Fans of skiing perform the sport for almost half a year, from as early as October through as late as March. However, when you're in the offseason, how do you stay in shape for a sport that is extremely strenuous and puts a lot of pressure on your legs and thighs? There are many exercises to help you prepare for the skiing season and stay in shape during the winter.
Cardiovascular Endurance
Improving your cardiovascular endurance is extremely important when you're preparing to ski. Any continuous physical activity will help increase your endurance, although specific exercises are swimming, jogging, running, biking, skating or walking long distances. You should be sure not to do cardiovascular exercises two days in a row. For example, you should do the exercises on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, then take a break on the weekend. This will give your body enough time to rest and will eliminate wear and tear.
Slacklining
Slacklining is an exercise in which you find two trees 20 to 30 feet apart, then tie a string around them to create a tightrope. Then, with your eyes focused on one spot in front of you, walk across the string, trying not to fall off. This will drastically improve your leg strength and your balance. Balance is very important to have on the hill, as you will often have to balance your weight on one leg when making sharp turns on the ski slope.
Single Leg Squat
For this exercise, you should use two ski poles to help your balance. While standing on one foot, start lowering yourself down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Raise yourself slowly until you're back to a standing position. Repeat this with the opposite foot, then continue for 10 to 15 reps per leg. As your core strengthens, you can try the exercise without the ski poles. This exercise will strengthen your thighs and help your balance, both of which are extremely important while skiing.
Wall Sit
The wall sit is the simplest exercise to do, yet it is one of the toughest. According to National Geographic, the wall sit involves you leaning your back against a wall, then lowering yourself until you are in what would normally be a sitting position. Hold yourself for a pre-determined amount of time, then raise yourself back up. Do four sets of one-, two- and three-minute intervals, then increase those times as you become stronger. This exercise will strengthen the core of your leg muscles.
Downhill Run
Using any heavy objects, fill a backpack until it weighs 20 to 30 lbs., based on your comfort level and strength. Jog or run downhill, then back up the hill. Do this for 30 minutes a few times a week, and the strength your quadriceps muscles will improve a great deal.
Member Comments