@Farry, apple app called 7 Minute Workout (7 MWC) might be good. I use it when I am travelling and not enough time to go to gym or place too dangerous to run on the street. Do it twice through e.g 14 mins.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
AL9000 wrote:
Lunges, sit-ups n squats...lots of them. GO!
Nah. Sit-ups are banned. Static ab exercises now. The plank.
The 7 minute workout is pretty good for ski fitness if you don't have the time to join a gym or hire a trainer. I got up to doing it 2x a day last year in the weeks before our ski trip. There's also a "core" option if you want to focus on that. You can slam a cup of coffee and do it in your living room w/out any gear except a yoga mat and a chair for step-ups.
Nonetheless, the first day on skis still left me hurting. But I definitely felt stronger.
Even if you don't use it for skiing it's a good way to maintain a base level of overall fitness even for doing things like lifting heavy objects around the house.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
don't know about anyone else but i workout 9+ hours a week and every year i still get tired legs after 1st day of skiing
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?
Tired legs us technique related not really fitness
Tired legs us technique related not really fitness
Partly -- efficiency is certainly key -- but there are definitely some aspects of the 3D movements required in skiing that you can't prepare for on dry land...
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
i think you are absolutely right about technique. Having said that i've got in shape over the last couple of years and lost loads of weight which has transformed my skiing.
Pre ski trips I find full and deep lunges really work for strength - I do a set of 10 full lunges in a continuous line outside (not on the spot) repeated 4 or 5 times with a short recovery between sets, can barely stand after with lactic acid, really works those ski muscles. Need a wall beside me to touch in case I get a wobble in later sets.
I also do stepping for 15 or 20 minutes off a high step (plastic box upturned) to add some cardio and endurance in legs as well.
When I take the dog out I make a point of walking quite fast and pushing any hills quite hard.
You dont need a gym.
Really noticed last year I had better ski fitness with that prep, was skiing to last lifts some days and feeling pretty good at 48.
Need to get started this year but have no ski trips planned so unmotivated currently.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I'm with @Pasigal - in part at least.
The stronger (and faster response) your legs (quads, hams, glutes, ads, abs and everything in between) and your core the better able you'll be to adapt quickly to the different demands which skiing puts upon you. But the only way really to be ski fit is - to ski
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Grizzler, yes i agree, but you can be as fit as a lop with strong everything...if you still get tired legs then technique must be an issue.
@Pasigal, I think we are agreeing. If you can't prepare for some aspects of the 3D movements on dry land then no amount of exercise will help and only by skiing and improving technique will you be able to overcome the tired legs issue.
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.
Generally I find Pilates great for skiing (and cycling): gives core stability and posture
There is a "Skilates DVD" kicking around somewhere, but it's nothing skiing specific... just some skiers in the background and a few bonus tracks of people falling down mountains)
I've been adding some of the below into my workouts lately, although there's plenty more on YouTube for ideas...
Right: off to the gym for some more of those Blasters...
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I always feel a bit sore for the first three days of whatever sport it is. That's just natural for me, I've always had that "problem".
I remember as a kid being able to ride my bike so far that I couldn't walk when I got off the thing.
It doesn't bother me. In cycling, you'd just repeat the ride until you could do it without problem.
The same thing works for downhill snowboarding/skiing.
Use Ibuprofen for the first couple of days if you like.
Otherwise, eating well and training are good irrespective of the specific goal.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
philwig wrote:
Use Ibuprofen for the first couple of days if you like.
I use 1 x Berocca, I x aspirin, 1 x Ibuprofen and 1 x espresso each morning as a preemptive remedy, and the bonus is it also helps with the night before
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.
beer after can help also, I'm told.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Someone needs to tell these World Cup racers to stop training and work more on their technique instead.
@Mollerski, thanks and an interesting read. I don’t think it mentions any complete ban though?
Like all exercises, if done with right technique, after warming up and doing an appropriate amount of repetitions, sit ups will be benificial. Obviously, if any exercise causes pain, stop it.
The research experiment, where the spines of dead pigs were subjected to prolonged bending, to try to mimic living human sit ups, sounds bizarre to me.
Plank, sit ups or both, whatever suits each individual, is fine. Don’t expect the six pack they go on about in the article, unless you have very low body fat and work those abs very hard.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym... I have good core muscles but I hide them
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
EarthWindandWater wrote:
I use 1 x Berocca, I x aspirin, 1 x Ibuprofen and 1 x espresso each morning as a preemptive remedy, and the bonus is it also helps with the night before
I thought it wasn't advisable to mix Asprin and Ibuprofen ?
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?
