Add Agility Drills to Every Roller Ski for Better Performance

For me, summer is jammed packed with raising kids, running a whitewater rafting business, entertaining friends & relatives, and, like you, the never ending pull and tug of my time between all my interests.

Needless to say, it's difficult to find the time to train, much less find the time to ski. Luckily, Interski 2015 was in September, right at the tail end of summer when my whitewater business slows down, giving me just enough time to roller ski about a half dozen times.

That's not many roller ski sessions for a guy whose about to present on an international stage for skiers from around the world.

So each roller skiing session needed to do more than just getting me use to gliding and balancing. I needed each roller ski session to refine and enhance my technique, improve my fitness and awaken all of my dormant skiing neurons that fell asleep over summer break.

After watching some of CXC roller ski videos, I was inspired to add a variety of agility drills to each roller ski session.

You see, I don't believe it's necessary to compartmentalize every workout into cardio, strength, speed, agility, muscular endurance or whatever else. I also believe that specific, compartmentalized training has a place, especially with athletes or intense master racers who take their training seriously, have or make the time for that kind of training specificity and need.

I however, don't need the edge, don't make the time and am not seriously competing for any medals.

Consequently, I like combining my workouts, mixing strength with cardio, agility with sprints. I believe our different physical energy systems where not designed in isolation of each other. The systems work synergistically, wanting to be turned on and rested and turned back on throughout the day.

To save time and to get as much as I can out of each workout, I've combined as much as I can into my rollerski. 

My roller ski route is 8.2 miles long with roughly 400 feet of elevation gain. Not only did I change up technique every time I trained (classic & skate), but I made sure I did every drill listed below during my 8.2 mile ski.

If you're interested to see my ski, checkout the video.

The list of drills:

Skate

● Double pole

● V2

● V2A right

● V2A left

● V1 right

● V1 left

● Double pole hop

● Glide on one ski

● Glide, hop, push off 

● Skate step figure eight

● No pole skate 

● Terrain change ups

● No pole uphill

● V4

● S turns downhill

● Breaking wedge 

● High tempo

● V1 to V2 at top of hill