As ski season
approaches, when do you start preparing? Hopefully you don't think about
getting yourself into shape once the snow starts to fall; this just doesn't
leave you enough time really train and prepare for the slopes and terrain.
Getting ready for ski
season means pre-ski exercises that will get your muscles in shape and get your
heart beating as well. In this way your body will be prepared for even the most
challenging and punishing of slopes.
Here are three great
pre-ski exercises that you can do regularly throughout the year as well as
right before strapping on your skis.
High Stepping
You might want to do
these pre-ski exercises in the privacy of your own home since they do look a
bit silly! But high stepping, as you may see in a marching band, is excellent
training for the legs since it puts demands on all those muscles that don't
normally get used. They're like doing deep knee bends in reverse.
You don't need to
consider anything special to do high stepping; simply stand in one spot and
pull one knee up, almost to your chest, and then back down as you quickly raise
the other knee. If you do this quickly you'll be working not just your muscles
but will be improving your aerobic base as well.
Downhill Running
Downhill running works
an entirely different set of muscles than uphill running, and also calls for
more balance and coordination as well. While you don't want to risk injury by
being on a hill that's too steep, even a small hill with a slight grade can help
to get you ready for ski season. Good pre-ski exercises to do may include just
running straight down the hill or you can zigzag around obstacles for added
work and benefit.
In some cases it may be
good to use a weighted backpack to increase the resistance and workout. Again,
be careful and don't risk injury, but do push yourself a bit so you know your
muscles are being built and toned.
Adductors and Abductors
These exercises work
the upper thighs, and many gyms have equipment that will do this. Often you sit
in a chair and squeeze pads between your thighs, or push them out with your
legs. To do these exercises without gym equipment, stand with your feet
shoulder-width apart and place a chair to your right, holding it gently for
balance. Lift your left leg sideways, then cross it over the right leg. Move it
back and forth, resisting this motion as you do to work those muscles.
These simple pre-ski
exercises can be done just about anywhere and without equipment. They get you
in great shape for ski season and can get you warmed up the day before you
actually ski. Practice them regularly and you will be one of those that's ready
for anything the snow may throw your way!
To get into the best
possible ski shape of your life and ski all day long without the dreaded
aching, burning jello-leg, then grab your free report and start chiseling that
body for ski season.
How good is your
direction and your balance when you ski? You may assume that balance,
coordination, and the ability to point your body where you want it to go are
just inborn traits that you either have, or you don't.
It's true that some
people seem to be naturally graceful and others somewhat inherently clumsy, but
it's also true that you can greatly improve your balance and your coordination
with some simple exercises for skiing. These exercises will improve your muscle
tone and overall strength so that your body responds quickly and easily to
those demands put upon it.
If you're ready to stop
having your legs fail you every time you try to hit the slopes or the
cross-country terrain, consider these simple exercises for skiing that will
increase your fitness.
Hand to Big Toe Pose
Very often exercises
for skiing involve stretching while toning, and are sometimes harder to perform
than they seem. The hand-to-big-toe pose, a common advanced yoga movement, is
one such exercise.
To perform this
movement, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight to
your right leg and pull your left knee into your belly. Reach your left hand
across your thigh and grab your big toe or wrap your hand around the inside of
your left foot. Gently straighten your left leg and pull it slightly to the
left, holding it with your hand this entire time. Make your leg as straight as
possible, although newcomers to this exercise will need to keep their knee bent
a slight bit.
Your weight and balance
are supported by your right leg as you do this. Hold this pose as long as
possible then pull your left leg in and down to the ground, switching sides.
Repeat this movement six times for each leg, and feel the muscles working on
your balanced leg as you do.
The Eagle Pose
This movement also
seems very simple but is actually very challenging, and will build strength,
balance, and coordination as well. To perform this pose, stand with your feet
shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Pick up your left foot, cross it
over your right leg and tuck it behind your right calf. Hold your arms in front
of you, bent at the elbows. Wrap your right arm around your left and clasp your
hands.
The eagle pose sounds
simple and may seem like nothing more than a human pretzel, but it takes
enormous flexibility, balance, and coordination to hold this pose. You'll feel
the muscles in your legs and back working to keep you upright and balanced.
This is the same work your body will do when you're on skis and trying to keep
itself upright and balanced.
Practice these two
simple but effective exercises for skiing often and with concentrated
movements, and your legs will never fail you again when you're out on the
slopes!
To get into the best
possible ski shape of your life and ski all day long without the dreaded
aching, burning jello-leg, then grab your free report and start chiseling that
body for ski season.
To become a better
skier you need not just the right skiing technique but also the physical
stamina, agility, and fitness to withstand the rigors of skiing. This will
allow you to ski better and for longer. No more wasting time sitting in your hotel
room on a powder day simply because your legs can't stand the strain you've
placed them under.
