With the fall colors changing faster than my garden is ripening, it’s time to start thinking about getting back into shape for skiing. Whether you are a back country skier or you frequent the lifts; skiing requires you to have strong knees, legs, a fit core, endurance, and coordination. I plan on picking up my gym membership tomorrow and becoming reacquainted with my old friend – the squat!

Here’s some great advice from a variety of blogs and Internet sources that will help you get into ski shape…

According to Becomeanexpertskier.com, you have to “Be Strong to Ski Strong”

“Expert level skiing is more demanding on the knees, thighs, hips, abdomen, and back so preseason preparation is the norm. In short, you need to be strong to handle the rigors of expert skiing”

They suggest to begin your fitness program at least two months prior to your first day on the slopes and that your fitness routine should include:

• Ski stretches to improve your flexibilit y and mobility
• Ski exercises to build muscle strength in the legs and core
• Jumping exercises to enhance your power and foot speed

Another great blog about active lifestyles from SierraTraddingpost.com details certain points of focus for your ski training. They include the following:

1. Strength Training Don’t underestimate the power of strength training to improve your skiing ability. Strong quads, hamstrings, and glutes are essential for the sport. The more you work them before you hit the mountain, the more runs you’ll be able to make and the less pain you’ll be in the next day. Don’t forget to work your abs, too.

2. Cardio Training A good choice for pre-season cardio training is stationary, road, or mountain biking. Cycling offers excellent cardio conditioning while giving your leg muscles a great workout. Walking or running hills is also beneficial.

3. Agility You’ll want to hone your agility before attempting to navigate the mountain. A good way to work on this is to step from side to side in a semi-squat position. Work your way up to jumping from side to side in a semi-squat.

4. Speed If you want to be faster than you were last year, be sure to incorporate speed work into your pre-season routine. An easy way to do this is to find a long set of stairs (a stadium is perfect) and run up and down, driving your knees high up into the air as you ascend.

5. Flexibility Yes, stretching and flexibility can improve your skiing. Be sure to thoroughly stretch your muscles, especially those in your legs, before and after every workout.

6. Power You can’t ski without power–you need power to stop, to go, to turn, and even get to the lift. To increase yours, stand on the curb or the first stair from the bottom with your side to the sidewalk or floor. Jump off the curb or stair and then immediately back up. Repeat in sets of 10-30 seconds. For a challenge, jump on one leg only.

7. Balance Work on your balance after you’ve done all of the above, because you’ll need this skill to be honed even when you’re fatigued. You’re most vulnerable to injury at the end of the day because you’re not skiing as strong as you were in the morning. Balance plays a key role here in keeping you safe. A good balance-improving exercise is to stand on one leg with your knee bent and your arms tight against your sides. Balance for 10-30 seconds, bend your knee a little more and hold for 10-30 more seconds. Repeat on each leg several times. To make it more challenging, stand on a pillow and close your eyes.

For some more specific advice, Natalie I. Kelly at Hellium.com recommends spending 5 minutes stretching lower body muscles such as your calves, hamstrings, and quads. Back and chest muscle stretching is also a good idea.  After stretching, she recommends working on strength training to prevent sore muscles after skiing. Her third ingredient to ski season preparations includes endurance. This includes fitting in at least 15 minutes of aerobic activity a day.

Here are some of her work-out tips:

Stretching:

Hamstring stretch – Lie on your back keeping legs flat on the floor. Keep stomach tight, small of back pressed on the floor and shoulders relaxed. Place a towel or yoga strap under one foot and slowly raise your leg keeping knee straight as high as comfortably possible. You can also bring your leg across mid-line to stretch the outer leg and buttock. Hold each stretch 20-30 seconds, repeat 2-3 times.

Quadriceps stretch – Lie on stomach and bring one of your heels towards your buttock keeping hips pressed into the floor. If you can not grasp your ankle comfortably with your hand you can use a towel or yoga strap around your ankle. Then you would gently pull on the towel or yoga strap to bring your ankle toward your buttock. Hold each stretch 20-30 seconds, repeat 2-3 times

Back stretch – Lie on your back with knees bent. Slowly bring both knees to your chest, clasping your hands under your thighs. Gently pull your thighs toward your chest and lift your head and shoulder off

Strengthening:

Core and overall abdominal workout – This is an advance exercise so work up to this one. Lie on your back with the ball between your ankles and your arms extended overhead. Simultaneously lift your head, shoulders and ball off the floor and transfer the ball from your ankles to your hands. Then return the ball to the original position. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Squats – Begin with feet shoulder width apart and a neutral pelvis. What I mean by a neutral pelvis is thinking about your posture “are you slouching your upper body or maybe you are arching your mid-back” Abdominal should be engaged as you bend the knees and hips. The best way to ensure your posture and form is correct is to visualize a chair being behind you and your trying to sit down. Also, remember knees should NEVER go over your toes so that is why using the visual of a chair is sometimes helpful. If you are still having difficulty with this posture then practice with a chair behind you and lightly tap as you squat down. Once you are proficient with the posture perform a set of 10 repetitions after the 10th hold in a squat for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat this 2 more times. Add weights only after you have good form with the exercize and can perform 30 repetitions with ease.

Considering that all the experts agree that 2 months is the minimum amount of time to start preparing for the ski season, this month is the perfect time to start. If you have some more tips on getting into shape or want to share your own work-out routine, we ‘d love to know what you do! See ya at the gym!

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