Winter is fast approaching. We are past Halloween and Thanksgiving is only a week away! For some of you ski resorts may already be open. For others, they will open soon. Here are some ways you can get your body ready for long days on the mountain!
Getting The Body Ready
As you go into any new sport, your body needs some time to get used to the activity. Snow skiing is different in that you can't get used to it in the off season (or it's really expensive and requires a lot of travel). You may have noticed that no matter what kind of shape you are in, you are likely sore after your first day of skiing every year. Not many activities simulate snow skiing.
The better shape you are in, the easier your transition will be. Ideally you do many different types of exercise leading up to the ski season (CrossFit, running, Orange Theory, yoga, etc.). This will help you be more tolerant of the unique demands of skiing!
Specific Exercises For Skiing
With all of that being said, there are still some muscles that work more than others for skiing. As you may guess, the leg muscles are hugely involved with snow skiing.
Here are some strength exercises (with rep schemes) for you to get ready for skiing:
Squats without weights - Perform daily 3-5 sets of 20 depending on your level of fitness
Squats with weight - Perform 2-3x per week 3-5 sets of 5-10 at 75-85% 1RM
Lunges without weights - multidirectional lunges (forward, backward, lateral) 3 sets of 15 per leg 3-5x per week
Lunges with weight - Perform 2-3x per week 3-5 sets of 10
Planks - side planks and regular planks. Perform for 3 total minutes 5 days per week.
Deadlift - 2x per week 10 repetitions of 75% 1RM
Single Leg Deadlift - 3x per week 2 sets of 20 repetitions
Single Leg Hopping - multidirectional daily for 1-2 minutes
Double Leg Hopping - multidirectional daily for 1-2 minutes
As with any exercise routine, you can vary this up by doing different positions for all of the exercises. Listen to your body and take breaks when needed.
Add in some cardio for 20+ minutes 3x per week.
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