In this article I want
to share some ski fitness tips to help you become a stronger and more capable
skier. Use these tips in your workout routine and you will feel the difference
on your next ski vacation.
Use Movement oriented
exercises
Training at the gym
does not really provide the same kind of environment that simulates what you go
through when you ski. This is especially true for exercise machines which
usually limit the body to move in a single direction along a specific rail or
range. When you're skiing you can move sideways, rotationally, up and down. To
prepare your body for skiing, you need to train it with free movement
exercises. These kind of exercises are also excellent fat burners so you can
build quite a good looking body as well as get it primed for ski.
Build strong legs
While most people in
the gym tend to work on their upper body, in ski most of the work is done by
your legs. In every turn you make on the slopes, your legs are under immense
strain. This is why you have to develop strong legs. This isn't limited to
strength alone. Your legs have to be agile, flexible, and quick. These are all
traits that you will need on the slopes.
I recommend training
your legs with a variety of exercises from classical resistance such as squats
to jumping exercises, and movement exercises. The more varied your workout the
better.
Endurance and stamina
is key
When you train for ski
you should remember than the traditional 10 - 15 rep gym set is not going to
cut it. You need to improve your stamina and endurance. This can mean doing a
lot more reps than usual with a lower weight and it can also mean doing the exercises
faster than usual. I recommend including both variations to give your body the
most diverse training experience possible.
In conclusion, train
your body for the things it will encounter when skiing and you will feel the
difference next time you hit the slopes.
For the best ski
fitness program visit Avalanche Ski Training
[http://www.skifitnessexercises.com/avalanche-ski-training-review/]
To learn more about the
way to train your body for skiing visit [http://www.SkiFitnessExercises.com]
John Davenport lost
over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. He now
runs a weight loss forum and publishes a diet and fitness newsletter.
It is ski season again
and lots of people are doing their best to lose weight and build their fitness
ready for the slopes and the après ski. I like everyone else wanted to get in
shape for my annual ski trip so this sparked my interest about training for
skiing and the resources available on the internet. Actually good resources
about fitness for skiing was sparse and terms of quantity and quality. Clearly
their are many components to a fitness programme so I will go through what is
required including cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance,
power and balance. I will also discuss the relative merits of vibration
training, and whether there is any point in adding vibration to your programme.
The advice I am going to give today is based on the idea of a 8 week programme
(this is way too short but I am a realist).
Cardio fitness
Any activity that
involved activity for a long duration, say 6 ours per day for 6 days, is going
to require cardiovascular fitness. Add to that the fact that most skiing is
done at high altitude, meaning that oxygen will be more scarce, which means
that having good cardio health and fitness is an absolute necessity for skiing
fitness.
Also having high cardio
fitness also means that your powers of recovery will be better from each bout
of skiing that you do. This means that you will be more ready to ski again
after lunch or as you progress through your holiday.
I would suggest a
minimum of 3 cardio sessions per week, probably 1 long slow session for up to 1
hour, 1 short fast session of around 20 mins and even 1 interval session
lasting about 30-40 mins. Many of the equipment at gyms these days have
interval programmes built in. The interval programmes are also good because
they relieve the boredom of training indoors.
Other gadgets you can
try are altitude simulation equipment, such as hybreathe (a portable altitude
simulator) or one of the many altitude tents available.
Muscular Strength
Strength is an absolute
must for skiers, especially novices. Most of your time will be spent climbing
off your bottom and it takes a hell of a lot of strength to perform basic turns
if technique is not yet perfected. Quad strength is absolutely paramount but
also core strength and some upper body strength for using your poles.
Strength is the muscles
ability to develop force, which in terms of skiing means lifting more than your
normal body weight, often on just 1 leg. You will often be travelling at speed
meaning that when you perform turns you will be lifting multiples of your body
weight, and before you can actually turn you have to work eccentrically to stop
your body from collapsing (I will talk a little bit more about this in the
section on vibration training).
To develop strength
there is no alternative than to lift heavy weights, close to your maximum with
low repetitions - 2 sets of 5 reps is probably ideal. You need to train for
strength minimum 2 times per week. The exercises I would include squat or dead
lift, bench press, bicep curls and some core exercises front and back. You can
supplement with other exercises to keep your training interesting. You can also
find machines that incorporate vibration training into your strength by using
machines with Vibrex, this technology is very new so might not be available to
everyone yet.
Muscular Endurance
Once you have increased
your strength it is then time to develop your muscular endurance as when you
are skiing it will be for maybe 6 hours per day so being fatigue resistant is
important. Muscular endurance is the ability to lift a submaximal force many times.
