5 Home/Gym Ski and Snowboard Workouts You Should Be Doing
With Thanksgivings excessive feasting now just a fading memory, there should be only one thing on your mind as November ends, it’s time to shred. As the season kicks into full gear there is still time to burn off the three plates of stuffing you had at thanksgiving and get your body into ski shape! Here are 5 workouts you can do at home or the gym that are going to get you ready for the season!
Legs - It goes without saying that your legs are the most important muscles for skiing and snowboarding. If your legs can’t handle the repeated impacts and endurance needed to be on the slopes all day, then you are going to struggle to improve your shredding skill and are at risk to injure yourself!
1. Squats - The quintessential leg workout that are going to increase your legs strength. Every muscle from your glutes down to your calves are going to be worked by this simple exercise.
This exercise is best done in 4 sets. Use enough weight on the bar or dumbbell that you struggle to finish the 10th rep. On the 4th set do as many squats as it takes to go to failure. Remember that the burn in your muscles is going to pay off on the slopes!
2. Lunges - Lunges are an awesome ski workout because not only do they hit most of the major muscles in the leg but they also work the balancer muscles which are harder to train but still vital to ripping it down the slopes.
For lunges try to do another 4 sets with the 4th one going until total failure. It's important you go to failure or else you are not getting all that you can from these work outs. For lunges get appropriately weighted dumbbells that you can hold on either side of your body and get moving!
Core - This is undeniably one of the hardest parts of the body to strengthen but it is critical that you do! The core is vital in maintaining balance and composure when skiing and boarding.
3. Planks - Nothing beats the classic ab burner. Planks work nearly all the entire body, but your core will receive the most benefits. This is great for maintaining good posture and building core strength.
For planks do 3 sets for 1 minute (or as long as you can do). You can also try doing variations of the plank like the side plank or straight arm plank.
4. Russian Twists - Anything Russian and exercising you know is going to be a total burner of a workout. Russian twists are no exception. This core workout is great for skiing as it hits muscles like the obliques that general don't get worked by other core movements. As your carving down the mountain these are the muscles you will be wishing you had firing at full strength.
Russian Twists can be done with weights or without them, either way just make sure you are pushing yourself to failure. 3 sets of 12 generally get the job done. Experiment to find what works best for yourself.
5. Everything and Anything Cardio - Cardio can be such a hard exercise to motivate for but it is one of the most essential for our bodies. It has an endless number of benefits in everyday life but also for skiing and boarding. Proper cardio training will ensure that you are never the one in the shredding squad who is holding up everyone else up. Personally I love to bike in the offseason as it works my leg muscle, pushes my endurance, and gets my heart rate up! Find the kind of cardio you enjoy most and get after it!
Skiing and boarding only becomes more enjoyable the more fit you are. You reduce your chance of injury, increase your own skill level, and just generally feel better while on the slopes! Do everything you can to be the best you can be, we believe in you!
Take it from pro skier Simon Dumont on how important fitness is in the sport- http://www.xgames.com/skiing/article/10068925/how-halfpipe-skier-simon-dumont-gets-shape-espn-magazine