How to get fit for skiing

Got a trip to the slopes planned? Here’s how to get fit for skiing.

Virgin Active’s national product innovation manager James Trevorrow has some pearls of wisdom for anyone who wants to get in shape for a ski trip.  He recommends a two-pronged attacked: focusing on both mobility and strength. Check out his suggested exercises to boost both elements of your training…

The mobility workout:

As your feet are fixed in one position when skiing, it’s important that your hips and upper body are mobile in order to give your joints and connective tissues support. There’s no need to use weights with these motions, this is all about increasing your range. You want to increase mobility across all planes of movement within your hips to prepare for parallel turns.

Do the following four movements, swapping legs and increasing reps. Maintain your balance and remember to keep your feet locked, in order to mimic the motion of skiing.

1. Step forward into the lunge position. Either reach your hands over your head or cross them over your chest. Move your hips backwards and forwards in a thrusting motion. Then keep your knees soft and bounce your hips from side to side.

2. Keeping your hips forward, twist your upper body from left to right, lowering it down towards your hips on each turn.

3. Cross your left leg over the right and reach your right hand over your head. Lean your torso to the left and bounce over your hip.

4. Cross your right leg over and reaching over with your left arm, repeat the movement.

The strength workout:

When skiing, you load, unload and hold significant weight on your legs. Leg strengthening workouts are a great way to prepare for such endurance.

To ensure your legs are strong enough for a week on the slopes, do rotation squats with dumbbells, lunges, step-ups and bike intervals. Wall squats are also fantastic preparation for skiing – start by doing these for 30 seconds and work up to a longer time, adding weights as you go.