Providing you don’t intend to spend the whole holiday sat in a bar drinking latte’s and French beer, the answer is yes. It’s unlikely that many of us that are lucky enough to venture on a winter holiday to go skiing or snowboarding are actually fit enough for the activity we will be undertaking.
Skiing and snowboarding are hugely demanding activities, requiring high levels of cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Also, you will be at high altitude with less oxygen, Therefore, uptake of oxygen will be greatly reduced making any activity feel that little bit harder than it would be at sea level.
Fit for the slopes
Fitness Training should form a fundamental part of your holiday preparation, an effective training programme should start at least six to eight weeks prior to leaving for the snow. Moreover, you are likely to spend five to eight hours a day for at least five or six days.
If you have booked for one week, it’s likely you will be out on the slopes all 6 days to get the best value out of both the holiday and your rather expensive lift pass. Being physically fit on your holiday will enable you to get the most out of your skiing or snowboarding, allow you to be on the slopes for the best part of the day. And ultimately enjoy your holiday without excessive muscle pain or aches during the day.
Prepare and Prevent Accidents
In ski resorts, accidents on the slopes generally happen in your first couple of days or in the afternoon once fatigue and tiredness have set in. Being physically fit and capable of enduring a full day at your full potential will be much safer and reduce the risk of accidents on the slopes. Obviously there is little you can do about an out of control snowboarder flying into you and sending your ski’s flying down the slope (perhaps they had not undergone an effective training programme before their holiday).
Muscles used while Skiing and Snowboarding
So let’s look at what muscles are used, a good answer might be; ‘all of them’, and that’s probably not far wrong. However, It’s not very helpful in designing a workout programme for skiing or snowboarding. Key muscle areas are the legs and core and a focused programme should build strength and endurance in these areas.
- Quadriceps (Thigh)
- Hamstrings (Back of thigh)
- Gluteus Maximus (Bum)
- Soleus (Ankle)
- Abductors (Outher thigh)
- Aductors (Inner Thigh)
- Rectus abdominis (Abs)
- Erector Spinae (Lower back)
- Obliques (Abs, side)
Exercises to Include in your workout
Exercises in a ski workout should have a good balance strength & endurance, a good repetition range for this would be 12-18
Legs
- Squats
- Lunges
- Calf Raises
- Ski Sits
- Lateral Squats
Core
- Hip Press
- Supermans
- Crunches
- Russian Twists
- Side Bends
- Dorsal Raises
- Planks
Upper Body
- Press Ups
- Triceps Dips
- Bent-Over Row
- Pull-Ups
- Lateral Raises
Try this General Winter Sports Workout