Ski-Specific Exercises to Help Build the Right Muscles

Build the right muslces.

Almost every skier – minus the truly devout – have to deal with the inevitability that living on a planet with a tilted axis brings: changing seasons. Even if you live further from the Equator than most, there’s a good chance that once spring and summer roll around, you’re left wondering where all of the wintertime fun went.

For the avid skiers who plan on making a quick and seamless return to the hill during the next winter, it helps to take a “year-round” approach. The only question is, “what do I do when it’s sunny out?”

Luckily, you can keep in “skiing shape” all year round. Here are some quick tips on ski-specific exercises you can tackle during the summer that will keep you conditioned for the slopes:

-Keep your back strong.

Even advanced skiers have to put up with the occasional strain or soreness that comes from tackling the long muscles in your back. One of the first things a new skier might notice is how tough the sport can be on the lower back, especially. So how do you keep your back in shape while skiing?

Rollerblading is a great summer sport that encourages back strength and keeps many of your muscles “remembering” what it was like to ski. There is also the emphasis on balance and downhill speed, so many skiers will find that rollerblading makes a seamless sport for those sunny summer days.

-Remember your legs.

Strong legs help you control yourself while you’re on the slopes, as you’ll be exercising them through an entire ski trip. You don’t want to ignore your legs during the summer and hot fall days, so if you want to add some weight training to your summer routine, you might find it enormously beneficial.

Squats will help boost raw leg power inside the gym, as well as other exercises that focus on the calves, quadriceps, and strengthening the knees. Leg endurance typically isn’t as important, but if you feel you need to build that up, include some uphill cycling into your routine – this can be done outside or by spinning your wheels indoors.

-Vary up your endurance routine.

It’s tough exercise to be out in the sun and running in a straight line, but when you’re skiing, you’re doing anything but tackling a straight line. Vary up your cardio routine to include hills, trails, turns, and cuts: get used to be being off-balance so that when winter rolls around skiing will feel second nature. You’ll find that it makes the runs more challenging, but more exhilarating and inviting at the same time.

Photo Credits: papalars

Originally posted 2009-06-02 05:15:49.

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