Going on a skiing holiday is a mentally refreshing experience, as you get to escape to a beautiful mountain range, for example skiing in the Pyrenees. That said, it is a more physical holiday than most and many people want to know how to get ski fit and what skiing fitness exercises they should be working on before arriving at the resort, whether they’re going to be taking skiing lessons there or not.
In the guide to fitness for skiing, we’ll discuss some of the most popular get fit to ski program options and some of the best skiing specific exercises, all of which you can work on before you pack your bags and set off.
Components of fitness for skiing
Most skiing fitness experts will explain that there are five key components to fitness for skiing, namely balance, agility, flexibility, core strength and cardiovascular fitness. All five of these are required to ski down the Andorra ski slopes as easily and skilfully as possible, so all five should feature in any fitness training for skiing.
That said, the two most important components of skiing fitness are core strength and cardiovascular fitness, so this is what you should work on the most. This is because having strong core muscles will help to keep you upright and also help with balance as you descend, while it’s also, logically, important to have good cardiovascular fitness for skiing.
Best exercises for skiing
In terms of how exactly to work on these key components for skiing fitness, you’ll want to know specific exercises and drills for how to get in shape for skiing and how to strengthen your body for skiing. With this in mind, we’ll outline below some getting fit for skiing exercises for each of the five fitness components that we outlined above, with most of these skiing specific exercises able to be done at home.
Fitness exercises for balance
One of the most fun skiing specific exercises that you can do at home is with a Bosu Ball, as you can practise your balance by standing one foot on each Bosu Ball and squatting on them. Other fitness exercises for balance include the Single-leg Squat, the Hip Flexor Stretch and Single Leg Deadlift.
Fitness exercises for agility
Shuttle Runs are used by athletes in a variety of stop-start sports, which require you to turn a lot and use agility, so this is also a good drill for getting fit for skiing since this is another sport that requires excellent agility. As for other fitness exercises for agility, take a look at the Box Jump and High Knees.
Fitness exercises for flexibility
You need to be flexible on the slopes, especially in your lower leg. One useful and simple exercise is a Calf and Plantar Fascia Stretch, which entails placing your toes up against a wall with your heel on the ground, and then you lean forward until you feel your calf being stretched and you repeat several times. If looking for alternative fitness exercises for flexibility, you can try the Knee-to-chest Stretch and also a few of the most popular Yoga Poses.
Fitness exercises for core strength
Given that Planks are one of the best drills for improving core strength, this makes them also one of the best ski training exercises. There are many others too, though, including the Bicycle Crunch, the Bear Crawl and simple Sit-ups.
Fitness exercises for cardiovascular fitness
There are so many ways to improve cardiovascular fitness, but it’s advised that you don’t go running too much just before you go skiing, as it can be tough on the knees. Instead, Intense Walking Up Stairs is a better way to boost cardiovascular fitness for skiing, while Arm Circles is another popular option amongst skiers.
How do I stop my knees from hurting when I ski?
All of these exercises will help you to arrive at the ski resort in the best shape to perform at your best and to show off your skills, but pre-skiing fitness is also beneficial for injury prevention reasons. If you fear you’ll suffer sore knees during your skiing holiday, getting into the best physical shape will help to prevent this.
As for which exercises to try to build up better resistance to injury in your knees, you should focus on the above exercises for flexibility and for core strength. Therefore, an optimal routine could be one which includes the Calf and Plantar Fascia Stretch, as well as exercises as simple as some Planks and Sit-ups.
Finally, another tip to stop your knees from hurting when you ski is to make sure you do a proper warm-up and cool-down before and after you take to the slopes. This is standard procedure when practicing most other sports, so skiing should be no exception and should most definitely including some good stretching in the warm-up.
How long do you need to get fit for skiing?
Getting fit for skiing isn’t something that can just be done overnight. The ideal timeframe to get fit for skiing is to put together a 12-week ski training workout plan. It is possible to improve your skiing fitness somewhat if you have less time, but remember that a five-week or six-week get fit to ski program won’t be nearly as effective as three months of gradually getting fit for skiing.