Skiing has always been my favorite sport; much of my college student loan funded my addiction. When I was in college, I didn’t need to train to go out and ski from the minute the lifts opened until the time they closed. Now that I’m older and don’t exactly have the same knees I once did, pre-season training is in order. I have found some exercises that are fun (well, not tortuous) to do and that prepare me for some downhill action.
Cardio
Skiing uses many different muscles, namely the thighs, lower back, stomach, butt and shoulders. One way to train is not to focus on specific muscles but instead to do some overall training. Any cardio machine at the gym, such as the treadmill, exercise bike or rower, is great for training. My favorite is the elliptical, but my gym has a machine that simulates the side-to-side motion of skiing. I use it, but I don’t love that machine. I have found that if I am on my favorite machine, I will use it longer and more often, which is key and trumps the simulated ski machine. I made a playlist for my iPod, and the time flies by as I envision myself on the slopes.
Balance
The older we get, the more we lose our balance. And balance is critical while skiing for obvious reasons. The simplest balancing exercise is one I do while brushing my teeth. I stand on one foot and focus on balancing on the center of that foot. At first, I’m pretty wobbly, but after a while, I can achieve a Zen-like posture. To kick up the balancing act a notch, I exercise at the gym on a balancing ball. To work my shoulders, I lie on the ball face down and walk with my hands until the ball is on my thighs. I then do push-ups by lowering my upper body to the floor and pushing back up. I make sure that I am completely straight when I’m up.
Hamstrings
To take some of the stress off my knees, I strengthen my hamstrings and butt. One-leg lunges do the trick. I do this exercise at home holding two 5-pound weights. I put my right foot on a bottom stair and lower my torso so that my left knee is at a right angle. I keep my position straight and suck in my abs. When I come up, I put my weight on the heel of my left foot so that I feel the muscles in my butt. I do this 12 times and then change legs.