Skiing - carve up the slopes in style!
Winter sports like skiing and boarding are great ways to keep fit and healthy in the colder months. They are extreme sports and put heavy demand on the body, so if you want to perform to your best, avoid those nasty falls and be able to swagger straight from the slopes into the après ski without so much of a limp you need to put the hours in the gym before you go away.
Although it's the lower body that takes most of the hammering on the slopes, it's also important to have a strong core and good upper body strength especially when boarding.
Try some of these ski fit exercises to help you on the slopes.
Basic exercises:
- High step ups
- Walking lunges
- Squats (on stability discs) progress from 2 legs to 1 legged
- Push-ups
- Supine bridges - 2 legs, 1 leg, marching
Advanced skiing:
For the more advanced skier or boarder seriously wanting to rip up the slopes the following fitness components need attention in your programme; cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, power training, balance and stabilization, plyometrics and stretching.
A top tip for training for the slopes is to get into using cables and resistance bands in the gym. They are great tools to use as they offer multi-planar movement allowing you to mimic more realistic movement patterns.
Elliptical trainers are great for your cardiovascular conditioning as you can vary the speed, incline and resistance to target the gluteals, hamstrings and quadriceps. The lower leg muscles also benefit from the burn of a good cross country session!
A general strength training programme will increase overall strength and exercises involving the trunk and the lower extremities will really get you ski fit. Try upper body exercises on the swiss ball to activate your stabilizer muscles, and rotational movements like woodchops, torso twists on the cables, and rotational lunges to get your mid-rift into the best shape possible.
Plyometrics will prepare your legs for even the toughest black runs, so any lunging, jumping, bounding and hopping will be great. Try adding some twists in as well like 90o box hops to simulate sport specific movements.
Always remember to stretch after your training sessions and also after a day on the slopes. It will help to relax the muscles and help to prevent injury.
