Ski Fitness. Conditioning Exercises For Downhill Skiing
You wake up and get out of bed one December morning, turn on the television, only to find out your favorite ski resort is being belted with 2 feet of fresh power. Up until today, the resort didn’t have enough snow for you to even consider making a road trip. However, now it is time to get into the ski mood. The next step is a visit to the ski store to get new skies, boots, and clothes.
But wait! Have you prepared your body physically for the demands of skiing? Many ski enthusiast get fired up at first snow fall to get all the proper equipment, but fail to prepare their bodies from a physical exercise standpoint.
Ski-Specific Workout Condition Program. Go Here!
The most common mistake skiers of all ages make is they fail to
prepare their bodies for skiing. It is similar to the weekend warrior, forty year old, athlete who thinks they can play like a twenty year old.
Preparing your ski equipment is one thing, but getting ready physically to ski is the most important thing. Here are some tips to help you get ready to attack the slopes, and decrease your chances of injury.
First off, the best way to exercise or train for skiing is to ski. However, if you don’t live close to a resort, you must properly design an exercise program that will prepare your muscles for such a vigorous event.
Listed below is a ski fitness plan checklist.
1. Plan Ahead - Even though you should already be on a year long exercise plan, it is imperative that your fitness program starts 3 months prior to the ski season.
2. Incorporate All Components - Make sure your program involves strength training, cardiovascular training, and flexibility. All components are important for skiing.
3. Focus On Your Legs - Your quadriceps, or thighs take quit a pounding on the ski slopes. Make sure you do such exercises as leg press, leg squats, isometric wall sets, hamstrings curls, abduction/adduction exercises, and calves. I like to utilize the superset method of going from one exercise to another without rest to simulate the duration of a ski run. The goal is to get your quads to feel the burn. Exercise biking is another great ski training method. Put the intensity level up as high as you can go for the duration of a ski run, and pedal away.
Please Note: Each exercise program is specialized due to specific, individualized medical history. Always consult your doctor, and exercise professional prior to starting a program.
4. Work Your Core Muscles- It is important to exercise and fatigue the lower back, abdominals, hip flexors, psoas, and gluteus muscles.By doing so will help improve your stamina and overall balance.
5. Upper Body - Don’t forget your upper body. Work all the major muscle groups to prevent upper body fatigue while skiing.
6. Start Slowly and Build - Begin your skiing fitness exercises program slowly, and try to increase the intensity and/or duration with each consecutive session.
Also Note: The first day of the skiing don’t do your maximum duration - build up to it. Be smart about it!
7. Stay Consistent - The key to an effective ski fitness program is to stay consistent, week in and week out, at least three months prior to the season.
In my consulting practice, I work with skiers up to 80 years old. They follow these same principles I have listed above and always come back ranting and raving about how strong they felt.
Plan ahead, prepare by following a ski specific fitness program prior to hitting this years ski slopes. it will decease your chances of injury, and increase your chances of having a good old time.
Get Rock Solid Iron Legs With This Ski-Specific Workout Condition Program
Additional Information From The Blogosphere:
Do you struggle with shaky weak legs while skiing or are your legs rock solid and last all day long with no injuries? I’ll show you in this article why most ski fitness programs are setting you up for failure
3 Top Home Fitness Trends In 2009
I am always skeptical about “boxed fitness programs”, so I tried this one, sure it would be as cheezey as many of the others I’ve tried. Wow, I was surprised! This is one of the best home fitness video series that I’ve ever tried out.
Ski Conditioning
Basic exercises for ski conditioning to strengthen the core, lower body and promote balance.
Make Your Body Your Machine
Train your body into the best condition possible for the specific demands of your sport. Prevent injuries before they happen by preparing your body for the inevitable impacts that come with sliding on snow.
Get Strong Legs
Helping you get straight and strong with Kathryn Merrow, the pain relief coach.
The Strong Stomach Workout
As your lower one leg, raise up the other. Do this again for an entire set. Maintaining control throughout is important, not allowing momentum to get the better of you. Your upper body should remain on the floor through the entire move.
4 Plank Exercises To Work Your Core
They work wonders for your core as well as your shoulders and require no equipment at all. With planks, it’s easy to track your progress; the stronger you become, the longer you’ll be able to hold the positions.
You dont need to take an aerobics cl or a spinning class at a gym when you can participate in online fitness training. Exercise when you want, and where you want, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get in shape when and where you want to.
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Skiers who prefer to train for skiing at home should visit
www.HomeGymMistakes.com to pick up a complimentary consumer
protection guide.
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Jim O’Connor - Exercise Physiologist / The Fitness Promoter
9461 Charleville Blvd. #312
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
1-866-935-5967
Jim O’Connor, Beverly Hills celebrity fitness consultant, has conducted thousands of personal fitness consultations with celebrities, business executives, and highly motivated individuals throughout Los Angeles. He is the Chief Exercise Physiologist for Wellness WORD, LLC, a health, fitness, and nutrition promotion company. Jim is the author of a well known, world wide multimedia newsletter called Wellness WORD, published online every other week promoting the health and fitness truth. He also is the author of a popular ebook called Home Gym Shopping Secrets. Get The Wellness WORD “Multimedia” Newsletter delivered every other week for NO CHARGE to your inbox, and find out what the neat multimedia tricks Jim uses. For access click http://www.WellnessWord.com
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Tagged with: condition • downhill • exercises • fitness • skiing
Filed under: Ski Fitness
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skiing is the ultimate test of balance and power. These are some great tips for those learning or improving their skills.