I was short on time yesterday, so I was forced to hit the gym (as opposed to going for a roller ski in the glorious spring weather we’ve been having here in Alaska, argh). If I have less than an hour to get something done, my fitness Alamo is typically the Ski Erg. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, from the people who brought you Row While Going Nowhere!, it’s the nordic ski equivalent i.e. a rowing machine, but for skiers.
I have a weird love/hate relationship with gym machines, and I don’t quite understand it. For example, treadmills. Or as I call them: “Hatemills”. Should be pretty easy to determine how I feel about them. Rowing machines, not much different. But Jacob’s Ladders? I could, and have, spent hours on them. Happy as a lark to go hand-over-hand on my way to some elevated nirvana.
I spent a lot of time on the Ski Erg last summer. Concept 2, the company that makes Ski Ergs, puts on virtual races (their machines have wireless connectivity), and I thought it would be fun(?) to jump into their annual 1k sprint race last fall. I’m not going to lie — I don’t hate the Ski Erg. The daily workouts that C2 publishes are short, high intensity. Most importantly, the motion of using the Ski Erg, done correctly, is close enough to the poling motion of nordic skiing to provide what’s known as “specific strength”. It’s another way of saying that it uses the same muscles using the same range of motion, so it benefits the real thing. How much? The studies I’ve looked at seem to indicate that while usage in training falls into same beneficial camp as just about any strength-focused activity (weights, plyometrics, etc), it isn’t a race performance predictor.
Did it help me? I think so. I finished 3rd in the Tour of Anchorage 40k (classic) this past march, which is my best finish in any race. But who knows, really.
I was talking to my friend Julia the other day about her relationship with her treadmill (love), and it got me thinking about all the fitness adjuncts out there, and maybe in some of our homes. Pelotons, of course. Treadmills. Rowing and skiing machines (remember the original Nordic Track? Baller!). Thighmasters and Jazzercise blocks. I’d love to hear about your relationship with fitness machines, contraptions, and devices in the comments, or you can drop me a DM or email if you’re not a paid subscriber.
We tend to think of these things as means of being fit and/or healthy. But another way to think about them is that like any physical activity, they help us to be in our bodies, connected in a very real and responsive way. And I think there’s something to that. Let me know what you think.
I don’t treadmill or ski erg BUT my thing is Tonal. I have that little electronic cable cross on my wall and I love it. I *could* go lift weights at a gym which is itself a proxy for actual physical labor. But being able to go in my basement any time of day or night with no barriers to lift is amazing. The challenge w treadmill et al is they take me away from being outside, but I’m not competitive enough to work about sport-specific training.
I know — especially up here, and now as the days have warmed and if the sun is out. Last place I want to be is inside.