Estimated reading time: ~4 minutes
Ski season is rapidly descending upon us here in Washington. The early snows that some of the resorts received created a good stir of powder fever (and the only prescription is more cowbell :P). We all know that training can help with performance. But I bet you didn’t know that training has a massive injury reduction risk that comes along with it. Acute injuries can be cut by 33% and overuse injuries can be reduced by 50%.
I wanted to share my top 4 exercises that I use to help skiers put the finishing touches on as they get ready for the slopes.
1. Back squat - This is arguably the king of lower body exercises. For the purpose of skiing, we want to build maximal strength. We can use other exercises to develop the endurance necessary for long runs. Ideally, we get in 4-5 sets of 3-6 reps.
2. Drop Jumps – Being able to absorb force is critical. With drop jumps, we want to put the brakes on as quick as we can. The caveat is that we want our landing to be quiet. This means that we were actually able to control the forces. If you don’t have much experience with plyometrics start with about 10 reps for the session, with a goal of working towards 30-35. You can break up with rest. Each set should be anywhere between 3-8 drops.
3. Wall sits – We have all probably done these in gym class back in the day. They are awesome for longer duration loading and building quad endurance. I like to add a little wrinkle, by performing them Tabata style. Normally Tabata intervals go 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes. I like to stay in the wall sit position the entire time. During the 20 seconds of work, I push into the wall as hard as I can and then just maintain position during the 10 seconds of rest. Here is a link for a great Tabata timer. Be warned this can fry your quads and is best saved for near the end of the workout. Start out with only completing 2 minutes then increase by a rep each session.
4. Spanish squats – I posted this on Instagram a few weeks back. This is another great way to build quad endurance all while simulating the rhythm of skiing. Some of the performance points include keeping tension in the band especially important on the way up; drive your knees back into the band) and not standing quite all of the way up. Look to get 3 sets completed and perform repetitions until a couple after you feel the quad burn.
Start with weights and box heights that are manageable. The goal is to progressively increase the difficulty over time. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you won’t be ready for ski season with just one workout.
It is important that you keep training during the season, even if it is less frequent. This makes sure you are as strong or stronger at the end of the season that you were at the beginning.
As another resource, if you are looking for a group class setting to keep you accountable look at Vertical World Dryland Ski Prep.
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Enjoy the slopes this winter!
Dan