• Conditioning yourself before the ski season is one of the most important things to do, but also the most overlooked. Skiing is a highly athletic activity and being prepared will make your days on skis much more pleasurable.
• Very important: Warm up and gently stretch all the muscles you will be using before you start any exercise! Remember to stretch afterwards.

Wall squats
Stand with your back against a slippery wall (wearing a slippery shirt will also help.)

Keeping your back against the wall, carefully walk forward about 12 inches. You are now in the extended position--back against the wall, feet 12 inches from the wall.

Slowly lower yourself until your upper legs are horizontal--the flexed position. Hold this position for 45 seconds before pushing up to the extended position.

Start with 3 sets of 5 squats--one minute rest between sets. Set a goal of 10 sets of 5 squats.

Squat jumps
A variation of the Wall squat. Jump high up and all the way down using both legs. As you land, extend your arms in front of you and flex all the way down in the knees to absorb. The moment you are fully flexed, push off and jump as high as possible -- arms outstretched above you.

Start with 3 sets of 5 jumps -- one minute rest between sets. Set a goal of 3 sets of 20 jumps.

Side jumps
Jump from side to side (laterally) over an imaginary line on the floor. As you land on the outside leg, immediately bring the inside leg to match and touch the floor. Flex in the knee to absorb and immediately push off and back over the line.

Start with 3 sets of 20 seconds -- one minute rest between sets. Set a goal of 3 sets of 60 seconds.

Now repeat by simultaneously jumping laterally (sideways) off both feet.

Start with 3 sets of 20 seconds -- one minute rest between sets. Set a goal of 3 sets of 60 seconds.

Leg retractors
Jump high up and all the way down using both legs. As you land, extend your arms in front of you and flex all the way down in the knee to absorb. The moment you are fully flexed, push off and jump as high as possible. Almost at the highest point, retract (pull up) both legs.

Start with 3 sets of 5 jumps -- one minute rest between sets. Set a goal of 3 sets of 20 jumps.

Body curls
Lying on your back with legs extended, interlock your fingers on the back of your neck. Simultaneously curl your upper body and legs towards each other over the abdomen -- bend your knees doing so.

Start with 3 sets of 5 curls -- one minute rest between sets. Set a goal of 3 sets of 20 curls.

Cycling
Cycling is great for skiing, especially if you do hills. Vertical feet is what counts. Do a lot of hills and you'll notice the difference in your skiing. Mountain biking closely resembles skiing in terms of aerobic effort--short "burns" followed by easy sections.

Running
A decent sport to complement skiing, but should not be your major training method. Like cycling, you'll benefit substantially more if you run hilly terrain.

Sprinting will help even more -- try intervals by mixing in sprints with your jog or run. Only try this if you are already running fit and limit sprints to 100 yards. Allow enough time between sprints for your breath to settle completely to your normal jogger's level.

Slalom running
When doing sprints, pretend you are in a slalom course or run around things like lamp posts, trees, etc. This gives your quads a great workout and gets you in the skiing position. Always make sure that your inside leg begins the direction change.

In-line skating
This is very close to skiing in terms of he movements used. Whether you do hills or the flats, your skiing will greatly benefit from this fun sport.

Always remember to wear the proper protective padding and safety equipment when in-line skating. The hard surface that you'll be "blading" on does not yield well to spills. Also, be careful of loose gravel and inconsistencies in the surface. It is wise to skate on areas well within your ability.

Print this out for future reference and remember to have fun!

[ Top of this page ] [ Back ] [ Next ]