they perform up until the mid range range of the recommended sets near the month’s end.  In the above example, a person who is 60 years old, and only works out 1-2 times per week already should start with one set of each for the first 2 weeks, then do 2 sets of each on the last 2 weeks.

People who are very fit can start at the mid range of the recommended sets and then slowly work up to the maximum recommended sets by the month’s end.  In the above example, you would start with 2-3 sets of each and progress to doing 4 sets on the 3^rd or 4^th week.

How do I decide how hard I should push myself/ what intensity I should do?

Your suggested intensities are included for your aerobic workouts.  For example, 7/10 intensity is a fairly hard intensity – you could only go for about 20-30 minutes at that pace, whereas 5/ 10 you could probably go for almost all day, and 10/10 you could only go for about 10 seconds.  The heart rate zones are also included for those who are familiar with them.  Come in and get a lactate with us if you want to learn more about them!

For your Anaerobic workouts, your pace is generally all-out.  If you don’t have much experience pushing yourself this hard, then you should be very careful not to push too hard at first.  You should warm up dynamically (Lunges, Squats, Twists, Leg swings, etc) and break a sweat before any of these workouts.

If the workouts don’t make sense…

Come on in for a session and we will teach you what everything means and how you should be doing the workouts!

January Weekly Schedule

  - 1 / Week:  Aerobic Power Workout

  - 1 / Week:  Anaerobic Threshold Workout

 - 1-2/ week:  Plyometric/ Ski Specific Prep

 - 1-2/ week:  Strength

 - 1 / Week:  Recovery

- 1-2 / Week:  Ski (For those that ski more, you don’t need to subtract workouts, but you should do less volume/ less sets of all exercises to avoid overtraining)

- Try the once per week peak to valley progression listed in a separate blog entry!

* Don’t Forget to only do 1/2 of the recommended exercises for the last week in January!  Your fitness will peak in the start of February!

 

 Workout Summaries

Aerobic Power Workout (Bike or Run)

- Warm Up – 20 minutes (Include submaximal sprints)

- Main Set:

- 2-4 Sets of:  6 X (30 sec hard: 15 off), Rest 3 minutes before repeating each giant set.

- HR Zone 4 or 8-9/ 10 effort

- Progress rest from 15 seconds to 0 seconds by your 6^th week.

- Do your most number of sets on the 2^nd or 3^rd week in January.

- Last week of January, perform only 1-2 sets.

- 10 minutes passive rest / with or without stretching.

- 1-3 Sets of:  6 X (60 sec hard: 30 off), Rest 3 minutes

- HR Zone 4 or 8/ 10 effort

- Do your most number of sets on the 2^nd or 3^rd week in January.

- Last week of January, perform only 1-2 sets.

- Cool Down – 10 minutes

 

Anaerobic Threshold Workout (Bike or Run)

- Warm Up – 15-20 minutes

- Main Set – 1-3 X 15 minutes at 7-8/ 10 intensity (HR Zone 3a)

- Cool Down – 10 minutes

- Stretch – 10-20 minutes

 

Recovery Workout (Bike, Run, Hike, Swim, Stability Workout, other)

- 30-60 minutes at easy pace

- 5-6 / 10 intensity or heart rate zone 1.

- Okay to add short sprints of 10-20 seconds every 5 minutes.

- No warm up or cool down necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plyometric/ Ski Specific Prep:

- Warm Up 20 minutes (Dynamic Warm Up – Squats, Lunges, Quick Drops, Submaximal Jumps)

- Main Set:

- 1-4 sets, Rest 2-3 minutes between each:

- Lateral Tuck Steps – 1 minute (rest only 1 minute between sets)

- Knees above the toes at all times – start high position, progress to low.

- Single Leg Square drill (3-5 laps), with speed followed by 1 minute of balance

- Lateral 2 Foot hops over 2 lines – 10/side.

- 2 lines, .6-1 meter apart.  Jump over one single line twice then your third jump is long over top of 2 lines to the other side.

- Count only the long jumps.

- Single Leg Lateral Jump (Skater’s Jump) – 16

- Be sure to be balanced and have good form before you take off for a new jump.

- Forward bounding tuck jumps – 10

- Lateral-Vertical Jumps with limited ground contact – 10

- Jump Laterally as far as you can, then jump vertically as high as you can with limited ground contact.

