Pre skiing fitness and lockdown motivation

- Don’t ski to get fit, get fit to ski!

Time to get off the sofa and get excited for this year’s ski season by starting your pre-holiday fitness before hitting the slopes. This will ensure that you make the most of every second on the mountain when the opportunity comes – and what better time to start, whilst you may have a little extra time on your hands in the current lockdown!

You’ll be amazed what difference a little extra fitness preparation will have on your skiing – whilst your friend’s legs are screaming for rest, you’ll be rearing to go down the next black run.  

There are many ways you can prepare for skiing, from virtual Yoga to ‘at-home’ workouts. With fitness in mind, we have created our own 'at-home' workout, to target key muscles, which will also aid your skiing ready for next season.

However, if ‘at-home’ workouts aren’t your style, why not try some yoga. The movement and positions required in yoga can benefit skiers and snowboarders, to help reduce the physical demands put on your body. You can find great yoga sessions with skiing in mind on YouTube, some are even filmed in the mountains!

Remember when you’re on your holiday it’s important to warm up every morning as well, to help prevent any skiing injuries that day. Don’t forget you can ask your instructor to give you some warm-up tips to get you ready for a full day of skiing.

Exercises...

Squats and squat jumps - The muscles responsible for holding you in place while you ski and protecting your knees are your quadriceps; these muscles work incredibly hard while you ski, so we have a few exercises to help you strengthen them. To prevent knee injury, exercising your quadriceps in pre-season fitness is crucial.

• Stand upright with feet shoulder width apart
• Simultaneously push your hips back, while bending your knees down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your hips back and chest proud
• Now reverse the motion until you are standing back upright
• Repeat
• To switch it up a bit, and to build that explosive quality in your muscles which is integral for sharp turns when skiing, try squat jumps; when you reach the bottom of your squat, jump upwards to release your position, making sure to land safely.

Plank - The plank is a fairly simple exercise, yet it can be testing for even the most seasoned gym goers; building your core muscles, planks will help to both protect your spine from injury, and also provide stability when turning or in difficult skiing conditions.

• Lie face down and bring your arms underneath your chest, with forearms and elbows on the floor.
• Push your pelvis upwards, resting on your elbows and toes.
• Hold the position for 30 seconds, keeping your body in a straight line.
• Repeat, building up the length of time the position is held for over your training program.

Lunges - As well as squats, lunges also work multiple muscles at once, and are great for improving your quadriceps and your balance (which will hopefully mean no spectacular wipeouts)!

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and take one step forward
• Lower your hips down to the point where each knee forms a right angle, without the one behind you touching the floor
• Keep your chin up, back straight, chest proud, and glutes tensed For an extra challenge, hold some dumbbell weights by your side to make those lunges that little bit harder!

Criss Cross (core) - This abs crunching and twisting exercise hits your muscles alongside some explosive cardio, training up your core whilst aiding general fitness and stamina.

• Lie down on your back with knees bent
• With your hands behind your head, lift your head and shoulders off the floor
• Bring both feet off the floor, with one leg out straight and one at a 90-degree angle
• Twist forwards, bringing your right elbow to your left knee, then swapping the position to the other side
• Repeat For an extra challenge, increase the speed you are twisting and complete more repeats in between sets.

Crab toe touches - Crab toe touches is a great cardio exercise, that helps you improve agility and develop core strength, both very important when skiing.

• Lean back into a crab pose, with your feet and hands hip-distance apart
• Keeping your core strong lift your right leg up and left hand up
• Touch your right toe with your left hand
• Place both your foot and hand back to the floor
• Repeat the exercise on the other side, with your left leg and right hand
• Repeat

Worried about booking your ski or snowboard lessons for this season? Don’t worry, you will get a full refund if COVID forces you to cancel, so don’t let the current situation put you off heading out on the slopes this winter. For more on our cancellation policy – click here