Ski enthusiasts rejoice – winter is nearly here. New England ski resorts are now either partially open or planning to open soon. But before hitting the slopes this season, it’s worth hitting the gym to work on conditioning and strengthening those muscles you’ll need to help get you down the mountain. From advanced to novices skiers, conditioning and strength training exercises are important for improving your performance and helping to prevent injury. So while we await snow, here are some training tips and exercises you can start doing now:
Strength Training
Skiing is extremely demand on the lower half of your body – having strong legs are essential. Squats are one of the best exercises for this. They work your quads and hamstrings, which control your knee joints and glutes. Try squats with or without free weights, but do them, especially if you do not have access to a gym. Alternatively, if you prefer a machine-based leg exercise, the leg press is a good option. Lunges are also great for leg strengthening – again do these with or without free weights. For further quad strength try wall sits, you’ll feel the burn afterward.
Balance, Agility and Plyometrics
Practice balancing by doing one-legged squats or exercises on a balance board. Developing agility will also help improve your overall skiing technique. Quick repetitions of lateral jumps is a great ski-specific agility exercise, especially since skiing involves a lot of lateral movement.
Plyometrics builds explosive power and combine elements of speed and strength. One type of plyometrics exercise that is great for skiers involves standing on a stable, elevated surface (a box or bench), jump down and then immediately jump back up. Repeat this motion with ten or more reps.
Endurance
Cardiovascular endurance is emphasized more in cross-country skiing than in downhill, but it’s still an important complement to an alpine ski focused strength training program. Working out on the stationary bike gets your heart and lungs going while simultaneously targeting those crucial legs muscles like your quads, hamstrings and calves.
Try doing intervals on the bike: warm up for five minutes on an easy level, then increase the level or resistance and pedal hard for one minute, then decrease the resistance a bit to rest, then increase it again and go hard, etc.
Fitness routines are necessary for any sport. Olympic skier Lindsay Van spends 6-8 hours a day in the gym to prepare for skiing. She and other professional skiers are just as dedicated to dry-land training, as they are to actually skiing. But while the rest of us may not have not have eight hours a day to spend in the gym, if you can get to the gym for one hour and incorporate some squats and lunges into your routine, you’ll be well on your way towards a long and healthy ski season.
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