Hey look! Vail's ski season is almost upon us. Again. Yes, we know the summer only lasted about five minutes, but we're making the best of it and want to devote our fitness regiment to training for skiing and snowboarding.
Squats and lunges will condition you for strong turns on this hill this winter.
As your body has probably conveyed to you in the past, biking, hiking and running all summer and fall will not condition you for skiing and riding.
No, skiing and snowboarding each isolate specific muscle groups (you know - the ones that are always screaming those first couple of days on the slopes), and we've come up with some tips on how to strengthen and condition them so you're ready to hit the slopes with a mid-season fitness level.
Skiing
There's not much argument among skiers about where you feel the burn early season. If your thighs had a loud speaker, the mountain would be a pretty noisy place.
Strengthening the knees is key in preparing the body for skiing, and knee power comes from strong quadriceps and hamstrings. How do you make strong quadriceps and hamstrings? Start an every-other-day squat program, doing repetitions of 10 squats, then 20, incorporating weight as your days on the mountain draw nearer. For a little variety, begin to add some lunges into the routine, concentrating on these if you're a telemark skier.
A couple weeks into this practice, begin supplementing your training with some jumping and plyometrics. Ideally, if you can find a dry hill and have only a light sense of shame, this is prime turf for pretending you're on a mogul field. Put your pretend poles out in front of you, keep your feet parallel and start hopping down the hill.
Snowboarding
When snowboarding, your calves and shins do most of the work. To strengthen them, begin doing toe raises on stairs to condition your calves and toe lifts to strengthen your shins. For toe lifts, a mattress works wonders. Dig your feet under the mattress and pull up with your toes. If you do 20 reps, three times every other day of each, your legs will thank you once you strap into your board.
Alternately, if you have a skateboard ... USE IT. Skateboarding uses virtually all the same muscles as snowboarding.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Both sports require a good amount of core strength. Begin working sit-ups into your pre-bedtime activities. Crunches and bicycle kicks (lying on your back, kicking your legs as if you're cycling, bringing an elbow to the opposite knee) are most effective. To strengthen your back, try the Superman (or Superwoman). Lie on your stomach with your arms and legs out and simultaneously lift your right arm and left leg, followed by your left arm and right leg. Try to do at least 50 of these every other night.
Lastly, a few push-ups and tri-cep (on the back of your arms) lifts will do you a world of good, too. When you're poling down a catwalk, or pushing yourself off the ground after a face plant, you don't want your arms quivering.
Happy conditioning!
