How To Prepare Your Body For A Skiing Or Snowboarding Vacation
So you've just planned a ski vacation, and you're not sure you are prepared for the intense physical activity that goes along with the hot tubbing and craft beer. No worries, I've got you covered.
A lot goes into a skiing and snowboarding trip, gathering or renting your gear, getting to the mountain, high altitudes, and, lastly, athletic performance. While I cannot help you with the logistics, I can help you prepare your body for riding.
Skiing and snowboarding are dangerous activities, and the best way to prevent injury is to avoid other riders; the most dangerous thing on the mountain is the other people. And second is to prepare your body physically.
This article covers easy things you can do to prepare yourself for your upcoming ski vacation, but first, let's start with a common question:
Is cardio or strength training better for preparing your body for skiing?
The answer is nuanced as it depends on your current fitness level and strengths.
If you are an avid runner, cyclist, or swimmer, a little extra cardio won't do much to help you prepare for your ski trip. You likely already have the necessary endurance to ride down the mountain. However, if you don't strength train, you may find it challenging to do some of the repetitive motions of skiing or snowboarding.
In contrast, if you are an avid weightlifter, you will likely be able to carve, jump, and do moguls more easily than a cardio junkie. Yet you may not be ready for the duration or altitude of big ski runs.
There are many reasons to train both strength and cardio, and we'll go a little more in-depth in the following sections. But the short answer is the best one to train is the one you are the worst at.
Why train cardio to prepare your body for your ski or snowboard vacation?
Again, if you are going skiing, there is a good chance you will be at a higher altitude than you are used to. One of the only things you can do to prepare yourself for higher altitude is to improve your cardiovascular fitness. Although if you are looking for a few more things you can do to avoid altitude sickness on your ski vacation, here is a complete list.
In addition, depending on your ski trip destination, skiing can be a sprint or an endurance sport. For example, if you are heading to Wisconsin, your average run is around 30 seconds. While in Colorado, there are three-mile runs that can take a rider anywhere from five to twenty-five minutes.
Skiing and snowboarding are high-impact sports, so the best cardio training is also high-impact. Jumping rope and running are high-impact exercises targeting similar muscle groups.
Why strength train to prepare your body for skiing and snowboarding?
It should come as no surprise that strength training can significantly improve your ability to ski or snowboard and greatly decrease your risk of injury.
Skiing and snowboarding are intense, high-impact sports requiring different kinds of strength.
Lots of untrained individuals who try snowboarding for the time end up with incredibly sore triceps. I know what you may be thinking, why triceps? If you are new to snowboarding your first day or two, you may spend some time on your butt. To get off your butt on the heel side, you need to perform a tricep dip in conjunction with a deep squat.
In addition, if you are a skier and happen to wipe out, getting back up and resetting can require a lot of different strength maneuvers unless you take off all your gear, get up to your feet, and completely reset. However, regardless of your equipment, if at any point you want to rest on a run in your skis, you'll need to be able to squat, whether it is skiing up to a bench on the run or taking off your gear and sitting down. Squats are required for skiing.
What is the best strength training program for a ski or snowboard vacation?
In this section, I'll cover the movements, and in the next section, I'll cover the programming:
PROGRAM MOVEMENTS
Single-Leg RDLs: Single-leg RDLs are the perfect exercise for skiers. They develop ankle stability, improve balance, and build strength in your legs. These are my go-to for training skiers.
Related Article: How Many Single-Leg RDLs To See Results
Single-Leg Squats: Single-leg squats are an efficient exercise as many skiing, and snowboarding maneuvers can have one leg taking most of your weight for a moment. Therefore, it is essential to be strong and balanced when on one leg.
Kettlebell Swings: Kettlebell swings develop power in your lower body, which is necessary for more advanced skiing or snowboarding. Whether it's doing moguls, jumping, or simply turning to avoid a tree, being able to generate force as quickly as possible will always help.
Related Article: How 100 Kettlebell Swings A Day Changes Your Body
Ali Shuffle: Ali shuffles are another great way to strengthen your ankles and balance. In addition to being an excellent little cardio exercise, they also help develop hip mobility and strength. Your hips play a significant role in positioning your body for skiing and snowboarding.
Jump Rope: As mentioned earlier in this article, jumping rope is the perfect exercise for building the cardiovascular endurance necessary for winter sports. In addition, jumping rope help prepares your body for the high-impact nature of downhill sports.
Related Article: How 10 Minutes Of Jumping Rope A Day Changes Your Body
Box Jumps: Another excellent exercise for generating power, for you guessed it, jumps. Please don't let your skis or snowboard leave the ground if you haven't practiced jumping in the past few weeks. Your first jump should not be at high speeds going downhill. In addition, box jumps are excellent for practicing landing or absorbing force, which is incredibly useful for downhill sports. You will go at high speeds, and if you hit a bump, you need to land softly.
Try to land as silently as a ninja when doing your box jump. If you can land quietly, you can safely absorb impact.
Now that we know the exercises let's discuss how to put them into a workout.