Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Warm up before a workout or ski day

One of the advantages of working with my personal trainer is that she figures out some warm up exercises before I start doing the real work.  Below are a couple examples of warm up sequences.


Ski Day warm up, 5-10 min, using a resistance band

It happens that these videos were not created by Americans.  The first is from Australia and the second is from a fitness company in London.  I've come across a lot of good ski conditioning videos from Australia.  The first video is from a ski workout webpage that geared more for younger skiers who are hard chargers.


The tips for preparing for a big ski trip include comments about ski lessons as well as getting enough sleep.  A bit different approach than Americans who give advice how to prepare for a ski vacation.

TIPS TO GET YOU READY FOR YOUR SKI TRIP
  1. Start your ski fitness program at least six to eight weeks before your trip.  Target ski-specific muscles. Make sure you get a program that really works the thighs, butt, and core stabilisers. The legs will predominantly be working eccentrically throughout skiing to maintain your squat position and stabilise throughout uneven terrain, so ensure your training incorporates eccentric leg extensor exercises.
  1. Keep up the ski lessons on the snow to ensure correct technique.
  2. Warm up with some easy runs and stretches before challenging yourself further when out on the slopes.
  3. Allow time for rest and refuelling. Schedule in regular drink (high quality water) and food breaks. Watch the quality of food on the mountain. You may want to travel with home-prepared snacks.
  4. Keep in mind that although the slopes are enticingly less crowded at the end of the day, fatigue can set in and cause some grief. Monitor your energy levels and focus on maintaining good technique.
  5. Aim for 8 hours sleep each night, which is actually hard not to do since you’ll be quite exhausted from a day’s skiing, and avoid late nights of drinking. Becoming intoxicated hammers your neuromuscular system which will not be in the best shape to provide adequate support the following day and your ski trip could turn fairly expensive medically!
  6. Find good quality and correctly fitting boots, skis, bindings and consider clothing that breathes, conserves heat or cools by evaporation.
  7. Have fun!

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