Powder White Ltd Ski Holidays

How to get Fit for Skiing

A ski holiday for most of us is a once a year treat, so once the ski chalet is booked and the top of the range goggles have been purchased and the new ski boots have been moulded but have you forgot about the most important piece of equipment? You!

Skiing puts different strains on your body than your usual day to day routine so here are a few fitness tips that will have you skiing down the last run of the day with enough energy to hit the Après like never before.

Cardiovascular Fitness
Bearing in mind it is your heart and lungs that work to supply you muscles with the oxygen they need at high altitude here is a good place to start. Start six weeks before your holiday to see real improvements.

Cycling, running, rowing, for 20mins three times a week will provide a good base for your aerobic fitness.

But skiing is also an anaerobic sport where you don’t use oxygen for short fast bursts of energy where you skiing hard through the bumps and your body is working harder than the amount of oxygen you can breathe in, before getting to the bottom and resting once you are on the way back to start the run all over again.

So Interval training which a type of physical training that involves bursts of high intensity work. This high intensity work is alternated with periods of rest or low activity. You can do this on a bike by sprinting from one lamp post to another and resting to the next lamp post.

Skiing Strength
We have all experienced the thigh burn from a particular steep run or aching legs whilst sitting down at breakfast in the chalet after a hard day of skiing the day before. To help you ski for longer you need to develop your ski specific muscles.

The muscles in your legs take alot of the strain of your alpine getaway and a few simple exercise can improve your skiing. Its better to work on strength endurance rather than maximum strength- so work at 70% of your maximum.

Try doing some simple squats, crouching down with a straight back with knees at a right angle then standing back up.

Try doing this exercise for 20 reps and a one minute rest. If you can do this over and over 4 times its time to add a little more weight. This will work the quads, hamstrings and glutes – all very import skiing muscles.

Particularly important for skiing are your core muscles, which keep your body upright and able to punish your skis.

Sit ups and deadlifts are great for working the core muscles and can be done at home of in the gym.

Ski Flex
Being as flexible as possible will help prevent injuries and you body will be able to cope with this awkward skiing positions that you sometimes find yourself in. It will also help stave off that soreness and aches during your holiday.

Streching of the calves is very important as it transfers the power from your powerful quads into your skis. Stand around 18 inches from a wall. Reach and touch the wall with your hands to give you support. Move one foot as far back as you can while slowly pressing your heel against the ground. Hold the stretch. After this, do the same with your other foot.

You should stretch your quadriceps and hamstrings every time you exercise as this will help with you technique and help you avoid any injuries.

All in all just a brief guide to help you get Ski fit but the more you put into you fitness before you travel the more you will actually get out of it.

Want to know more about Ski Fitness Training Exercises? See a step by step guide to ski exercises here: http://www.powderwhite.com/blog/skiing-snowboarding/ski-fitness-training/