Improve Your Game: Ski Conditioning

If you’re going to improve your game, whether you are a skier or a rider, conditioning is a must.

Sophia Pin (BScKin, CPT, AFLCA) is a high performance, personal fitness trainer and one of her areas is specializing in the training of skiers and riders at the University of Calgary. She’s put together a program below that will work for anyone. And you can do it at home!

“We all want to be stronger, quicker and more confident on our skis and boards,” says Sophia. “Downhill skiing and snowboarding are both physically demanding activities and require a moderate base of cardiovascular conditioning, a level of skill and experience – and a high degree of leg strength and muscular endurance.”

Strength and endurance training will help to improve your overall speed and performance on the slopes, as well as protect you against acute and overuse injuries that are very common to both sports, she says.

The components of flexibility, balance and coordination, strength, speed, and endurance are all part of a complete training program.

Circuit training is an excellent way to simultaneously improve mobility, strength and stamina, says Sophia. It enhances the energy systems that are required on ski runs lasting several intense minutes, during which time your thighs, hips, back and calves have to work hard to keep you upright on the slopes.

If your goal is to ski strongly all day long then a solid base of aerobic fitness and strength is essential.

Training Program

Here is a simple training program that you can do at home to improve your muscular strength, endurance and power for your ski season. By following this circuit of exercises, you can put your best ski forward in an attempt to get the most out of the sport.

For best results, complete this program two times a week.

Ski Conditioning Circuit

This circuit is comprised of 12 ski specific exercises that are to be completed one after another. Each exercise is performed for 30-60 seconds with a 10-15 second rest period in between exercises. The total number of circuits performed during a training session may vary from two to six depending on your training level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced).

1. Wall Sit: Back against a wall with your feet shoulder width apart, and squat down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Draw your navel to your spine and hold this position.

2. Lateral Hops: Agility and balance are imperative to good skiing. To improve agility start by standing in a squat position sideways to a stack of books or pillows on the floor. Step side-to-side over the stack, maintaining the squat position. As strength and ability improves, jump from side-to-side. Try to minimize ground contact time and control your landing. For experts, attempt this exercise with a single leg hop.

3. Mountain Climbers: Start with your hands on the floor or a chair. One leg should be bent and the other extended out long (runner’s stance), with your body weight on the balls of the feet. As quickly as possible jump your legs back and forth.

4. Squats: Stand in front of a chair with feet hip-width apart, navel to spine and back straight. Slowly bend your knees and lower until you are almost touching your bum to the chair.

5. Static Lunges: Stand in split stance, right foot in front. Bend the knees and lower body into lunge position, keeping the right knee behind the toe, torso upright and core engaged.

6. Dips: Sit on one chair with your palms down and gripping the edge of the chair. Place your heels on the floor in front of you. Slide forward just far enough that your behind clears the edge of the chair and lower yourself so your elbows are at 90 degrees. Do as many repetitions as you can.

7. Front bridge: Start on your forearms and knees on the ground. Keep your body straight from head to torso, engage your core. Hold this static pose. If this is too easy, progress to your toes.

8. Alternating arm and leg lift: Lie flat on your stomach with your arms stretched out overhead. Lift opposite arm and leg up, hold for a count of two seconds and lower, keep alternating sides. Engage through your core, you should feel this working in your lower back.

9. Bench or box jumps: Power also plays a large role in skiing. One of the best types of exercises to work on power is plyometrics. Plyometrics are basically performing one movement pattern that puts a muscle in a state of stretch, followed immediately by an explosive move that contracts or shortens the same muscle. Stand on a bench or box, jump down off the box and then immediately back up. This should be done in sets of 10-30 seconds trying to do as many as possible in this time. Experts can perform the same exercise on one leg only.

10. Backwards walking: Another good strengthening exercise is to walk backwards upstairs in a semi-squat position. This exercise really utilizes a lot of the same muscles as needed in skiing. The main thing to remember is that you will be making contact with the ground with your toes initially and stepping off with your heel. By maintaining good body position (trying to actually mimic your skiing stance), you will no doubt feel the burn in your legs.

11. Jumping Rope: jump with or without a rope for 30- 60 seconds

12. Single leg balance: Balance and coordination are key elements in improving your alpine skiing. Start with your feet shoulder width apart, shift your weight over to one leg, balance on your leg for 10-30 seconds and then drop your weight a little and hold for 10-30 more seconds. Repeat this sequence 3-4 times in varying positions of knee bend. To make it more challenging, do the same sequence with your eyes closed.

Flexibility

Flexibility is another important attribute to skiing to improve blood flow to the muscles. Concentrate on hip flexibility, hamstrings, and trunk limbering.

Standing rotations: Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart, with your knees slightly bent and your arms crossed out in front of you. Start with your head, slowly turn and look over one shoulder and continue with the rest of your body until you feel a good stretch throughout the back. Hold 5 seconds and repeat in the other direction. Perform 5-10 times.

Hamstrings: Put your heel on a step or a chair, square up your hips and keep your back straight. Bending through the hips, slowly lean forward until a stretch is felt in the back of the thigh. Hold 20 seconds and repeat 2-3 times on each leg.

Quadriceps: Bend your knee behind you, grasp your ankle and pull towards you until it stretches in the thigh. Hold 20 seconds and repeat 2-3 times on each leg.

With this ski program in place, you will be ready to attack the slopes, says Sophia.

If motivation is a problem, you can join top high performance trainers at the University of Calgary in a challenging conditioning program for skiers and boarders that includes circuits, drills, stairs, weights, step drills, core, balance and more. This program will definitely make you sweat and work hard.

For more information contact Kinesiology Client Services at 403-220-7749.