We recently met with Dave Ryding, Pro British Alpine Skier, a local legend in his own right and a force to be reckoned with on the slopes.
Dave specializes in the slalom discipline, skiing at top speed through a course marked with closely spaced gates. Over the years he has gained recognition for being one of the top British ski racers in slalom, a discipline where he has consistently performed well on the international stage. He has competed in various World Cup events and World Championships, representing Great Britain.
Dave regularly uses cycling as part of his cross training for his ski season preparation and can be seen flying around on the Ridley Fenix SLiC. Here’s a glimpse into his training…
The Training Regime
Dave’s typical training when he is home in the UK incorporates both cross training and strength work in his ‘No Frills, Garage of Gains’!
Following his morning smoothie and porridge, the day typically starts out with a short run to get his heart rate moving and his body warmed up ready for his first workout of the day.
Then it’s onto strength training to keep his legs injury free and powerful for taking on the slopes in the Winter. A couple of warm up sets, then it’s onto heavier weights for his squats and dead lifts.
Throughout the day Dave consumes a balanced diet, ensuring his caloric needs are met with plenty of protein such as mackerel and other meat and fish spread across his meals. Both fuelling and recovery is important to make sure he makes the most adaptations from each of his sessions across the week.
Strength training is done most days of the week and a rest day usually taken on Sundays following his all out effort at his local Park Run where he pushes hard at his lactate threshold. Dave can regularly be seen in the top positions! For Dave, both cardiovascular fitness and big leg strength matters and weighing in at 85kg he still produces a phenomenal top end speed…
Following lunch and checking in with the family at home it’s often on to an afternoon ride featuring climbs on some of his favourite local loops. Some weeks Dave makes an appearance at the Chain Gang which gives him variety in his training and the chance to train with other athletes, he also uses Zwift for some of his high intensity sessions.
Dave tracks a lot of his sessions both running and cycling using his Polar watch to ensure he has accurate heart rate data and can compare his workouts with ease.
For our full interview and video with Dave you can watch here: https://fb.watch/nbNagqfxxX/
