Prepare your body for the ski season
By SAMANTHA GILMAN
Whether your passion on the hill is alpine skiing, snowboarding, telemarking, backcountry or cross-country skiing, it's essential to prepare your body for the high demands these snow sports require.
There are several key components for getting your body ready to operate at its optimal performance. These include good posture, proper alignment, core strength training, cardiovascular-endurance training, stretching-yoga, adequate sleep and a nutritious diet.
A skier's preparation for the season should include overall body strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and explosive power. Yet many skiers hit the slopes after little or no training in the pre-season.
This physical exertion can be too much to ask of our bodies and can often result in sore muscles, fatigue and injury. The most common injuries in skiing are joint-related, and the best way to protect joints is to build muscle to support them. Muscle strength will also improve every skier's performance, whether they're a beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert skier.
Our core is the engine of our bodies and consists of 24 muscles that attach into our trunk area. Strong-core muscles keep backs healthy, allow you to hold your body upright, and maintain good posture and alignment. A weak core means your body does not work as effectively, and other muscles have to pick up the slack.
This results in wear and tear on joints, which can result in back, knee, neck, shoulder injuries and a body that ages way before it's meant to. A body that's balanced and strong will give you an extended range of motion and the ability to stabilize your body from any angle, therefore preventing injury.
For the athlete, a strong core will aid you in your power moves, and your whole body will function more efficiently. To strength-train a misaligned body with a weak core will just promote more physical degeneration and pain.
Strength-training for skiing must include strengthening the core, legs, hips, back, shoulders and ankles. Building muscle will improve your stability and balance in all types of terrain and snow conditions. It will also develop foot-to-foot quickness and add explosive power for intensive bursts of energy required in moguls, tree skiing and freestyle.
Cardiovascular exercise will give you the aerobic capacity, stamina and endurance to ski all day long if you choose. Not having this endurance results in early fatigue and poor concentration that can often result in crashing and injury.
Why add yoga or stretching? Strenuous activities like downhill skiing promote tightness and inflexibility in the muscle groups. Stretching will help protect joints, tendons and ligaments from injury and increase flexibility and range of motion.
It is definitely not too late to get your body prepared for the ski season. Go ahead and get out to your local gym, take classes and educate yourself so that you may enjoy a healthy, fun ski season this year and for many years to come.
Samantha Gilman is an ACE-certified personal trainer, ACE-certified weight-loss consultant, Kundalini yoga and Lyengar yoga instructor, and has previously held certifications in both alpine and telemark skiing. Contact her at Samantha@genesistransformation.com.