Training for Skiing
Most of us tend to leave things to the last minute, especially packing for holidays, let-a-lone training for one. Ever wished you had spent a little more time preparing your body for what is likely to be the most physically demanding week of the year? Instead, you (like most of us) wished your thighs didn’t burn quite so much and that you could push-out an extra couple of turns before stopping for breath, or that your lower back didn’t feel quite so tender in the mornings? Wish you had a bit more energy in the evenings to enjoy the après, rather than crashing-out on your bed? Well, now is the time to start thinking about preparing your body for the rigors of what you’ve planned for it!
In order to address the issue of preparing our bodies for a ski holiday, it is important to understand what is happening inside our bodies while we are skiing…
The majority of the time we are sliding down the frozen hill our bodies are acting as shock absorbers. More specifically our knees and hips are in a state of flexion to protect our spine from the jarring effect of the uneven surface. Our spine is also slightly flexed (forward) to allow its natural curves to dissipate some of the impact which travels up the legs and through the pelvis. In our bodies nothing happens in isolation; while some muscles are working, others are supporting them or relaxing to compensate. Muscles can act while they are shortening (concentrically), lengthening (eccentrically) or even while they are in a fixed position (isometrically). Interestingly it is during the latter two when they are doing the most work. During skiing much of the work is done while the muscles are in that familiar fixed position.
Training for skiing…
In approaching how to train for skiing we must look at the types of movements our bodies are going to be asked to do and specifically train for these: squats, single-leg squats, lunges, lifts, hops, reaches, twists, balances. Our bodies also operate in more than one plane of movement, i.e. we are not always going to be facing perfectly forward, when we ski our bodies flex from side to side and twist, so it is important to train in these three planes to best prepare ourselves for these stresses. The core is also essential in stabilizing our bodies while we ski (or even walking down slippery streets in the resort), therefore this is also an area that must not be neglected in our training, but we should train our core while standing up as it is in this position when it is going to be most tested in real life! Core does not just mean “abs” either – our core comprises all the muscles that attach to our pelvis and spine that together help to stabilize our bodies as we move, and therefore essential in keeping us upright, on our feet.
Give yourself enough time…
Training with sufficient time prior to this type of holiday will not only make the experience more enjoyable and allow you to push yourself further than before, it will also protect your body from potential injury. Resistance training has been shown to increase bone density, strengthen ligaments and improve joint lubrication by stimulating the release of synovial fluid. Wouldn’t it be great to feel more confident about our body’s ability to withstand the risk of injury on or off the slopes this winter? The activity of skiing is also a type of interval training; therefore cardiovascular fitness is extremely important.
So what can we do?
Start as early as possible to give your body the best chance of being ready for this challenge you have set it. Training should comprise regular resistance and cardiovascular exercise. Resistance exercises should be undertaken at least 3 times per week in the months leading up tour your holiday. There is no requirement for you to use any weights or equipment (bodyweight is sufficient) but you should still find yourself working hard. If not, do more, move slower or vary the exercises using 1 leg where possible. During a day’s skiing we work hard for several minutes while we ski down to the next lift, then we recover for a few minutes while we are carried to the start of the next run. Our training should mirror this in the months prior to our holiday so that we can really enjoy those descents when we leave the lift at the top of a run. Cardiovascular exercise should be undertaken at least twice a week – but don’t sit on an exercise bike reading a magazine for an hour; go hard and fast, varying the intensity with occasional short rests. Make your sessions last no longer than 40 minutes but make them count, it’s your body after all!
Don’t forget to stretch…
Stretching is another key activity that is often neglected but when it comes to skiing it has particular importance. When our bodies are placed into a particular position for any longer than 10 minutes they start to adapt to being in that position – shortened muscles become tighter, stretched muscles become looser. This process is called adaptive shortening and has a significant impact on our posture and muscular/skeletal balance or alignment, and therefore our body’s ability to perform at its best. During your holiday it is important to stretch those muscles that have been working in shortened positions i.e. thighs, hip flexors, lower (lumbar) and upper (thoracic) spine.
Skiing is a fantastic winter sport; hard work but exhilarating and great fun, as well as being the perfect social focus for a winter holiday. By all means, pack the day before, but don’t leave your training for this holiday until the last minute.
This article was written by our personal training colleague Robert Suchet of RJS Fitness
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