Pre Skiing holiday exercises

If you're like most skiers, skiing is a seasonal activity. That said, it may be difficult to know how to stay in the safest possible shape to hit the slopes, but there actually are several types of exercises that best prepare skiiers for a snowy season of minimal aches and pains. The three umbrella categories should be covered by skiers in a workout are endurance, strength, and flexibility. Endurance: Cardio. There is pretty much no getting around the fact that the only way to fortify your endurance is through regular extended periods of cardiovascular exercise. Cardio often makes up the majority of a workout, and can include running, jogging, power walking, the elliptical machine and treadmill. Any combination of these for a minimum of 30 minutes, five times a week will dramatically improve skiing stamina. Stength. Strength requires individual muscle sets to be worked separately, and should never be attempted simultaneously with cardio (ie, weight lifting while power walking on a treadmill). Leg Muscles. Strong legs are imperative to the physical act of skiing, especially downhill skiing. Try a variety of lunges and squats for the glutes and most thigh muscles. Start with a basic lunge and squat, so you learn which muscles you are working: stand with your legs together, step about four feet forward with one foot, and bend the front leg into a right angle. Repeat as many times as you feel comfortable (the recommended amount of lunges is about 2-3 sets of 12), and do the same for the other side. To do a basic squat, stand straight with your legs together, and place a chair just behind you. Slowly lower toward the chair by bending your knees and flexing your abs, keeping your knees behind your toes. Do about the same number of squats as you do lunges. Abdominals, Back Muscles and the Spine. If you remember to engage the abs in your cardio, flexibility, and non-abdominal strength training, they will be worked. Still, sit-ups are the basic abdominal exercise. When you feel comfortable with sit-ups, try more complex exercises like twists and variations on the basic sit-up. Some exercises work both the abs and the back, and strengthening the back muscles as much as possible is the best way to protect the spine from awkward bends and heavy impact. Try planks and hip bridges. Flexibility. An awkward fall may hurt you in parts of your body you weren't even aware you had. Like strength training, specific body parts will need to be targeted by flexibility exercises. Exercises that may prevent an injury on the slopes include yoga, Pilates, and aerobics for flexibility. Like cardio, remember to warm up the muscles before starting! In the real world. If you live near the water or ride a bike to work, take up surfing, skateboarding, or even "subway surfing", as the movements work your body and brain in much the same ways that skiing does. Swimming additionally has benefits of its own, for endurance, strength, and flexibility training, and depending on what you do in the water, it usually counts towards either weekly cardio or aerobic time.

Sarah writes on behalf of The Board Basement an independent snowboard retailer in the UK. Their on-line shop gives you access to the latest boarding gear, clothing and accessories such as Sanuk Sandals and the best Snowboards UK.