Question please - I am going skiing (2nd time) beginning of March. I need to lose weight and get ski fit. I have made a start this week with 4 sessions of spin, cycling to work (not far) and a bit of swimming thrown in as a loosen up/cool down from the spin. Is spin a good way to start?
@MrsPoshy, I’m sure it will help! Good effort! That’s more gym time than I’ve managed recently. Don’t overdo it. It’s better to do less and to stick with it than to burn out with an unachievable plan.
Spin on high resistance will be great. So will a bit of simple weight training, if you have access to a gym. Deadlifts, squats and lunges will give you legs of steel. Skiing needs power and agility more than it needs cardio and pure strength.
Welcome to Snowheads - if you’ve got any questions about your second ski trip do start a thread and we’ll be happy to help.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Grizzler wrote:
I'm with @Pasigal - in part at least.
The stronger (and faster response) your legs (quads, hams, glutes, ads, abs and everything in between) and your core the better able you'll be to adapt quickly to the different demands which skiing puts upon you. But the only way really to be ski fit is - to ski
I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, do lots of legs exercises, can do the plank for 4 and a half mins (so I'd like to think I have a strong core) and yet when I go skiing I have to stop every 1 minute (due to burning thighs) on black runs, maybe less frequently on reds.... does make me wonder what I am doing wrong. Maybe its the skiing?
On a serious note though this thread has interested me, because I do all my exercises technically well, warm up, cool down so I do wonder if I bend my thighs too much and should ski a little more upright. Anyone concur with this (and sorry to steal the thread)?
@mini_mo, there’s some tricky postural things to work on when skiing. If you’re “stacked” over your joints, with your centre of mass over the centre of your feet, you’ll be good to ski all day. If you’re needing to use you muscles to keep you balanced, you’ll ache after a while.
So yes it’s possible you are using your thighs more than you need to. It’s not easy to change that stance though!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
mini_mo wrote:
... so I'd like to think I have a strong core) and yet when I go skiing I have to stop every 1 minute (due to burning thighs) on black runs, maybe less frequently on reds.... does make me wonder what I am doing wrong. Maybe its the skiing?... I do wonder if I bend my thighs too much and should ski a little more upright. Anyone concur with this (and sorry to steal the thread)?
I'm always surprised how many people actually stop all the time on piste, so you may not be alone there.
What she said:
Burning thighs.. well I know about powder and skiers, and for that the issue is usually being "in the back seat" - weight too far back.
Fit people are particularly prone to the problem, because they can get away with it. Some even ride at a fairly high level - I know at least one guide who rides like that.
I don't like the sound of being stiff/ upright, but then we've not seen you ski.
Warm ups... I never got that, but I thought it had been largely debunked now?
After all it is free
After all it is free
One year I spent a lot of time walking. Pretty much walked to work and back every day about 45min each wat at about 6km/h. Could ski all day.
Next year went to the gym and got a special ski prep fitness plan with weights blah blah blah. Got to the slopes and quads were burning by lunch time.
Those were the 1-2 weeks a year skiing kind of thing.
Last year spent nearly whole season on the slopes with just some summer walking leading into it. Was slightly retarded at the beginning of the season, but was really ripping it up by mid-season. Did skimo and snowshoeing in-between.
that's my routine now. Will only go to the gym shoudl I feel the need to improve muscle strength.
Anyway that's me. Probably won't work for everyone.
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.
I never enjoy gyms. I think they're some of the most anti social, self conscious environments I've ever been. And so much money just to do exercises you can mostly do at home or on the street.
Regular common sense stuff as suggested by everyone else is where it's at.
There's nothing wrong with sit ups. They help keep my back right rather than hurt it, along with the leg raises, plank, press ups and such. I regularly run, though rarely more than a couple of miles. But we have lots of coastal ramps and steps which push the cardiovascular element. If you live anywhere near a dome or dry slope a few sessions before the next trip can't hurt.
To me the biggest shock to the system is the altitude. You can be as strong as an ox but if you're not used to pushing your lungs you soon get knackered up a hill. Then your technique goes. Then your thighs burn.
Diet is pretty important if you're looking to increase strength and stamina too.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@MrsPoshy, don't forget, losing weight is virtually nothing to do with what you do in the gym. Body composition (i.e. fat) is 70/80% (depending on who you read) determined by what one stuffs in ones face. The gym will assist in strength and conditioning.
Cycling is clearly better than nowt. But to make an impact on your ability to endure skiing, you need excercises which primarily involve full weight bearing elements, preferably also including compound lifts of gradually increasing weight.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
)
beer after can help also, I'm told.