You will be performing turns and stopping repeatedly so this could be the most
important part of your programme, we have all felt our legs start to burn when
we are only half way down a slope!
To develop muscular
endurance ideally you need to lift around 50% of you maximum about 15 times,
and I personally would do 3 sets of this per session. Keep the exercises the
same as your strength training. As a shortcut you can even put the exercises in
a circuit and include this as one of your cardio sessions.
Power
To develop power there
seems to be good evidence that this is where vibration platforms can be very
useful. Please click here for a PDF document showing different power exercises
that can be performed on a platform. I would stick to dynamic squats, dynamic
wide stance squats, dynamic one leg squats (this will also help with your
balance) and jumping on the platform. As mentioned earlier the vibration
platform will also help with eccentric strength, which is the strength you need
to stop your body from collapsing especially when performing turns at speed.
When training for power
you need to reduce the quantity of sessions you do as it is important your
muscles are fresh each time you train. I would train 2 times per week on power.
If you don't have
access to vibration training, then you can use conventional exercises, lifting
around 30% of your maximum but the key is to explode through the lift, and try
to throw the bar away (obviously it would be good to have some help with this
as safety is the most important thing. Lift about 7 reps per set and perform 2
sets of each exercise.
Balance
Everybody forgets about
balance but this is one of the most important elements of a skiing programme.
The key to good balance is having a strong internal focus. If you keep
focussing on things outside your body then you will fall easily. Keep your
attention inside your body and you will find your balance improving very
quickly. A good place to focus is on your breathing, just behind your tummy.
This is a good thing to remember when you are skiing also.
Again the vibration
platforms are very good for developing balance for example doing one-leg squats
and jumps. Also another vibration related product I cam across is called
flexi-bar. This is very good for developing balance and it will help your core
also.
Flexibility
Another frequently
forgotten element of the ski training programme is flexibility. Good
flexibility is important for proper efficient muscle action, and also to enable
you to fall with less risk of injury.
After every training
session stretch each muscle of your body (especially the ones you have been
working) and hold each stretch for at least 20 seconds to develop good
flexibility. If you are creative this is a good chance to develop your balance
and a strong internal focus.
Breathing Muscle
Training
One of the more recent
innovations is in breathing muscle training. There are now several devices such
as powerlung and powerbreathe. For extra benefit I would recommend a vibration
breathing device such as powerbreathe as this can increase growth hormone which
can enhance strength and recovery, cardio health as well as training the
respiratory system.
Programme Plan
If you have lots of
time you can phase your training to make sure you develop each component fully,
but if you only have 6-8 weeks left I would recommend 2 cardio sessions per
week (1 interval) and 2 circuit sessions per week. In the circuit sessions you
can increase muscular strength and endurance whilst also training your cardio
fitness.
Enjoy your skiing, see
you on the slopes!
Dr Paul Sumners is a
neurophysiologist at London South Bank University. His expertise is learning
and memory of respiratory and skeletal muscle systems, and performance
improvement. He is also an inventor of vibration training related devices whose
benefits are being applied to elite athletes and clinical populations. His
personal vibration training blog is http://vibrotraining.blogspot.com
Adding some skiing
workouts to your program plan is a great way to improve your performance on the
slopes and improve your overall muscular strength level for everyday activities
as well. Skiing is a very physically demanding sport so it is important that you
have good muscular development in all areas of the body.
One element of your
physical fitness that is important to develop is balance. Since you will be
placed quite off balance throughout your skiing sessions, the better balance
capabilities you have, the more confident you're going to feel while you're out
there.
Let's have a look at a
few of the main balance exercises that you should consider adding to your
workout program.
Single Leg Deadlifts
The first good exercise
for improving your balance is the single leg deadlift. This exercise is going
to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back and since your base of
support is small, also help improve that balance element at the same time.
When doing this
exercise, think of lifting up with the glute muscles rather than pulling
through the back for best results.
Single Leg Split Squats
Moving along, single
leg split squats are another must perform exercise. This one will help to
target the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, and will be great for improving your
core strength as well.
As you add this one to
your skiing workouts, make sure that you maintain a good upright position as
you go about the exercise. This will prevent lower back pain development and
make sure that you are targeting the right muscles.
Lateral Raise On One
Leg
Finally, the last good
strength training exercise to add to your skiing workouts is a lateral raise
while standing on one leg. This is going to primarily work the shoulder muscles
but since you're using just one leg as a supportive base, boost your balance as
well.
Make sure to perform an
equal number of reps to both sides to maintain good muscular balance. Aim for
10-15 per side, doing two sets total.
So there you have some
of the best balance-boosting exercises to add to your skiing workouts. Do these
and you will find you have more control when you hit the ski slopes.
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