You don't have to wait for the snow to start falling to get
ready for ski season. Start your training now and you'll be
sailing past those other ski bums on your way down the mountain.
Dusting the competition or showing off to friends are not the
only reasons to get in shape before ski season. Skiing is an
activity that requires a variety of skills: strength, endurance,
balance and coordination. Hit the slopes without developing
these skills and you may be in for more than a little
embarrassment - you might even hurt yourself.
Sports Specific Training
This is where sports-specific training comes in. Generally
speaking, sports-specific training programs involve focusing on
the various skills associated with a particular activity.
Depending on the sport, this may include health-related fitness
components such as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular
strength and endurance, and flexibility. A specific program may
also take into account skill-related measures of fitness such as
agility, balance, coordination, power, speed and reaction time.
Most sports require a mixture of these components.
Skiing is a sport that relies heavily on skill-related
fitness. A traditional fitness program, which includes a
combination of weight training and cardiovascular exercise, will
only take you so far. A specific training program to develop
specific skills for skiing will take you from the peaks to the
valleys in record time.
Get Ready To Ski
There are several ways to begin a sports-specific training
program. The simplest way is to include several new exercises in
your regular workout schedule. For example, performing wall sits
that require you to 'sit' against a wall will help build up the
isometric strength needed for the tuck position in skiing.
Squats and lunges will build lower body strength for skiing
tough terrain like moguls. Exercises such as crunches to work
your abdominals are essential in creating a solid 'core' for
balance and agility.
It is important to train your body to withstand and absorb
the impact associated with skiing. Plyometric movements, such as
hopping from side to side, develop muscle power and strength as
well as improve agility.
Set Up Your Own Ski Circuit
A great way to integrate these elements into your existing
routine is to create a circuit training program, which involves
rapidly moving from one exercise to the next. You can set up a
circuit in any large room, or at your club's aerobic studio. Be
sure and place all of your stations before beginning your
workout so you don't have to stop in the middle. Set a specific
time limit for each exercise, as well as a set period of breaks
between each station. Thirty seconds of work followed by 30
seconds of rest are common interval periods. Then, simply turn
up the music and make your way around the circuit. You might
even want to create your own music tape with timed intervals of
music for exercise and silence for rest periods.
Try these stations to help you gear up for the slopes: use
the slide for lateral training, perform one-legged squats to
develop balance and strength, and use a step-bench platform to
improve power. Try catching a bean bag as it drops off your
forearm to improve reaction times or bounce two tennis balls to
improve coordination. To improve agility, create your own slalom
by running between cones. In sports-specific training, you are
limited only by your imagination.
