List Of Skiing Exercises

There aren’t many things more fun and exhilarating to do in the snow than hit the slopes and go skiing. Whether you’re a professional skier already or just getting started, there are plenty of exercises you can do to get in the best shape possible. Here are some exercises that will help hone your skills.

Skiing Stretches

As with any sport, it is highly recommended that you stretch before and after skiing. It’s important to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to ensure that you’re as loose and flexible as possible in order to best prevent injuries. Here are a few stretches to get started.

• Hamstring Stretch
• Couch Stretch
• Calf Stretch

Hamstring Stretch

Your hamstrings are a part of your leg that is used quite a bit when you’re skiing, so doing this stretch before, after, and even during a run on the slopes can be a great way to ensure your legs are as loose as possible. To do this stretch, simply keep your legs as straight as possible and reach down until you touch either your toes or the outside of your heels. Some recommend doing this stretch while in your ski boots to help adjust your legs to the equipment.

Couch Stretch

Unlike the hamstring stretch, the couch stretch does not require you to be in your ski gear to do it. All it requires is a couch or a table that you can place your legs on. To do the couch stretch, take one leg and put it on the couch, placing your knee in the crevice connecting the bottom and back cushions and your foot on the top of the back cushion. Stand tall, engage your glutes and press your hips forward to start the stretch and hold until you’re finished.

Calf Stretch

A quick stretch that is meant to target your calves while increasing ankle mobility. To do it, find a step to place the balls of your feet on. Lower your heel to stretch the calf and hold.

Upper Body Exercises

The upper body isn’t used quite as much as your lower body, but that doesn’t mean that it’s something to be totally neglected. There are a few exercises you can do to strengthen your arms, chest, and more for the slopes. Here are some of those exercises.

• Strict Pull-ups
• Push-ups
• Tricep Dips

Strict Pull-ups

Pull-ups are not the easiest exercise, but doing pull-ups are a great way to build strength in your shoulders, lats, and just about every part of your upper body. To do a strict pull-up, find a bar that can sustain your weight and grip it with your arms about shoulder-width apart. Looking ahead with your feet together, pull yourself up with your arms until your chin clears the bar. Lower yourself back down slowly to finish a rep.

Push-ups

This is one of the most common workouts that anyone can do to prepare for any sport. With push-ups, you can help establish solid form in your upper body when skiing. To do a push, but your hands on the ground a little more than shoulder-width apart. With your body straight, lower yourself until your arms are at 90-degree angles. Once there, push yourself back up to complete the repetition.

Tricep Dips

With all the pushing one has to do when skiing, working the arms becomes a highly important thing that every skier should do. Tricep dips are an easy way to do just that. To do a tricep dip, find a bench or any flat surface and place your hands behind you and on the surface. Lower yourself until your arms are at 90-degree angles. Once your body is there, rise back up to finish the repetition.

Lower Body Exercises

Your lower body is really the star of the show when it comes to skiing. The more stability and strength that you can build in your legs, the better a skier you will be. Here are some exercises that help build lower body strength.

• Squats
• Walking Lunge With Rotation
• Squat to Reverse Lunge
• Skater Hops
• Clam Exercise

Squats

Squats are one of the best exercises one can do to strengthen their lower body. In skiing, it’s a highly recommended exercise because it helps correct your knee position and prevents you from placing a lot of stress on your knee joints. To do a squat, stand shoulder-width apart and sit your butt back, keeping your heels down and knees behind your toes. Rise back up to finish.

Walking Lunge With Rotation

Your core and your lower body are arguably the most important parts of your body for skiing, and this exercise works both. It’ll work your legs and help your core rotation for skiing. To do this, stand with your feet just slightly apart and step forward, bending your knees to 90-degree angles. Once down, put your arms at chest height and rotate to one side. Rise up and repeat steps, but rotate to the other side.

Squat to Reverse Lunge

This leg-blasting exercise should help you build strength in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. The stronger your legs are, the longer you’ll be able to ski. To do this exercise, do a squat exactly as it’s described above. Then you’ll do a lunge, but instead of stepping forward you’ll step backward. Repeat with a reverse lunge for each leg.

Skater Hops

Skiing is a sport that involves a lot of lateral motion, and that’s something that few gym exercises properly address. Skater hops are one of the exercises that does just that. Start on one leg with your knee slightly bent, one arm bent in front of you and the other extended behind. Jump to one side and land on your other leg, using your arms to help propel you. Make sure to change which arm is in front and behind as well. Keep jumping until you're done.

Clam Exercise

The glutes are highly important to work before hitting the slopes. Doing the clam exercise will do just this while helping improve your form and reducing your risk for injury. To do the exercise, lie on your side with your arm at a 90-degree angle on the ground and your hips and knees bent. Raise your top leg up while keeping your feet together like a clam opening its mouth. Close your leg and do multiple repetitions for both sides.

Core Exercises

Both your upper and lower body are important to work, but the core is arguably most vital to the success of a good skier. It is the part of your body that connects your lower and upper halves and provides general stability. Here is what you can do to strengthen it.

• Plank
• Russian Twists

Plank

A classic core exercise, planks are often used for building general abdominal and lower back strength. When skiing, that’s a valuable thing to have when you’re making tough turns or working on difficult terrain. Lie face-down on the floor with your elbows on the ground and your body flat. Push your hips up so that only your elbows and toes are touching the ground and your body is parallel to the floor. Hold until you’re finished.

Russian Twists

This exercise is a staple of any core workout, especially for skiers. Russian Twists help build your oblique muscles, which help for turning while skiing. In order to do this, sit down, bend your knees and hips at a 90-degree angle, and lift your feet a little off the ground. Rotate your upper body as far as possible to one side and alternate between them. This can be practiced with or without a weight, but more weight can help build more strength.