Pre-Season Conditioning For Skiers
If you have not started already, it is now time to really focus
on getting your skiing muscles back into ski condition. It happens
to all of us. We train a little here and there and after that first
day of skiing, you can feel all those muscle groups you have
neglected over the summer.
Hey, like I said it happens to all of us. No matter how much
training you do, you can never really get away from the "first day
kinks". However, by training you do eliminate a great deal of aches
and pains and prevent unnecessary injuries from occurring. Try
following some of these tips on exercises you can do in your gym or
home.
First, you need to understand that you can condition the muscles
in addition to strengthen them at the same time. Far to often
people strengthen muscles, but forget that without the
conditioning, your muscles will only perform for a short period of
time. Starting with your legs. You can always do traditional squats
and leg presses, but try walking lunges up a hill or stationary
jumping lunges. Stand in place and get into a lunge position. As
you jump up, switch feet so that you land in the opposite lunge
position. Do one after the other without stopping. Try 2 sets of
10-20 lunges on each leg. Do not forget about the hamstrings. (Back
of the leg muscles) These are your knee protector muscles. Simple
leg curls will do the trick, but try doing one day slightly heavier
weight for 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions and another day do lighter
weight for 2 sets of 20-25 repetitions. This variety will be best
for your muscles. Ok, the legs are obviously very important, but
your "core" muscles are the next most important area to
condition.
The core muscles are your abdominal and lower back region. Try
sitting with your feet under a chair with your knees bent. Next,
sit back slightly until you feel your stomach area (abdominals)
tighten up slightly. As you remain in this position rotate your
shoulders and try to reach with your arms (keeping both hands
together) and touch the floor on that side, then rotate and try to
touch the floor on the other side. Keep up this motion and try 2
sets of 10-25 touches on each side. Remember to breathe and do not
hold your breath. This will really strengthen your "core" section,
but continue to do crunches, knee pulls to chest and trunk circles.
(Lying on back with hands behind neck and knees and feet in air,
rotate so your right elbow is coming up to touch your left knee and
visa-versa)
Keep in mind that these are two areas (legs, core group) you
must train, but you should also prepare your arms, shoulders and
cardiovascular system as well. A regular (3x per week) schedule of
exercise will contribute to better ski performance, less injury and
quicker recovery. Along with the exercises you should put equal
time in stretching your body. Flexibility is key to the movement of
those conditioned muscles. Make a good effort to run, walk uphill,
bike and row for optimal conditioning. There are hundreds of
training techniques and protocol I can provide you, but these are
the basics. If at any time you need more information on a subject
just email me. I always advise you talk with your doctor about any
reasons you should not exercise or condition.
Lets get going! The season is approaching fast.
Chris Kaiser
Nationally Certified Strength and Conditioning Instructor
cbkexercise@worldnet.att.net
