Well into fall, even if it’s a warm fall, it’s at least dimly imaginable that in a couple months you’ll be back on the slopes. But while your mind can imagine it, can your body? Are your back, thighs, knees, and Achilles ready for that first mogul jolt? Are your core and arms ready for the quick pivot, the reflexive yank of the stuck pole that’s got it in for your shoulder if you aren’t alert and ready? Are your lungs and heart primed for the endurance you’ll need on that long descent from the bowl you’ve been dreaming of since last February?If so, hallelujah. Keep up the good work. If not, fear not. You still have time -- and Body Sense asked a group of experts how best to use that time. The details varied but the consensus was overwhelming -- combine endurance, strength (particularly core strength), balance, and stretching exercises.
Benjamin Roman, clinical services manager at Columbia Eastside Sports Therapy in New York City, says that general cardiovascular fitness will help with endurance and adapting to the cold and the altitude. Running, cycling, or aerobics three times weekly for at least 20 to 30 minutes a session should do it.
Rachel Moscarella, snow safety director and a 20-year ski-patrol veteran at Taos Ski Valley, underlines the merits of getting outside that gym.
“Run on steep, rocky, uneven terrain,” she says. “The rugged terrain makes you pay attention to body movements and foot placement, while keeping boredom at bay -- always a threat to any workout regime. The hamstrings get a solid workout on the climbs, while foot and ankle strength increases due to the rough surface cover.
“Mountain Biking is a nice complement to running because it gives an intense and focused workout to the quads. An unexpected benefit of mountain biking occurs during descent. Biking down narrow trails with trees forces the focus on the openings between the obstacles -- a necessary and perhaps life-saving skill for skiing the trees.”
For increasing both strength and endurance in the lower body, Roman recommends mixing up your set and rep combinations of squats, lunges, step-ups and step-downs, and plyometrics that mimic the motions of skiing. Increase your volume through the fall to help decrease your susceptibility to injury late in the ski day when fatigue has set in, he says.
Sandy Shafer, Advantage Master Trainer at the Sports Club/LA, incorporates into his leg regimens a series of squats, lunges, pivots, and jumps (sometimes with both legs, sometimes alternating between two and one hop-scotch style).
Jason Nielson, an orthopedic surgeon in Las Vegas, emphasizes the importance of those thigh workouts. Thighs, he says, “take the brunt of the strain in a downhill position.” Quad sets, squats, wall squats, and extension curls should be the meat and potatoes of your gym regimen between now and the lift line, he says. And cycling, particularly if you can get up into some mountains to do it, is doubly beneficial, getting at the quads but building your endurance too.
For poling and protection against injury in falls, Roman suggests resistance training, including push-ups, pull-ups, and triceps extensions.
“Skiing can become a full body sport when the terrain and conditions become more extreme,” reminds Taos’s Moscarella. “Think breakable crust or thigh-deep heavy powder and you have just clicked out of a binding. To build core strength and upper body strength, do chin-ups. Grip the bar with palms facing you -- this allows for full engagement of forearms, upper arms, shoulders, lats, and even abdominal muscles. If you can't lift your full body weight at first, have a helper give you a boost.”
About that core, crunches are great, says Roman, but don’t forget the rotational core exercises, adding resistance with a medicine ball, elastic bands, or light weights.
Moscarella recommends working some of that core-upper combo exercise between your pull-up sets. “Do 20 push-ups. Girl push-ups with your knees on the floor are OK to start, but try to build up to doing all regulation push-ups,” she advises. “Do all different kinds, like diamond push-ups, push-ups with your feet on a bench, with one hand further forward than the other, planks where you just hold yourself a few inches off the floor for several seconds then push up to start position and hold yourself there, and tricep push-ups with your elbows tucked in to your sides.”
And, Roman says, “no skiing conditioning program would be complete without proprioception exercises for balance. Many of the lower-body strengthening exercises referenced above will help improve balance. You can increase this effect by adding an element of instability to an existing exercise, such as performing a squat on a foam pad. Various products like wobble boards can also be incorporated.”
A.J. Mihrzad, CEO of Bright Lion Fitness in Fresh Meadows, New York, urges focusing on the abs, hip flexors, lower back, and glutes. A stability/exercise ball is ideal for these, he says. Then use it instead of a chair when you're sitting for long periods at the office or watching TV. (You don't always have to sweat to exercise.)
Lorin Paley, a 15-year-old alpine and telemark racer training with the Steamboat Sprints Winter Sports Club in Colorado, reminds us that preparation isn’t just about what you do with your body, but also what you feed it. Concentrate on protein, iron, and calcium, with meats, beans, and green leafy veggies, says Paley. To prepare for rapid recovery, she takes Nordic Natural Fish Oil supplements and goes on walks to flush lactic acid.
Why should I take advice from a 15-year-old? you ask. Because she has a silver medal and second overall in the Women’s Elite Division of the U.S. Telemark National Championships, and, well, you and I don't. She's also a competitive swimmer, tennis player, and hunter.
With all that brawny stuff, don’t forget to stay limber, Paley says, with stretching and foam rollers to elongate muscles.
Says Moscarella: “Every skier should do a yoga class weekly. Stretching the muscles you are building during every other workout keeps you from pulling muscles when you ski (or run, or ride). It is great for your balance and core strength and is less impact on your body than a lot of the other workouts. But mostly, increased flexibility leads to fewer injuries.”
Finally, when your body’s tuned up, don’t neglect your mind.
“Laser-like mental focus is important on or off the slope,” says Mihrzad. “Motivation plays a large role in staying persistent in any exercise program. Having a clear mind prior to a day of skiing will greatly improve your performance and decrease your chance of injury. I recommend practicing slow breathing exercises to relax the body and heighten your sense of awareness. Take a few minutes to visualize yourself successfully skiing before you head down the peak. Meditation is a great way to clear unnecessary thoughts and to mentally rehearse your stride down the mountain.”
“Visualize yourself doing the perfect turn,” says Paley. “‘Feel yourself doing the turn.”
Well, the experts have done their part. Now it’s up to you. Tighten those boots. Strap on those poles. Adjust your goggles and helmet. And bon ski!
-Alexander C. Kafka
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