 Poster: A snowHead
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See a physio.
A lot of people neglect their posterior chain, which causes all sorts of issues from lower back pain to imbalances. Cycling, squats etc are all very well, but not the whole story.
I favour kettlebell swings for a posterior chain, low impact, and reasonably fun exercise. Combine with the humble press-up, and you actually get to a lot of your body in two exercises, and get some cardio in too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I’m a long time lurker on Snowheads and don’t post very often, but I thought I’d share a link to a Maison Sport (who I happen to follow on Instagram for ski videos). They’ve created a 6 week ski fitness programme which I thought was really useful, lots of guidance on form, straightforward to follow. May also be with a look. Info via this link. https://maisonsport.com/en/blog/our-guide-on-how-to-get-ski-fit-for-your-ski-holiday
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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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If you are in a gym like me, then book a couple of Personal Trainer sessions. I used to be quite scathing about PTs but most are well-qualified to look at your specific physique and fitness and come up with a set of exercises that will help a lot, not just for skiing but generally. Generic videos etc are OK but I found them not tailored enough to be useful.
I’ve also got a good set of daily exercises from my osteopath aimed at normal ‘at home’ mobility and particular ones to include in the run-up to summer hiking and winter skiing. These overlap with the PT ones and I’ve ended up with a set of exercises for the long-term.
Every so often I book an osteopath session for an appraisal, and then a couple of PT sessions in the run-up to going away, as it’s easy to slip into doing the exercises wrongly. They can also come up with substitute ones if your routine is getting a bit repetitive.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Mobility is key. If you can’t build enough reps in the tank for skiing you can boost flexibility by stretching every day between now and your trip.
Lots of YouTube videos can help
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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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Run. It's what we are designed to do and I find it really good for leg conditioning as well as fitness.
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Take 100 random people and see how many can run 10 miles without shoes and then tell me it's what we are "designed to do" 
Running can be excellent. But it also has some big downsides. Firstly, very high injury rates - probably exasperated if you are not light and are running on concrete/tarmac (probably a necessary evil at this time of year). Secondly, if you are coming from sedentary running is almost certainly going to be "too hard", you would need to do walk-run and gradually build up to being able to "run" without heart rate massively spiking.
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PTs but most are well-qualified to look at your specific physique and fitness and come up with a set of exercises that will help a lot
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I'm sure there are good PTs out there, there are also many completely useless ones. The qualification standards are so low your odds of finding a good one are not particularly high. You want a physio, who is actually medically qualified and can identify weaknesses/imbalances/physiological issues and offer exercises to correct them.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We're not even that brilliantly designed to stand up, let alone run!
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I was listening to a podcast recenlty discussing how you can get reliable advice on exercise and personal training etc.
Although the conclusions were highly nuanced my take away message on personal trainers is that although they may not be well qualified for many enthusiasm is probably more important than qualifications as the benefits from exercise in general far outweigh the risks of most exercises.
Caveats being that if you are recovering from injury input from physio is probably important and be careful and if going to extreme measures be careful.
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@T Bar, the real science of sport podcast? They are pretty good.
I actually completely agree with you. For people looking to go from sedentary to exercising a good personal trainer is probably someone that has a friendly personality and can motivate. They don't necessarily need to know much - simply getting someone enjoying regular exercise is likely beneficial and it would be an extreme case where they were putting someone at high risk of injury.
However, OP specifically said they believe they have some kind of weakness/imbalance between legs. The vast majority of personal trainers are not qualified to assess this and identify a cause. Which is why physio should be the go to.
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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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@boarder2020,
It was indeed The real science of sport. Agree about wanting physio rather than PT assessment of any imbalance.
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My advice is don't over do it. Last thing you want to do is go too hard and cause an injury so close to your trip.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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You’ll note that I originally mentioned both PT and Osteopath, and inferred though probably didn’t indicate strongly that the best person to see first is an osteopath or physiotherapist for individual, specific analysis and remediation of any conditions they identify. But I still think that PTs have a role to play in helping you once you can tell them (a) what your specific issues are and (b) the sort of sport/activity you’re planning on doing.
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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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But I still think that PTs have a role to play in helping you once you can tell them (a) what your specific issues are and (b) the sort of sport/activity you’re planning on doing.
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To be a PT in UK you need level 3. Have a look online at just how short the courses available are! We are talking weeks not months. I think your expectations might be a little high.
You simply don't need "sport specific" training at recreational level. Just focus on general strength. Anyone with a half decent squat and deadlift is not going to find skiing overly demanding. Add in a bit of general cardio (cycling/running etc.) and you will be better prepared than the majority.
Some old slightly esf instructor who's never touched a weight in his life and couldn't run 5k will still outski you
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| slider24 wrote: |
| My advice is don't over do it. Last thing you want to do is go too hard and cause an injury so close to your trip. |
So true. Been there!
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You know it makes sense.
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Lose weight.
Eat cleaner.
Shedding 10-20lbs will make skiing way way easier than any pre-ski exercise.
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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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With four weeks to go losing 20lb is probably easiest done by amputation.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just got back from Flaine, it was all legs and quads really. Hard to replicate but squats and stepper machine / walking upstairs. Did find myself getting out of puff and very hot and sweaty.
Put all your coats on and boots on, heating up high, and then walk up the stairs a thousand times to replicate walking back to the boot room in the blazing sun!
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