 Poster: A snowHead
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Or is lugging all your gear to the lift sufficient effort? Or do 'real' skiers not bother?
If so has any one got any useful exercises/stretches they'd like to pass on and is it worth doing them where you can't be seen  ?
N.B. This is unashamedly picking up from the line of thought in Cathy's thread.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Megamum,
Any physical activty is worth a warm-up.. a few stretches might protect those cold muscles...
Concentrate on the legs just after getting off the lifts....hamstrings and quads for starters along with a binding check if req'd
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Megamum, hmmm - I never bother, but I realise that really I should, so bear that in mind when I say...
A warm-up should do a few things - raise the heart rate, warm the muscles, take your joints through a full range of movement, and stretch the muscles. The aim is to prepare the body for what you're about to do, and to do this is a controlled manner. So, getting out of breath as you walk up the steps towards the first ski lift does part of this, but doesn't address the other three elements as I've described it.
Take a look here for a skiing warm-up http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/online-tips/Ski-Academy_DVD-clips_Warm-Up-and-Stretch-Routine.htm, sorry if it isn't any good - I couldn't be bothered to wait for it to load! But, I did see his routine on a DVD I bought and that looked OK.
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Megamum, my instructors always insist on a warm up run - not so fast or aggressive etc as a full on run... they suggest stretching after skiing - but within 20mins or so of stopping.... also they suggest swimming afterwards - but not the hot tub... If I choose not to swim they will accept a walk...
Warm up run consists of a few basic moves to warm up joints etc... also they like me to swing my arms around etc etc I usually would ski warm up with boots unbuckled and do stuff like hops(bouncing) and ankle rolls... a few other things.... just general functional movements...
Surf coaches use similar - slow run, paddling in air, practice jump ups, arm swings, etc
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Megamum, yes. And a bit of stretching too - once warm.
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When I did group lessons as a child we had warm up sessions for 10, 15 minutes. I never warm up now and never got a cramp but I tend to do "warm-up runs" to get me in the flow of skiing.
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Megamum, no stretching of cold muscles. Take a slow speed, low intensity run and gradually ramp it up. Stretch once warm.
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Megamum, one problem is that sitting on the chair lift allows the muscles to go cold.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Megamum, I like to keep my legs moving if I have to stand still for a while or just come off a chairlift - shuffle the feet back and forward, bend the knees a bit, that sort of thing.
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I have never really bothered im normally stupidly hot from gettin gear on that by the time i get on the slopes im actually sweating, also walking in
ski boots tends to get the legs moving.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you really want to look after yourself you should warm up & stretch after breakfast in the comfort of your room, before putting all the gear on. What you're aiming for is deep muscle warmth before attempting a stretch... not the feeling of just being hot you get when walking around a bit in your ski gear or going for "the warm up run". A gradual build up to some light aerobics, mobilisation of all the joints and good stretch routine will set you up far better than that daft arm waving and toe touching you see groups doing with their instructors. Eg... going down to touch your boots might give you the feeling of a stretch taking place in the hamstrings but, actually, all they are doing is contracting like crazy to keep you from falling over! Hamstrings are much better tackled on the bedroom floor when they are unweighted and can be relaxed to stretch. In short, most so called stretches offered on the piste pre skiing aren't helpful. A sound warm up routine doesn't take more than 5 - 10 mins (and the more you make it a habit the longer you'll take over it).
... 'course, I can't be arsed with any of it 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Megamum, Last season walking 200m uphill to the lift from the car park (rather than taking the bus) followed by a coffee while I put my boots on did the trick.
There does seem to be conflicting views on warming up depending on who you talk to. The last physio I spoke to on the subject was with veeeight,little tiger, & Timmaah, recommending doing your activity gently / slowly & building it up.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 29-10-07 11:29; edited 1 time in total
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Megamum, good question. I have wondered if ski-in-ski-out increased injury and a good long trudge to the lifts with its natural warm up was preferable.
But then walking in ski boots over icey bumpy tracks probably results in a number of injuries, not to mention all those bruised heads from swinging round with skis on your shoulder and clobbering your companions.
