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Ski/Snowboard season is right around the corner and everyone is getting the itch. Nothing beats looking through the Buyer’s Guide and mentally noting everything you want this year. There are those familiar texts to friends that work in the industry asking for pro-forms, or attending the turkey sale and the feeling of Christmas coming early when you finally get new gear for the season. Then you wait. Either it’s dead season at the resort, or you’re just working your ass off in the city so you can take the time off for mid week pow days.
So you’re waiting around, it’s raining and you don’t know what to do. How bout getting that sweet body of yours prepared for shred season? When your body is strong and limber you’ll have much less risk of sustaining an injury on the hill. Here are some tips to get that body in gear:
1. Build your endurance.
After a summer of relaxation, cardiovascular strength and endurance might have gone down. Start incorporating 30 minutes of aerobic activity a few times a week. Examples of this can be hikes around your area, jogging or running, going for an intense bike ride, or hitting the gym and hitting the elliptical or treadmill if you prefer the indoor workout. You don’t want to be the one everyone’s waiting for because you had to take a break mid lap.
2. Build your muscles.
Muscle Strength is very important in skiing and snowboarding, especially core strength, as is a balanced body. Work your muscle groups 2-3 times a week. Try not to isolate groups of muscles and start doing compound exercises that include more than one group of muscles. Working one muscle at a time, (for example in a quad extension in the gym) may cause an imbalance in the quad and the opposite muscle (the hamstring), which could result in injury. Body weight exercises are key because they will work many muscles at the same time. Try doing weighted squats and lunges, which have a full body effect. Below is an easy at home workout you can do 3-5 times a week. Don’t forget to stretch. Get those muscles limber!!
3. At-home workout
Do this circuit 3-6 times.
25 squats
25 crunches
1 minute wall sit
30 second side plank (left side)
30 second regular plank
30 second side plank (right side)
20 walking lunges
25 push ups
15 supermans
4. Do Yoga
Yoga will increase both strength and flexibility. By doing yoga you are training multiple muscles at once, many you will use on the hill, all while increasing your balance. It’s also kind of nice to have some quiet in your own head and really focus on yourself for an hour. Some people aren’t down with the whole ‘Ohm Namaste’ part of yoga, and if that’s the case, get over it. You’ll get a lot out of yoga if you give it a chance, and hell, there’s an extremely large chance that there’s an attractive participant in minimal clothing. So really, what do you have to lose?
5. Care about what you put in your body.
What you eat becomes a part of your cellular make-up, so be aware of what you’re putting in your body because it really does matter. Just because you have an iron stomach doesn’t mean crappy food isn’t having a negative result on your body. The right food choices will nourish your body, sustain your energy, give you a clearer head and probably make you better looking. All good things when you’re about to huck yourself off a cliff in the near future. Try incorporating a nutrient rich smoothie into your day. Choose frozen fruits, leafy greens, filtered water and some almond butter. Good stuff.
If you follow all of these tips you will not only see an improvement in your performance on the hill but you'll most likely feel like some kind of super hero. So give em a try and see what happens.
See you on the mountain!
