Exercises for the Snowboard/Ski Season
Article and Photos By: Chris Ross
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Airbench Exercise
Montana
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During the fall many people ask me, “What are the best exercises that I can do to get ready for snowboard/ski season?” This is a difficult question to answer because I do not believe that any one exercise is perfect for everybody. All of the exercises that will be discussed in this article are general conditioning exercises for skiing and snowboarding. If you are going to participate in a conditioning program I highly recommend seeking professional advice. I have seen many people performing exercises with the wrong amount of recovery time, executing poor form, and engaging in exercises that were too high in demand. These pitfalls can lead to overtraining, minimal results, and even worse, injury.
Training bilateral strength, stability, balance, flexibility, and endurance are all important factors to address when training for skiing/snowboarding. Utilizing the body bilaterally refers to the ability to use both sides of your body equally. Both halves of your body, to the left and the right of the spine, are identical; each side is designed to work in the same manner. When the two sides of your body become unbalanced, the symmetry and integrity of your body become compromised. This is where many training programs fail. For many people who consistently train both sides of their body at the same time, their strong or dominant side is usually reinforced, while their less-active or non-dominant counterpart is often worked much less. This can result in a body that is uni-lateral or imbalanced and can often lead to muscular asymmetry as the stronger side works harder to compensate for the weaker side. If you feel like you turn stronger, longer, and more confidently into one side of your body than the other, your body may not be working bi-laterally.
Another important component of a workout program designed for skiers and snowboarders is that the exercises be designed to meet the specific demands and challenges of snowboarding and skiing. Sport specific training involves the enhancement of movement patterns that either resemble or imitate the movement patterns of a particular sport. Which exercises you choose depends on which sport you are trying to improve. If you conditioned for snowboard/ski season using only weight machines, your legs and upper body would be strong, but would not be fully equipped to handle the kind of movement, stability, endurance, and dynamic balance required for the slopes.
Here are some general exercises that are specific to the rigors of snowboarding and skiing. As you are doing these movements, make sure to stay in control and focus on proper form. Quality of movement is everything.
Cats and Dogs
Cats and Dogs is a great exercise to increase the range of motion of your spine and pelvis and promote bilateral spine flexion and extension while loading the shoulder and hip joints. Start in the quadruped position (on all fours) with your thighs and arms perpendicular to the floor. Without bending your elbows, lift your head and try to lower your spine as far as possible while squeezing your shoulder blades together, like a dog stretching. Now, lower your head and lift your spine as far as possible like a Halloween cat. Repeat this back and forth for about a minute.
Airbench
Wall Sit or Airbench is a great way to strengthen the legs and promote the proper function of the ankles, hips, and knees while stabilizing the pelvis. Stand against a wall with your feet facing straight ahead. Your hips, upper back and head should be up against the wall. Walk your feet away from the wall approximately two to two and a half feet. Bend your knees and start sliding down the wall. Hold this position and keep the weight in your heels. Your lower back should be flush up against the wall. Hold for around 1-2 minutes.
Single Leg Tuck Jumps
Stand with your feet straight ahead and hip-width apart. Squat down from your hips with one leg while bringing your arms backward. Thrust your arms upward while jumping in the air with one leg. Bring that one leg up as high as you can toward your chest. Land on the same foot and repeat for 10-15 repetitions for each leg.
Bosu Ski/Snowboard Squats
BOSU Squat Sequence: A BOSU can be described as half a stability ball attached to a plastic base. The BOSU is one of several training devices designed to improve balance and coordination.
• For a ski-specific squat, stand on the BOSU with your legs hip-width apart. Your feet should be pointing straight ahead. With your knees aligned over your toes, start the squatting motion by bending your knees and lowering. Hold for a few seconds at the bottom and come back to standing position. To improve strength, balance and endurance, try tucking and holding the squat for longer amounts of time (15-30 seconds) to keep the exercise challenging. If you really want to make the exercise specific to ski conditioning, instead of holding your arms up high, grab a couple ski poles, and throw them into normal tuck position.
• For a snowboard-specific squat, take a snowboard stance on the BOSU, goofy, or regular foot. For snowboard specificity, be sure to position your feet exactly the way you angle your bindings. Lower yourself slowly until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees. Hold for a few seconds at the bottom and come back to standing position. Aim for 10 Repetitions x 2 Sets.
Standing Quad Stretch
This exercise improves the flexibility of the quadriceps muscles. Standing on one foot, bend the other leg back and place the top of your foot on the back of a chair or a block. The height of your foot dictates the amount of stretch in the quadriceps muscles on the front of your thighs. Keep your hips and shoulders square to the wall. Look down and be sure that your knees remain aligned moving outside or inside the line made by your hip and ankle. The key is to make sure that the standing leg/hip is not jutting out to the side. Keeping your hips level, try to hold your balance as much as possible.
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Single Leg Tuck Jumps
Montana
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Single Leg Balance
This exercise quickly develops better balance and proprioception, the ability to sense your body’s position based only on the internal status of your body and without help from your other senses. Start by standing on one leg and getting into a stable posture. Once stable, try to balance yourself first with eyes open, and then try eyes closed. While this may seem easy to do, it is much harder than it looks. Notice if standing on one of your legs with your eyes closed is harder on one side than on the other. This may cue you into a strength imbalance on one side of your body.
These are just a couple general exercises for getting your body ready for the demands of snowboard/ski season. A little time spent training either at home or in the gym can help achieve optimum performance. With these and other exercises, you can improve your strength, stability, balance, flexibility, and endurance, allowing you to get in those last few runs on the slopes, ski or board injury free, and feel your best while out on the hill.
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