Fuel for Speed: ULTRASLIDE Slideboard for Skiing & Ice-Based Training

With the onset of fall weather and only 137 days until the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, anticipation is mounting for some of the most popular competitions including skiing. The ULTRASLIDE Slideboard lends itself inherently well to off-ice training for athletes who compete in ice-based sports given the occasional limitations on access to ice. Skiing is no exception. 

Marc Digesti,
Founder of PerformancEDU Training Facility 

Marc Digesti, former U.S. Disabled Ski Team Strength Coach and Director of Performance of PerformancEDU Training Facility utilizes the ULTRASLIDE Slideboard for multiple diversified training programs in his in Tahoe, NV facility. Recently Marc shared his perspective on why the ULTRASLIDE is so effective for his skiers, elite athletes and more.

U: What is your experience with skiing? 

M: I grew up in the Tahoe area ski racing until high school. After playing baseball in college and graduating with a degree in Exercise Physiology, I was hired as the Strength Coach for the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. In this role, I traveled, designed and implemented training methods for our athletes including testing protocols.

U: What are the most important training objectives for skiers in general? 

M: The most important training objective is to get ski athletes powerful while not limiting their mobility and stability movement patterns. They need to be solid and strong but flexible to anticipate the changes in direction and terrain.

U: What are the most challenging training aspects for skiers?

M: The most challenging aspects of training skiers is their rigorous in-season travel schedule. We have to create a very objective periodization for their off-season dry land training. More importantly we have to create a program for their in-season maintenance. The ULTRASLIDE has been a perfect fit for meeting these needs given that it provides 24-7 access to a training mechanism and is versatile in function to support a variety of training needs. This one tool can address the needs of many.

U: Having incorporated the ULTRASLIDE Slideboard into your training and conditioning, do you find that it supports conditioning in one central area or multiple area(s)?

M: The ULTRASLIDE is a training tool we use for many areas of our training. It's not just great for our metabolic systems with interval work and lateral sliding; we incorporate it into all of our upper and lower body mobility/stability movements and torso stability patterns (for the core).

U: What differences in performance did you notice after you began using the ULTRASLIDE in a more targeted way?

M: Based upon periodizing programs with and without loads on the upper body (using weight vests and med balls), our skiers were able to hold their turns with more power and stability.

U: Why do you think the ULTRASLIDE is most effective for skiers?

M: The ULTRASLIDE is the best training tool that mimics the lateral demands placed on the body while skiing. The slideboard bumpers are sturdy and allow the athlete to achieve speed and access the same force they leverage in competition. The bumpers really force the athlete to load their inside hip during the push-off which directly translates to loading the inside hip while initiating the turn in the true competitive environment.

U: What is your go-to exercise or routine when utilizing the ULTRASLIDE? 

M: At PerformancEDU, one of our go to movements with the ULTRASLIDE are reverse loaded lunges. You get the best of both worlds for great single leg strength and upper body stability.

Running is an Art

Art Ives,
Founder of the The Way of Running

Running has become one of the fastest growing forms of exercise in the United States, only requiring a little conditioning, motivation and an open distance in which to run. Making the decision to run competitively is a commitment and increases the need to condition on and off "the track" to sustain a long-term running career and prevent the occurrence of injuries. 

Art Ives is an accomplished runner turned trainer and advisor who applies a holistic approach to his work with clients. Having  incorporated the ULTRASLIDE slideboard into his training programs, he recently shared how it has made a difference.

How did you find the ULTRASLIDE?

AI - I started doing some personal research for a cross-training tool to complement tmy personal training routine as well as for clients. I came across the ULTRASLIDE slideboard and based on its effectiveness, quality and customer support, it was the perfect choice.

What are the most important training objectives for runners?

AI - There are many! The primary training objectives for runners are:

• Movement and postural awareness,core engagement, 
• ability to relax with prolonged physical exertion, 
• patience and consistency, 
• balanced and systematic progression, 
• solid nutritional support, 
• personal organization, 
• taking their work seriously and themselves lightly. and
• peaking and tapering in a classic sense to avoid injury, burnout or mediocre/flat performance.

What are the most challenging aspects of running for exercise, or training?

AI - Like the objectives, there are many challenges. The obstacles I watch out for are:

• the body's sensitivity to work andrecovery cycles, 
• understanding how fast is fast enough and how long is long enough, and
• disregard to conventional techniques or quick adoption of overly clever trends that cyclically come and go.

Objectivity with process and results, perseverance, overcoming self limiting notions, employing realistic goal setting and proper gauging of actual fitness are just a few ways to overcome these challenges.

Having incorporated the ULTRASLIDE into your training and conditioning, do you find that it supports conditioning in one central or multiple area(s)?

AI - The ULTRASLIDE is highly effective and lends itself positively in the areas of:

1. core engagement
2. coherency around the center of gravity
3. awareness of hip placement and lateral movement in the frontal plane
4. coordinated rhythmic flow and use of grounding/stabilizing forces
5. conditioning of synergists and peripheral muscle groups for both strength and local muscular endurance
6. plasticity of tissues and 
7. creative movement.

Most of all it's FUN! I have always wanted a slideboard since studying sports agility in the 80's.

Learn more about Art on The Way or Running website.

Five for Training...in Hockey

Guest Blogger Mark Meads Explains How the ULTRASLIDE® Enables Competitive Edge

As the owner of Competitive Edge Personal Training, we give athletes the tools and instruction they need to take their game to the next level. One of the highest regarded pieces of fitness equipment that we use in our athletes' training programs is the ULTRASLIDE 8 foot slide board. And although I specialize in hockey training, all of our athletes benefit from the usage of the ULTRASLIDE, not just our hockey players! 

The ULTRASLIDE brings a lateral sense of movement to athletes that no other piece of equipment can bring, and that's just breaching the surface of what the slide board can do for you. Our athletes have not only excelled in horizontal movement, but also in linear movement such as sprinting. This is because the muscles that are used in side to side movement are overshadowed by the repeatedly used muscles in forward movement. The ULTRASLIDE conditions those muscles and brings them to the surface where they can be fine tuned.

Two of the movements that I love to perform on the ULTRASLIDE slide board are Split Lunges, and Knee to Chest movements. With the Split Lunge, the client starts with one foot in front of the bumper of the slide board, and the back foot directly behind on the baseboard. They slide their foot backwards, dropping their hips straight down, causing the front knee to bend at a 90 degree angle. Performing this exercise on the slide board adds a more challenging element as the lower back and core are engaged to maintain balance on the slide surface.

The Knee to Chest movement is performed with both feet on the baseboard, and both hands off the board in front of the body on the bumper. While in push up position, the client will bring both knees straight in to their chest and then back to starting position. This is performed with a tight core, as quickly as possible while working on the hip flexor muscles. 

As a hockey player, using the ULTRASLIDE slide board has greatly improved the length and the power that I am able to produce through my stride. Our other athletes, such as basketball players, have become quicker in their shuffling and more powerful in their vertical leap. I greatly advise and recommend adding the slide board into the workout program of anyone looking to train for any sport, or just looking to get in better shape and lead a healthier lifestyle. 

Mark is the owner of the Competitive Edge Personal Training Center in Middleton, MA. Mark is a competitive hockey player for Bentley University and leverages unique training resources in his personal training programs to help clients achieve the advantage they're looking for.