Gain Strength

December: Ski Performance Prep - 2 days

By Sander Kers• December 11, 2023• 4 min•Nederlands 🇳🇱

Man houdt barbell vast als voorbereiding voor skiën

Essential Ski exercises: Your Fitness Workout Guide

Sore muscles in your leg or glutes after the first day of skiing? Or starting après-ski early because your muscles are exhausted? You can easily prevent this by following a serious fitness regimen specifically for skiing in advance. In fact, this can even help you ski better, longer, and faster.

The December schedule includes a specific ski strength training program. Each exercise in the schedule is a specific ski exercise. The plan strengthens the muscles in your lower body (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes) - the ones you use the most when skiing. Of course, you'll also seriously work on your core stability and balance, so you can control your skis better and support areas like your knees, which are more prone to skiing injuries.

HOW SHOULD YOU TRAIN FOR SKIING?

Three elements are essential for your ski regimen:

  1. Strength in the 'ski muscles': focus on training your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and hips.

  2. Focus on balance: Work on your core stability and the muscles around your hips. This provides support to injury-prone areas like the knees.

  3. Build endurance: Condition your body so you can ski downhill after downhill without having to stop early or take frequent breaks. Each session of the fitness schedule ends with a specific ski conditioning circuit.

Consider adding 1 to 3 cardio days in addition to strength training. Running or cycling is a perfect choice for your ski preparation. Aim to perform your cardio task for at least 30 minutes continuously and at a serious pace (i.e., chatting is not possible).

TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR SKIING

Below is a 2-day advanced ski fitness program. It's also available in our app. In fact, in the app, you'll find ski schedules for 3 days and schedules for beginners. Want to be in top condition on the mountain? Start at least 6 weeks before you go on your ski holiday. In the app, you'll find ski schedules for 2 or 3 days. We don't recommend doing specific ski exercises more often than that. You make progress on the recovery days, and they are crucial.

Each ski training ends with a conditioning circuit. Your leg muscles and core might be strong, but your heart and blood vessels need to be ready too. For optimal preparation, add 1-3 cardio days yourself. This can range from interval running to mountain biking.

2-DAY SKI PERFORMANCE PREP SCHEDULE

It's important to start each workout with a good warm-up. In this schedule, you start with running 75 calories on the treadmill. If you're doing it right, the first sweat drops should appear. If not? Then run a bit more. Take about 2 minutes rest between sets and 15-30 seconds rest between exercises in a superset. Choose a weight with which the number of repetitions is challenging. This means that you can complete the set on your own but definitely couldn't have done 2 more repetitions. Here we go.

DAY 1 – SKI STRENGTH AND STABILITY

Everything you need to train to be in top shape for your ski trip:

  1. Dumbbell Front Rack Reverse Lunge – 3 sets of 10 reps per leg

  2. Superset 1: Kettlebell Goblet Pause Squat (3 sets of 15 reps) & Plank Rotation (3 sets of 6 reps per side)

  3. Superset 2: Single Leg Hip Thrust (3 sets of 15 reps per leg) & Airplane (3 sets of 10 reps per side)

  4. Superset 3: Bosu Ball Lunge and Balance (3 sets of 10 reps per leg) & Bosu Ball Slow Mountain Climbers (3 sets of 10 reps per leg)

  5. Conditioning Circuit: 12 sets of interval running with 1 minute of serious running alternated with 30 seconds of jogging.

DAY 2 – SKI STRENGTH AND STABILITY

More strength, stability, and conditioning await you:

  1. Sumo Deadlift – 3 sets of 10 reps

  2. Superset 1: Bosu Ball Squat (3 sets of 15 reps) & Russian Ab Twist Pro (3 sets of 8 reps per side)

  3. Superset 2: Bulgarian Dumbbell Split Squat (3 sets of 12 reps per leg) & Bird Dog Row (3 sets of 10 reps per arm)

  4. Hip Adductor Machine – 3 sets of 20 reps

  5. Conditioning Circuit – 6 sets of 10 kcal rowing and 10 squat jumps (there's no rest in this circuit).

6 HIGHLIGHTED SKI EXERCISES

In the app, you'll find a clear instructional video with explanations for every ski exercise. Below, I highlight 6 specific ski exercises, so you know why and how to perform them.

Ski Exercise 1 – Dumbbell Front Rack Reverse Lunge

Your glutes and thigh muscles are essential for skiing well. The most important glute muscle is the so-called gluteus medius. It's located high on the side of your hip and is mainly trained when standing on one leg. Standing on one leg also activates your core muscles to keep you balanced. All lunge variations are essentially great ski exercises. The reason you hold the dumbbells on your shoulders is that it engages more of your core muscles.

  • 1 Place the dumbbells on your shoulders.
  • 2 Step back and lower your rear knee to the floor until you touch it gently, about right below your hip.
  • 3 The heel of your rear foot remains off the floor.
  • 4 Keep your upper body as stable as possible and your front foot completely on the floor.
  • 5 Then step forcefully to the starting position.

Ski Exercise 2 – Plank Rotations

You want to minimize the risk of ski injuries. You do this by strengthening your muscles, getting in top condition for your ski trip, and working hard on your core muscles. Your core muscles are the foundation of your stability. Exercises like plank rotations help you to be more stable in your skis.

  • 1 Tilt your pelvis posteriorly for a straight lower back.
  • 2 Rotate controlled as if you were opening a page from a book. Your hip and shoulders rotate at the same time, keeping your spine in the same position.

Ski Exercise 3 – Bosu Ball Lunge and Balance

The Bosu ball simulates an unstable surface. Prepare for uneven snow by doing ski exercises on, among other things, a Bosu ball. Here again, you mix the strength of your thighs and glutes with core stability. Additionally, you'll notice that you're also training all the stabilizing muscles around your ankles and knees.

  • 1 Put your foot centered on the Bosu ball.
  • 2 From there, perform a reverse lunge (see alternative exercises for explanation) and make sure your rear heel never touches the floor.

Ski Exercise 4 – Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

I'm repeating myself, but by placing your rear leg on a bench during a split squat, there's more pressure on your thigh muscles and glutes. Not only that, but your core muscles are also extra challenged to keep you balanced. Again, an ultimate ski exercise that you can do in the gym.

  • 1 Place the instep or the ball of your foot on a bench.
  • 2 Keep your upper body as stable as possible and your front foot completely on the floor.
  • 3 If necessary: put your front foot slightly further sideward for more stability.

Ski Exercise 5 – Hip Adductor Machine

This exercise might be unexpected. With the hip adductor machine, you mainly train the muscles on the inside of your thigh. These muscles help you keep the skis parallel, which can come in handy on the slopes...

  • 1 Sit with your back against the bench.
  • 2 Move your knees together and hold that position for a few seconds each repetition.

Ski Exercise 6 – Squat Jumps

By jumping off the floor, you have to activate a lot of muscles very quickly. This naturally comes in handy when you're changing direction while skiing or need to make a sudden movement. Plus, you engage a lot of core muscles to catch yourself properly during the landing.

  • 1 Keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
  • 2 Bend your knees and rise explosively.
  • 3 Catch your landing by lowering directly through your knees.

MORE SKI EXERCISES AVAILABLE IN THE APP

You can find more ski exercises in the other ski schedules on the app. There, you can also note all your weights, and the schedule will increasingly challenge you. Want to get the most out of this schedule? Check it out for free by searching for 'SKI' in the gym lover schedules. Take your ski preparation seriously to have the best vacation!

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