While it might seem early, the slopes will be open soon – maybe even later this month! So, how are you preparing your body for skiing and snowboarding season?

If you start prepping now for skiing and snowboarding season, you can get your body ready for movements that are specific to the sport – all with an eye toward preventing injury and reducing soreness you might experience if you just jump right in.

Chances are, you haven’t experienced or executed these movement patterns in a while, so starting with a slow ramp-up is likely advisable for most of us who are trying to get our body back in optimal condition to experience skiing and snowboarding.

Here are a few suggestions for conditioning with a specific emphasis on skiing and snowboarding season.

Cardio

Skiing (both downhill and cross-country) and snowboarding can be quite taxing from a cardiovascular aspect, so if you don’t currently have regular activity in your life that gets your heart rate elevated (e.g., brisk walking, cycling, running, swimming), you’ll want to start adding it to your workout routine. We’re all starting from a different place, but you’ll want to begin a program with activities done every other day (~3 days/week) that are appropriate to your fitness level, and gradually build to up to 5 days/week. Start with limited duration if you’re deconditioned, and gradually increase your time spent doing the activities in the coming weeks.

Strength Training

Skiing and snowboarding season means you will be doing activities that engage your entire body, but it really capitalizes on the strength of your hips, legs, and core. That means that to prepare for the movements you will be doing, you’ll want to incorporate exercises like squats (weighted or body weight), both static and dynamic, that can help strengthen your glutes, core, hamstrings, and quads.

You’re going to want to focus on exercises that develop muscle endurance, strength, power, agility, and stability. Functional movements that mimic skiing and snowboarding that you can practice in a controlled environment (when you are not out on snow and ice) so you’ll be well prepared for when you actually hit the slopes.

A Strong Core

A strong core impacts your whole body and can help you stay injury free. While achieving six-pack abdominals is a bonus, moving your body through space actually draws on the engagement of the deeper abdominal muscles that support your spine and movement as a whole. Also, skiing and snowboarding are sports done on your feet and in an upright position while moving at speed, so don’t just rely on static abdominal exercises done on the floor. While that is a great place to start, you’re going to want to incorporate dynamic core exercises in a variety of standing positions to truly develop core strength and get the body working as a whole. Pilates (which we offer at Beacon PT) is a great place to start with experts who can help you to not only target muscle imbalances and weaknesses but will also help you to strengthen your core in a variety of positions and prevent injury.

Need help putting together a winter sport workout? We can definitely help you out! If you have any questions about what to do before you hit the slopes, let us know.

Beacon Physical Therapy

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we support our clients in establishing healthy movement patterns that help maintain strength, flexibility and mobility. We are ready to assist you if you want advice in designing a personalized ramp-up to ski season!  And if you are having an issue, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you back to doing what you love.