For most of us the warm-up is walking up and down the stairs to and from your room as you discover you have left behind your lift pass, then getting your lift pass you leave behind your gloves, and then you can't remember if you locked your room . . . . a good 3 or 4 trips up and down those stairs is warm-up enough for anyone
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm sure I read somewhere recently that stretching didn't help, but a gradual full warm up where you slowly increase the intensity of what you are doing was beneficial.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Time for a quick poll.
Embrocation:
a) live by it, swear by it, here's my favourite
b) I was embro-curious for a time, don't noise it about
c) isn't that a silly french cyclocross thing?
d) only for the Lycra set!
e) Granny wore brocade, what's that to do with skiing?
f) We don hav dat roun hear, since we kilt the possums off
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Poster: A snowHead
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| JT wrote: |
Any physical activty is worth a warm-up.. a few stretches might protect [PULL] those cold muscles...
Concentrate on the legs just after getting off the lifts....hamstrings and quads for starters along with a binding check if req'd |
should never stretch cold muscles!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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kermit, agreed++++
No harm in starting exercising gradually, but no evidence that pre-exercise stretching does anything much. However post-exercise stretching as a means of preventing injuries has a fair amount of evidence behind it.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Nick L wrote: |
kermit, agreed++++
No harm in starting exercising gradually, but no evidence that pre-exercise stretching does anything much. However post-exercise stretching as a means of preventing injuries has a fair amount of evidence behind it. |
A study published in the BMJ states that:
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| Stretching before or after exercising does not confer protection from muscle soreness. Stretching before exercising does not seem to confer a practically useful reduction in the risk of injury, but the generality of this finding needs testing. |
It's an interesting article, seems to indicate stretching does not do much good.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Sage wrote: |
It's an interesting article, seems to indicate stretching does not do much good.
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Stretching may not help in the releive of DOMS, but will help with flexibility which will help reduce injuries.
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| kermit wrote: |
| Stretching may not help in the releive of DOMS, but will help with flexibility which will help reduce injuries |
You may be right, but do you have any references for that statement?
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This thread reminds me of a friend's story. He's a very keen skier but went for a trip with a group, including his wife, who were more into the 'let's relax in the mountains, with a sprinkling of skiing' mood.
In his words: 'I was ready to go by 9 am every day. At 9.30 they would start to come out of their rooms, still in pyjamas. They cooked breakfast, got dressed in skiwear at a leisurely pace, made small talk. (Apparently, he was not allowed to leave first, as he had to show them around, being the most experienced skier). By 11, or 10.30 if we were lucky, we were AT LAST at the top of a gondola / chairlift. I would click into my bindings, ready to go, but do you think they were ready? NOOoooo. They started flapping one arm, then another. Then they flapped the right leg, then the left leg. Then they started bending in all directions. I said "it's only a blue run, you can warm up skiing it slowly". No way. It took them 15 bloody minutes to go through the whole routine, looking like a yoga class teleported into the wrong place and wrong clothes. By 12.30 they wanted lunch and by 3.30 they called it a day...'
Every time I see someone stretching at the top of a run I remember his words ' flapping one arm, then the other'...and I can't stop chuckling. 
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Carry your and your kids skis from chalet to lesson meeting point, help them get into skis etc, run back to chalet to get the inevitable forgotten lift pass or hat, run back again to get the pole you dropped, wave goodbye to kids, go into bar for coffee and cake and hey warm up done.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The bestest coaches/teachers I've been with have always used a warmup.
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Boris, That's about the measure of what I get up to as well!! Hence the question 'is it likely to be sufficient?'
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Megamum, in ski school we have a 1.5 hour training session every morning before we start teaching lessons. An important part of that training session is getting the muscles warm, the tendons stretched and your balance on an even kilter before strapping the planks on.
I do truely believe that a warm up before skiing - including muscle warming, stretching and balance work greatly improves performance and reduces risk of injury... a warm stretched muscle is less likely to cause you problems than a cold stiff one. .. although a cold stiff shot is sometimes what you need to get you going in the morning
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Jonpim wrote: |
| kermit wrote: |
| Stretching may not help in the releive of DOMS, but will help with flexibility which will help reduce injuries |
You may be right, but do you have any references for that statement? |
Methinks it's a bit of a generic statement.
