Like flowers that bud each spring, spots of glistening, deep white powder are popping up all around the country. It’s snow time and no matter what your favorite sport, here are some ways to keep the first day from ruining your next.
If you wear a rigid boot or shoe that changes your regular gait, strap them on and spend a few hours walking around on the carpet. Bind them just like the real thing and you’ll find any potential blister spots ahead of time. Your ankles and shins will also be getting in some practice runs.
Skiing Lunge
If you’re not a cardio fiend, you aren’t going to have much fun. You should be able to hold the mid-high level of your target heart rate for at least thirty minutes. Work the legs extra high and throw in some classic calisthenics, like Squat Thrusts: Squat down hands on the floor and in the same motion kick both legs behind you (show-offs might do a push-up at this point) then spring your knees and feet back under and stand (or better, jump) and repeat again in a continuous movement. Get up to 20 of these and you’re ready for jumps and moguls.
Resistance Moves
Bands and bodyweight work are excellent because they mimic the way your muscles work during the sport better than machines. You want light weights, and high reps. Light doesn’t mean easy, it just means you aren’t going for a one rep max—you’re lifting for exhaustion, just like you ski. On most of the exercises you’ll go to the point you can’t do one more, or you’re bored. BTW, if you’re bored, add more resistance next time. For starters you’re going to need extra work on the back, biceps, quads, hams and calves. Power generates from your core, so you need and lower ab exercises along with some sidebends.
Upright from Lunge Position
Elbow-to-Opposite-Knee drills are a great warm up for your ski workout. So is jumping rope for about five minutes, even if you have to take breaks. Pull ups, even partials, are good for the back as are any type of rowing movement or side lateral raises. Some shoulder shrugs and neck rolls are also called for.
The rowing exercises go hand-in-hand with bicep pulls. You can use a tight band or even a towel around your feet for these—pull ‘til ya can’t pull no more.
I do most of my ab work with the ball. There are plenty of exercises to choose from, just be sure you do some low back stretching as well.
Your legs do the lion’s share of the work, unless your sport is snowmobiling. I like Ballet-style squats where you pulse down to the count of 4 (as close to thighs-parallel-to-the-floor as possible) hold until you want to scream, then pulse back up. Now do the same thing on your toes.
My other exercise of choice is the lunge. I wish this exercise was called the long-step, because the biggest mistake people make is to lunge forward with their torso as well as their forward leg. Your torso should remain upright and allow your quads, hamstrings and glutes to do all the work. Your step should be as long as possible so that your trailing leg’s knee is about 4-6 inches from the floor. If you loose your balance or, Heaven forbid, hit the ground with the trailing knee, shorten your stride. For ski tune-ups I prefer walking lunges, and walking up a slight incline (10%) and down is a real plus. Perform until you get the first real burn, but then give it a break. Add more steps each time you lunge, and never work a sore muscle on consecutive days.
Starting three to four weeks out on this routine is ideal. Don’t start it the day before you ski. If you’re doing these moves with ease, you are ready for many great days of skiing.
By Laura Dayton
