Pete Swenson, coach of the U.S. Ski Mountaineering team, provides a cross-country skiing workout to burn over 700 calories per hour. The workout focuses on core exercises like crunches, upper body exercises like lat pulldowns, and 30 minutes of cardio like treadmill sprints. Swenson recommends proper technique of bending at the waist and pushing through your heel to transfer weight efficiently with each stride. The summary highlights the high-intensity cross-country skiing workout targeting the core, upper body, and cardio to burn fat effectively.

1. Jaygoodrich/tandemstock
18 mensfitness.com December 2012
Melt
FatThis
WinterTurn on your fat-burning
furnace as the temperature
plummets By Cat Perry
Core + Upper Body + Cardio
Core
Crunch, Reverse Crunch, Hanging Leg Raise,
Med Ball Slam & Throw
“A tight core will reduce rotation during push-offs and trans-
fers, and thus maximize your momentum,” Swenson says.
1
Upper Body
Lat Pulldown, Weighted Dip, Bench Press
By focusing on upper-body lifts, you’ll have an advantage for
powering your body forward, Swenson explains. “Pro XC-
skiers have similar builds to swimmers for a reason.”
2
30 Minutes of Cardio
Treadmill Incline Sprint, Cycling, Rowing,
Roller Skiing (advanced)
According to Swenson, cross-country skiing challenges both
aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, so you need to prime your
heart and lungs with both sprint and steady-state cardio.
3
DRY-LANDCROSS-COUNTRYSKIWORKOUT
Instead of plodding away on the
same old piece of cardio equipment
all winter long, hit the slopes for some
cross-country skiing. You can burn 700-
plus calories in a single hour, and push
your heart rate into the sweet spot be-
tween aerobic and anaerobic zones (an
optimal way to burn fat). Pete Swenson,
coach of the U.S. Ski Mountaineering
team, tells us how to get primed to blaze
fresh tracks—and incinerate calories.
Skechers GOrun Ride
Making use of the latest Skechers technology, this sneaker’s
sleek and responsive midfoot-strike design and rounded-pil-
lar sensors transform every impact into momentum you can
use, easily earning it an MF Performance Award (it’s perfect
for the workout on this page). Propel your foot forward into
the GOrun Ride’s perfectly cushioned, roomy toe box to
maximize your foot drive, grip, and response time—and boost
your A-game with every step. $80, skechers.com
shoeofthemonth
“Bend slightly at the waist, but don’t lean too heavily on
your poles,” Swenson says. “Instead of shuffling forward
in small steps, push through your heel to get traction and
transfer your weight in one continuous movement onto
the ball of your leading foot.”
Oakley RadarLock
Sunglasses
● Easily interchange-
able polarized lenses
diffuse the winter
brights, and a rubber-
ized nose and ear tips
give this sleek eyewear
a comfy, secure fit for
all-day wear.
$220, oakley.com
Skis & Boots
● Sure, you can rent
gear almost anywhere
you go, but if you ski
more than a couple
of times a year, it’s
better to buy your
own. Choose a light,
nonmetal-edged system
boot with matching
binding, and a ski with a
waist width of 48–70mm
for maximum terrain
versatility. Our pick:
an easy-entry ski like
the Atomic Mover 48.
$280, atomic.com
SnowShoes
● Snowshoeing also
melts the pounds
away—about 650 calo-
ries per hour—giving you
a minimal-gear option to
singe calories when the
white stuff has staked
its claim. Our favorite
shoes on the market
are the cutting-edge,
adjustable snowshoes
with clip-out crampons
from Kahtoola.
$279, kahtoola.com
The Key to Perfect Form
TECHNIQUE
TIP
Keep this total-
body sport in the
optimal fat-loss
zone: 70–75% of
your maximum
heart rate.
PE
RFORMAN
CE
a w a r d s
Check out the best sport sunglasses at mensfitness.com/sport-sunglasses
AMan’s World Everyman | LIFE | TRAINING | cardio | eating | sports | action |
CROSS-
COUNTRY
ESSENTIALS
Men’s
Fitness
2012
MF1212_EM_CARDI.indd 18 10/22/12 3:43 PM