 

- Tuck Progression:

- Without taking any rest, do one large set of the following exercises (each exercise is 30 seconds):

- Tuck

- Lateral Tuck Steps

- Tuck

- Single Leg Tuck (30 sec./ leg)

- Tuck

- Tuck Jump – 10 jumps

- Tuck

- Quick steps in low tuck

- Tuck

- Tuck Up/ Downs

- Tuck

Strength Workouts 

- We offer weekly supervised strength sessions that are of high quality and great value.  At an entry cost of $100/ month, these sessions allow us to:

- Ensure you are performing your exercises and stretches correctly

- Make sure you are following the weekly program correctly

- Offer extra guidance that is specific to you (stretches, therapeutic exercises, diet tips, etc)

- Motivate you and help to make exercise a fun and social experience.

- In General, January’s strength sessions should emphasize lower repetitions (6-8/ set) with ample rest periods (>60 seconds) between sets to allow for full recovery.  Do anywhere from 2-4 sets of each exercise – more experienced trainees should perform more sets with heavier weights.  Try to do more sets per workout as the month progresses, then take it easy for the last week of the month.  In general, exercises should be full body in nature, performed quickly

Have Fun!

Dr. O

Monthly Theme:  Speed

July’s theme is speed and agility.  Almost all of us need speed and agility whether we realize it or not; even the elderly sometimes need to move quickly in order to stop themselves from falling or to catch something quickly.  Most sports require significant amounts of quickness in order to execute perfect shots, run really fast, change direction, dodge another person, or to maintain their balance.  Strength training allows an athlete to develop more muscle mass and create more force in the muscle, but speed and agility training helps to make that force into something an athlete can use to do their sport better.   “Train slow, be slow” is a good catch phrase to keep in mind for training, and that is why it is good to stress quickness at certain times of the year.

So how often should people train for speed and agility, and what types of exercises should you choose?  At minimum, most people would benefit from doing basic footwork agility once per week.  This could be as simple as stepping forwards and backwards over a single line as quickly as you can for 20 seconds X 3 sets.   The type of exercises you choose should vary based on the demands of your lifestyle and sports that you choose.   Some athletes will have 3-4 workouts per week that are dedicated to combinations of jumps and sprinting, while some people may only need to do a couple of agility exercises in their garage once per week.  Some speed/ agility drills can also put significant loads on the joints of the body, and so anyone who has arthritis or any other medical problem that could be worsened by exercise should be careful what exercises they choose.

The following is a list of various speed and agility drills that you can try.  Be careful to choose only exercises that are similar to exercises that you have done in the last 2 months – if they are new to you, you should do the minimum amounts of sets and make sure your quality is good before progressing toward to going 100% with your efforts.  Start with the low impact ones and slowly progress (over 3-6 months) toward the higher impact ones.

Sample Speed/ Agility Drills

Perform between 3-6 of the following drills in any given workout, for 1-3 sets per exercise.  Keep the time for each set to less than 20 seconds.  You should stop before the body starts to feel fatigued, and always allow lots of rest (1-2 minutes) between sets if you want to make the most improvement possible.

Low Impact

- Stepping over a single line

- Side to side

- Forward and back

- Stepping in a ladder

- Various patterns that involve side to side, diagonals, forward and backward movements.

- Stepping over a low hurdle or another low obstacle

- Forward and back, side to side, crossing over.

- Eccentric drops

- Dropping quickly into a squat, one leg or two legs.

- Catching balls

- Medicine balls – dropping to catch them.

- Tennis balls – having to move short distances to reach the ball

- Throwing balls – side to side, single arm, double arm, against a wall or mini tramp.

- Any core drills that involve quick movements with the upper body and or lower body.

Medium Impact

- Quick contacts, 2 feet on the spot.

- Hopping over a single line

- 2 feet first

- Progress to one foot over time.

- various directions/ patterns.

- Hopping in a ladder

- Various patterns.

- Running drills (keep intensity low and sets long at first, then progress to higher intensities for shorter amounts of time)

- Side to side shuffle touching cones

- Slalom around cones or set 90 degree turn patterns.

- Forward and back around cones in figure 8 pattern – moderate intensity.

- Low intensity squat jumps and step jumps

High Impact

- Sprints – 100 meters and less

- Hops over hurdles of various heights

- 2 footed hops over low hurdle

- Change of direction running drills

- 5-yard line touching drills

- Slalom cone drills.

- 5-10-5 pro agility drill.

- T agility drills

- 3 cone shuttle/ L drills.

