Don’t waste time on your butt – train early and hard to be fit for the snow season.
As the temperatures dip and and frost coats the windows of cars, you’re probably thinking that the ski season is just around the corner.
Whether you ride a snowboard or buckle into skis, preparing your body for the slopes is important to prevent your body from getting injured – and it helps you perform better on the mountain.
But perhaps you spent the summer chowing down pizza and chugging back beer. Need to get in shape for the winter ski and snowboard season? Here are some tips on how to get fit for the slopes with dryland training.
First of all, it’s all about high intensity training – at least for the most part. Yes, you can spend hours in the weight room lifting iron – but the key is to focus on lower body exercises and high intensity cardio to build up your stamina.
You can check out this simple how-to step guide form Ski Magazine – featuring simple exercises you can do at home. This includes things like complicated lunges, calf exercises and core strengthening.
Skiing magazine also has a great series you can check out here, featuring videos with U.S. athlete Jen Hudak.
But, those things seemed kind of simple. And to be honest, it’s much more fun to follow along with video examples. So then we dug up this: the Canadian men’s alpine ski team’s workout video. This should give you plenty of examples to follow along with:
It involves some intense crossfit-esque moves that really work your lower body, core and improve balance.
The British Columbia Alpine Association even posts its hardcore skier conditioning plan online – you can read it all here and become a toned and ready athlete yourself.
What do you do to prepare for the ski and snowboard season?