If you're flexible, your range of motion is increased (joint movement), which will reduce the number of pulled muscles at least.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7046634.stm
specifically
However, the researchers said it might be more help for people with reduced flexibility.
And a UK expert stressed the main reason to stretch was to prevent injury, rather than soreness.
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Nice of Mrtoastie to mention balance work, often ignored. Wakes the brain up.
And with the muscles don't forget the back/lower back, they do a lot work.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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usually you have to go up a lift and ski down a bit to keep on going on more lifts to ultimately get to the top and usually this little ski down is on something tame - after skiing down the first or second baby run, do some stretches, then unleash yourself on the mountain.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Warm Up = A brisk march and no stretching.
Warm Down = A steady march and some moderate stretching.
One's 'exercise curve' should look like an upturned bathtub: a steady incline in activity, followed by a peak, followed by a controled slowdown.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Warming up is for loos(en)ers
Drinking up is where it's at.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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lol..
I warm up a couple days in advance. I have a long drive to ski so each pee break I stretch what I can. I try to work out what I can stretching when I get there. Then I spend a good hour on the bunny hill doing things like skiing on one leg, side slipping, falling down (oops.. not intended) and other things.
Then a few drinks and I'm ready to go!
(part A is optional - part B is mandatory!)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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a good exercise to get the thighs toned before going and to warm up/cool down - keep repeating it until your thigh can't take no more, do it 3 reps each side.
while standing, lift your knee up in front of you, so thigh is parallel with the ground, while lifted, point the knee outwards/to the side to 2o'clock, the foot should be below the knee (45 degrees) put foot to ground, lift it up and bring knee back to the front again and put foot down, (so it is like stepping one leg in and out in an n movement - repeatedly
Another way of doing the exercise is to do it in circular movement
while standing, lift your knee up in front of you, so thigh is parallel with the ground, while lifted, point the knee outwards to the side and point your foot the same way, this time, keep heel close to the other leg you are standing on and let the foot slide up and down your leg, bringing knee across to front until in normal standing position, repeat in circles, and do the reverse to exercise the other movement. this one is like making an o movement with the knee
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I always stretch in the shower in the mornings (necessary at my advanced age), but then ski gently to start. If I've had a very long cold journey up the mountain then I'll hop around a bit flapping various bits and pieces of my body. I know one should do a bit more, but I can't be bothered!!! A few exercises on a green run do the trick quite nicely - but then that's nearly all I do all winter anyway! 
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Based on 20 years of playing rugby in miserable English weather. Always warm up and stretching helps but stretching after you finish, that really makes a massive difference.
For running, just stretching awfterwards made a massive difference.
The older you get the more it applies.
Mind you, for skiing the temptation to just go and have a beer at the end of the day. Hot tubs seem to help reduce stiffness though. So ski in/ski out accom., quick change at end of day and in to the hot tub with a cold beer. Sorted.
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Nickski, in LDA last week, my legs were really aching after a lesson with easiski. A soak in a hot bath certainly helped, followed by a stroll around town.
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My 2p - Why not stretch - can it actually do any harm? I am a convert to the stretching business after an injury a few years back, thus I think the injury prevention rather than muscle soreness is probably a valid point.
Ive found that these days the 'day three' syndrome of barely being able to hobble out of bed after going mental for the first couple of days is certainly less of an issue. Maybe I'm getting fitter, maybe its teh stretching (before and after), or maybe I'm just getting old and going less mental in the first couple of days! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pielot, There is good evidence out there that stretching pre-exercise does no good and may in fact do harm. (Also consider, you just spent 15 mins warming up, then stand still and stretch for 10 mins...your muscles are now ... cold again!!)
Definitely warm up, definitely warm down, and definitely stretching/mobilising as you warm down. Light exercise has been shown to vastly aid recovery times (Redgrave & Pinsent 'went for a walk' to assist recovery between their 2 golds in 1 day the other year IIRC ).
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offpisteskiing, One of the advantages of stretching in the shower is that all of you is nice and warm!
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