-  Vertical Jumps, tuck jumps, standing broad jumps, lateral bounding jumps, S foot jumps, S leg penta jumps.

Monthly Theme:  Flexibility

June’s theme is flexibility.  The high volumes of activity in June will add tension to the body – often in the wrong places.  Joint irritation from overuse and repetitious movements like running and cycling can make your flexibility even worse.

Poor flexibility can lead to increased tension in tendons, which leads to less blood flow, which can lead to poor healing of tissues, which leads to injury.  Poor flexibility also affects your posture, which can cause pain and muscle fatigue over time.  When your joints lack flexibility, the body has to compensate for those inflexibilities by overusing other joints and changing the way that it moves – this often creates pain in other joints for seemingly no reason.  Whenever something starts to hurt and you don’t know why, take a look at the neighboring joints and you may find the cause!

Flexibility becomes exceedingly important as we age; tasks that seemed simple when you were 50 can quickly become difficult at 70.  Maintaining a component of your fitness is always easier then improving it.  “Use it or lose it” is a good rule of thumb for every person as they age.

Notes for all stretches:

Stretches for healthy joints should typically be done at least 3 times per day to get improvements, and at least 2 times per week for maintenance.  Passive stretches should be done after exercise or when the body is warm, and held for 30-60 seconds at a time.  Before exercise, it is better to use active versions of these stretches where you use exercises that naturally stretch these joints while warming up the nerves and muscles at the same time.

Hip flexors:

The hip flexors are a group of muscles in the front of the hip.  They become tight with endurance types of activities like running, biking, or rowing and they also become tight with sitting.  Almost everyone would benefit from stretching his or her hip flexors more often.

When the hip flexors are tight, it puts more compression and torsion through the low back and pelvis while also putting more strain on the lower extremities making injury to the knees, ankles and feet also more likely.

How to do the stretch:

With one knee down and directly underneath you, turn your hips back like you are trying to pour water out the back of your pelvis.  This should create enough of a stretch for you; if not, you can lunge your hips slightly forward.  If you have to lunge far forward, you aren’t using your tummy enough!

Where to feel the stretch:

In the front of your pelvis and upper thigh.

Ankle Extension (Calf/ Achilles Stretch):

Proper ankle extension is essential to maintaining proper form for walking, running and squatting activities.  When they are tight (they are tight very often), it puts additional stress on the foot, knee, hip and pelvis.  Stretching the ankles into extension is a key treatment for many foot and ankle problems, the most common of which is plantar fasciitis.  Proper ankle flexibility can also allow the foot to sit more naturally on the ground and allow for better balance and coordination for sports.

How to do the stretch:

Place your foot onto a ramped surface and then move the knee toward the toe.  Do not let the knee move to the inside or outside, keep it in line, and be sure the arch of the foot does not collapse.   Do the stretch with a bent knee sometimes and with a straight knee sometimes.  This stretch may need to be performed more than other stretches in order to get results, as the ankle can be very stubborn to improvements.

Where to feel the stretch

Deep inside the ankle and in the back of the lower leg.

Shoulder Flexion:

Shoulder flexion is basically reaching the arms over the head.  Loss of shoulder flexion comes primarily from poor posture and not actually doing the motion enough.  Tight chest and back muscles make it even more difficult to do proper shoulder flexion.

The result of poor shoulder flexion is overuse of the neck, back and shoulder joint – which causes painful syndromes in each of these body parts.  It also makes doing overhead tasks at home very tiring; changing a light bulb or building some shelves at home can all of a sudden become an embarrassing activity to perform if you don’t keep up your shoulder flexibility!

How to do the stretch

Point the thumb up in the hitch hiking position, keep the arm perfectly straight, and raise the arm straight in front of you and over your head.  Use a doorway if you are standing or use a chair or Swiss ball in front of you if you are kneeling and add passive overpressure to push the arm back over your head.  Keep your tummy tight so you don’t just bend back in your back instead of the shoulder.

Where to feel the stretch

Different people will feel this stretch in different places, but in general you will feel stretching deep in the shoulder, in the chest, and also in latissimus muscles.

There is a new kind of doctor in Whistler!  Dr Ryan Oughtred will help you take your health to the next level, prevent illness or become a better athlete.  Dr O is a Naturopathic Physician and X – World Cup ski racer; he understands the wants and needs of Whistler residents.

