If you are a skiing enthusiast and love to tear up the slopes, there are many good exercises that will help your body get in pristine skiing shape.
Whether you like the bunny slopes, moguls, or triple diamond blacks, it’s necessary to get your body ready for the treacherous and challenging slopes to not only successfully make it downhill but to avoid injury. You not only need to have strong leg muscles, but it’s also smart to create a strong back, core and upper body.
If you don’t take the time to get your body in tip-top shape, you risk struggling making the runs, falling, or even suffering a bad injury.
Make sure you use this list of 8 exercises to get your body ready to make a successful ski run.
Best Exercises for Powder Skiing
Sumo Deadlift
One of the best exercises you should be doing to prepare for powder skiing is the sumo deadlift.
All you need is a dumbbell and somewhere to squat to make this happen.
This exercise will work your quads, back, inner thighs, hamstrings, and glutes.
This will be one of the most important exercises you can do to get your legs into shape.
Walking Pushups
Another great exercise for you to do to get your body in shape for powder skiing is the walking pushup.
You may not realize it but you will also need a strong upper body and core to maintain proper balance on the slopes.
Walking pushups will not only strengthen your chest and shoulders, but your abs, obliques, and hip flexors as well.
Doing these will also make it much easier to get up from a fall.
Incorporate these into your workout to make sure all your muscles are getting adequately exercised.
Weighted Pulse Squats
One way you can mimic the rigors of the mountain is with a weighted pulse squat.
Grab a weight vest and sit down into a deep squat and lightly bounce up and down a few inches.
Modify your foot placement for a sumo squat or a ski squat.
Glute Ham Raise
Strong glutes and hamstrings are crucial to a good ski run down the mountain.
Add the glute ham raise into your work to protect your legs and back when skiing.
You are going to be bouncing a lot on the way down the mountain so make sure your legs can handle the pressure.
Plank Punches
Another great exercise for powder skiiers is the plank punch.
This is a good full body exercise to get your core, shoulders, and hip flexors into shape.
The stronger your core is, the more versatile and free range your movements can be without risking injury.
Lunge Jumps
A great way to strengthen your legs before you hit the slopes is with lunge jumps.
If you like to cross country ski or do moguls or double diamond blacks, you better make sure your legs are in top-top shape.
Lunge jumps will work your quads, hams, glutes, and calves.
Mix in some squat jumps or throw on a weight vest for greater affect.
Side to Side Shuffles
A good way to protect your knees from the side-to-side movement of skiing is with side-to-side shuffles.
You will get your Gluteus Medius, your valves, quads and glutes in shape doing this simple exercise.
Mix in some grapevines (karaoke shuffles) to make it a little bit more challenging.
Jump Rope
The last exercise you need to be doing to get your body ready for skiing is by jumping rope.
This is going to improve your endurance, strengthen your calves, and get your legs ready for the slopes.
You can also try adding some cycling, jogging, swimming or elliptical to keep your cardio workout balanced.
Summary: Best Exercises for Powder Skiing
If you are an avid skier, you need to keep your body in shape to be able to ski several days in a row, avoid injury, and to have the most fun you can on the slopes. Skiing is a tough sport, and you need to take care of your body if you want to make the most of it. Many people will get on the mountain after years of never having done physical activity and will pay the price. Skiing will take a gigantic tole on your body’s strength and endurance. Make sure you do exercises like lunge jumps, walking pushups, and jumping rope to give yourself the best chance for a successful time on the mountains.
