Skiing Preparation

December 19, 2024

Haven’t Focused on Your Ski Fitness? Does It Matter?

Absolutely, it matters. Skiing, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced skier, is a physically demanding activity so building in some pre-trip ski exercise to your daily routine is essential. You’ll be on the slopes for several hours a day, often for six consecutive days and at high altitudes. Unfortunately, the nature of our busy lives—whether sitting in traffic, working at a desk, scrolling through our phones, watching TV, or dining out—often fails to prepare our bodies for the challenges skiing presents.

The last thing you want is to spend a lot of money on a ski trip only to find by the third morning that you’re too exhausted or sore to fully enjoy it.

However, there’s no need to despair. Even just 2 to 3 weeks of preparatory ski exercises can make a significant difference in your skiing experience. Ideally, we recommend an 8 to 12-week ski exercise program before your trip, especially if you currently engage in minimal exercise. Improving your fitness, strength, balance, and flexibility can enhance both the enjoyment and safety of your time on the slopes.

If you’re not a gym enthusiast, don’t panic! There are plenty of ways to boost your fitness and strength within your daily routine:

• Take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.
• Cycle, walk, or jog to work instead of driving.
• Use your lunch or break time for walking or exercising.
• Do heel raises, single-leg balances, or squats while brushing your teeth or while waiting for your kettle or microwave.
• Swap a seated position with a wall squat (back flat against the wall, knees at 90 degrees); hold for 10-30 seconds regularly.

Ski Exercise Fitness Objectives

Build Cardiovascular/Aerobic Fitness

Enhancing your aerobic capacity will help you ski longer and recover more quickly. Aim to elevate your heart rate and become slightly out of breath for 20 to 30 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week.

You can choose from various forms of cardiovascular exercise, including running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or using equipment like a cross-trainer, ski-erg, or rowing machine. Group classes such as spinning, circuit training, or HIIT (High-Intensity

Interval Training) can also be very effective. HIIT involves alternating between high-intensity work (20-30 seconds) and brief rest periods (10-20 seconds), helping to prepare your body for the stop-and-go nature of skiing. Exercises like burpees, high knees, and squats can be incorporated into this training.

Boost Your Strength, Stability, and Coordination

In addition to aerobic fitness, muscular strength and stability are integral to skiing success. Skiing requires you to maintain a squat position, shift your weight from one leg to another, and occasionally pick yourself up off the snow.

Focus on strengthening key muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, back, core, and upper body. Effective exercises include lunges, squats, wall sits, glute bridges, heel raises, and push-ups. Classes such as circuit training and body pump are also excellent options.

Skiing involves inherent instability, requiring rapid weight transfers and body position adjustments. Hence, balance and stability are vital. Try exercises like single-leg bridges, BOSU or wobble board squats, single-leg balances, and side-to-side jumps to challenge your control.

Skiing Preparation Exercise Session

This session is designed to enhance your cardiovascular health, build strength, improve stability, and incorporate movements specific to skiing. Each exercise targets the key areas needed for a successful and enjoyable skiing experience.

Warm-Up (10 minutes):

• Dynamic Stretching:
  • Arm circles and leg swings to loosen the joints
  • High knees and butt kicks to increase heart rate
  • Lunges with torso twists to engage the core

Cardiovascular Health (15 minutes):

• Interval Training:
  • Cycling or Treadmill: 1 minute at a high intensity followed by 2 minutes at a moderate pace. Repeat for 5 rounds.
  • Jump Rope: 1 minute on, 1 minute off, for 5 rounds to boost endurance and coordination.

Strength and Stability (20 minutes):

• Lower Body:
  • Squats: 3 sets of 8-12 reps to strengthen quads and glutes
  • Lunges: Forward and lateral lunges, 3 sets of 6-8 reps per leg to improve single leg strength and stability.
• Core Strength:
  • Plank Variations: Front plank and side plank, hold each for 30-45 seconds, 3 sets to enhance core stability.
• Balance Training:
  • Single-Leg Stance: Stand on one leg for 30 seconds, switch sides, 3 sets per leg
  • Balance Board or BOSU Ball Exercises: 5 minutes of balancing exercises to mimic skiing stability

Ski-Specific Movements (15 minutes):

• Lateral Skier Jumps:
  • 3 sets of 15 reps to simulate skiing motion and improve agility
• Box Jumps:
  • 3 sets of 10 reps to enhance explosive power and mimic the demands of skiing
• Wall sit:
  • Hold a wall sit position for 30 seconds to 1 minute, focusing on maintaining a 90-degree angle at the knees and keeping your back flat against the wall.

Cool Down (10 minutes):

• Static Stretching:
  • Focus on hamstrings, quads, calves, and lower back to enhance flexibility and prevent injuries
• Deep Breathing:
  • 5 minutes of deep breathing exercises to promote relaxation and recovery

This session is designed to prepare your body for the slopes, improving both your physical fitness and skiing performance. Remember to adjust the intensity and repetitions to match your fitness level and consult a fitness professional if needed.

If you’re interested in getting ski-fit and would like a personalised training programme, or if you want a biomechanical assessment, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you have any injuries or niggles that you’d like assessed before your skiing holiday, give us a call at 0191 285 8701, or book an appointment with one of our fantastic, chartered physiotherapists.