Dr Oughtred offers services suitable for elite athletes to the elderly.  Services offered include:

Health and Fitness Assessments

Manual Therapies

Exercise (High performance and ‘prehab’ type exercise)

Nutritional therapies

Hormonal therapies

Botanical and Chinese Medicine

Come on in Whistler!  See what the doctor can do you for you.

Fish Oil Prevents Aging

A study from the American Journal of Medicine demostrates an association between blood levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and a lower rate of DNA ‘wear and tear’.

Antidepressants work…if you really need them

A new meta-analysis was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggests that antidepressants might only be effect for moderate to severe depression.  The study used only studies that used the Hamilton rating system to determine depression severity.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy May Not Work

A popular treatment for tendon injuries is still under question as to whether it works or not.  This latest study compared it to salt water injections – another study that suggests that the injects alone may be what is therapeutic, not the actual agent injected.

MMR Vaccine and Autism – The Lancet takes back the 12 year old paper

The Lancet medical journal had finally taken back its 12-year old paper that suggested links between the MMR vaccine and Autism.  The backlash to this article is significant, with authorities considering legal action against the physician responsible for the article.  The avoidance of the MMR vaccine due to fears of Autism has led to an increased incidence of measles infections worldwide.

Is the Jury Still Out on a Low Sodium Diet?

This NYT article talks about the hot debate over whether ‘anti-salt’ campaigns should be increased or decreased.  Too much salt is probably bad, but too little salt is also bad.  For now, keep checking your blood pressure from time to time and watch your salt intake if your numbers start to climb.

Fitter Students do Better on Exams

A group of researchers showed that students who had better cardiorespiratory fitness also did better academically.  Reportedly, more studies need to be done to prove a causal relationship before schools start to bring back physical education into their curriculum.  In the meantime, more than 1/3 of our children are overweight or obese…but, I guess we need more proof!

Stress EKG’s Help, but Who Wants to Pay for it?

Electrocardiograms can save lives in young athletes by alerting them that they may have an unknown heart condition.  Because these heart conditions are fairly rare, screening is not advocated because it would not be cost effective.  If you perform regular, intense physical activity, the test deserves serious consideration.

Interesting Research Ties Appetite to Your Gut Bacteria

Altering the bacteria in your intestines may lead to better digestion, lower appetite, and weight loss…some day.

A Good Review of Reasons to Exercise

Jane Brody of the NYT reviews the scientific evidence that supports the use of exercise for good health.

Vit D – More Evidence

Every month or two another study comes out to reinforce the importance of having adequate Vit D.  This article highlights the mechanisms through which Vit D may be helping to prevent cancer and autoimmune disease.

PSA – Should it be Used to Screen for Prostate Cancer?

The PSA test is costing the US billions of dollars per year with limited success in fighting prostate cancer.  The author of this NYT article does a good job at reviewing the evidence.   Click here to view some of the follow up from this article.

Breast Cancer Screening Works – Rarely

“Evidence now suggests that for every 2,000 women who are screened over 10 years, only one stands to have her life saved by the mammogram program, he said, whereas the risk of getting an unnecessary breast cancer diagnosis is 10 times that”.

Following the adjustments to the recommended screening age for mammography in the US (from 40-50 years of age), some are questioning the use of mammography altogether.

Statins Become Preventive Medicine

The FDA has approved the use of Crestor, a medication used to lower cholesterol, for preventive medicine uses.  It has been long been known that statins can act like anti-inflammatories in the body with can theoretically help to prevent a heart attack or a stroke.  Crestor’s main mechanism of action is to block the body’s production of cholesterol, an essential lipid that the body uses to make cell membranes, hormones, and other things in the body.  Time will tell if this drug will do more harm than good in patients with normal cholesterol levels.

Weak Preventive Medical Screening Policies Lead to Debate

Why is there so much debate about cancer screening tests like the PSA and Mammogram?  Because they don’t seem to be very effective.  So what’s the solution?

Hormone Therapy Protects Against Colon Cancer

Another study confirms that hormone replacement therapies can protect against colon cancer.  Long term users experience over a 50% reduction in cancer rates.

Diet Prevents 40% of Alzheimer’s Cases

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish is shown to lead to less cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

Processed Meats, not Red Meats are Associated with Cancer

A new harvard study had found an association between eating processed and developing cancer.  The same study was not able to show a significant association between those that ate unprocessed meats like beef, pork or lamb and those that developed cancer.