Strength Training
Participation in the Dene Games is often long, grueling and demands both mental and physical toughness. For example during the Pole Push event, athletes are often outside in temperatures around -15 to -25 Celsius and are called upon to perform. During the Finger Pull athletes can play as many as 8 to 12 matches within a couple of hours, often participating in matches that are very painful. Although the Dene Games are a lot of fun, athletes participating at the higher levels such as Arctic Winter Games need to train and prepare themselves similarly to any other high performance sports.
However, before starting any strength training program it is important to talk with your coach or teacher to discuss your program. And for students wanting to take part in a strength training program, but are not familiar with this type of training or if you are not physically prepared to participate in this type of training please discuss and talk with your coach or teacher. And during all exercises always use a spotter.
The following are a list of strength training exercises that I feel would benefit your athletes or can complement your Physical Education class. Depending on your resources and time, strength training exercises can be modified and using the exercises in a circuit training format may be more manageable.