Best Preseason Ski & Snowboard Exercises
Why Train For Skiing?
Does the leg burn always come as a surprise when you get back on skis every year? If you want to get ahead of the burn or maybe even start a good habit as a New Year’s resolution, check out Gearhead® Expert Cat’s preseason ski exercises!
These five exercises were handpicked to help you get into shape for skiing and snowboarding. They also factor in your busy lives, so they don’t require any fancy gym equipment. This way you can do them at home or even while traveling.
Most of these leg blaster exercises can also be done with weights for those of you who have access to dumbbells, kettlebells, large rocks, stacks of books, or resistance bands.
Always warm up before performing any of these exercises. Gearhead Cat recommends running or jogging for 10 min beforehand. Move through this circuit fairly quickly, only resting for a minute between circuits. Start with 1-3 circuits and ramp your way up to 5 if you really want to feel the burn. Let’s get started!
Alternating Lunges
(10x each leg, 20x total)
Lunges have the benefit of strengthening and stretching at the same time, making them ideal for ski training.
Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Step your left foot forward, about 2 or 3 feet in front of your right foot. This distance will depend on your height and flexibility. Pay attention to your body and shorten up the stance if it feels like too much of a stretch.
Keep your torso vertical with your shoulders down and back. Engage your core and make sure your hips are square. Don’t let one hip dip below the other.
Place your hands on your hips. Keeping your weight evenly distributed between both legs, bend your knees and lower your body until the left thigh is parallel with the ground or until you don’t feel like you can lower further. Push back up. Switching from one leg to the other, do a total of 20 reps (or as many reps as you want).
Remember to keep your hips square and only dip into this pose as far as your body allows. If it’s feeling like too much, back off. Try shortening up your stance and don’t dip quite as low. You’ll still get the benefit of the exercise without risking injury. It can be helpful to do this exercise in a mirror to make sure your kneeds are tracking straight.
Jump Squats
(5x)
Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and dip into a full squat making sure you keep your knees above your ankles. Be sure to keep your heels flat on the ground as you lower into the squat. Engage your core, keep your back straight, jump upward, and extend your legs fully as your feet leave the ground. You will find that swinging your arms will give you upward momentum.
Try and land on the balls of your feet and then roll down to your heels. Bend your knees to absorb the landing—landing softly will ensure you have a good foundation before dipping down again. Once you’ve landed and dipped into a squat, immediately jump up again.
Gearhead Cat recommends doing 5 of these before moving on to the next exercise. If you want to do more than 5 you can. Jump squats will improve your ability to engage in the explosive movements necessary for reacting to variable terrain when skiing.
Focus on your form as you do this exercise. Remember to keep your back straight and your core engaged. Don’t squat too far if it is too intense for your hip flexors.
Calf Raises
(10x each leg, 20x total)
Your first day back on the snow will remind you how much you use your calves for stability. They, along with the tiny muscles in your feet and ankles, turn on when you move from edge to edge. This makes calf raises an ideal exercise for pre-season ski training.
To start, stand on a box, a stair, or on the ground with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lift one leg off the ground and balance on the other. You will immediately feel the small muscles in your feet turn on as they try to prevent you from falling over. This part of the exercise alone is very important. Keep your leg straight but don’t lock your knee. Engage your core, keeping your spine straight and shoulders back. Raise your heels as high as possible. Hold briefly and then lower your heel back to the ground.
Gearhead Cat recommends doing this exercise 10 times with each leg. If you want to make this exercise more challenging, hold a weight in each hand.
Jumping Lunges
(5–10x each leg, 10–20x total)
Jumping lunges, like jumping squats, are another exercise that can improve your ability for explosive movement when skiing.
Follow the directions above for alternating lunges. But once you’ve found yourself in a lunge position, that’s where this exercise becomes a bit different. Engage your core, keep your torso vertical, and jump into the air. Switch legs and land in a lunge with the opposite leg forward.
Try and come back to the ground softly, bending your knees to absorb the landing. Repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times with each leg, or a total of 10–20 times. If you weren’t feeling the burn before, you will be now!
Planks
(30–60 seconds)
A stable and strong core is crucial for increasing your endurance and helping to prevent injury when skiing. Add this plank exercise to your leg blaster routine to keep it well-rounded.
Begin on all fours with your hands and knees on the ground. Stack your elbows directly under your shoulders. Step one leg back and then the other until your body has created a plank and your weight is distributed between your hands and the balls of your feet. Your legs should be close together and your feet should be hip-width apart. Retract your chin to hold your head in correct alignment with your spine. Imagine you’re recoiling from a dog trying to kiss you on the lips.
Feel your whole body engage from your toes to glutes to shoulders. Focus especially on your core. If you feel your pelvis dipping, engage your stomach and pull your belly button up towards the spine to ensure your body stays flat.
While breathing normally, hold the plank for 30–60 seconds or as long as you can and then carefully let your knees fall to the ground to rest. Do several reps if you feel like you want to focus on core strengthening. While skiing is primarily a leg activity, a strong core is crucial for preventing injury.
If this version is too intense for your arms, you can perform the exact same exercise resting on your forearms instead. Just make sure you have something soft beneath you like a yoga mat. You can also modify this exercise into an easier version by resting on your knees instead of the balls of your feet.
The Last Word On Ski Exercises (For Now)
The exercises above were handpicked to combat the leg burn you might feel on that first ski day of the year. They could even increase your overall endurance so you can make the most of your pricey lift ticket. But remember that you know your body best, and these 5 exercises might not be what you need most.
If you already cover a lot of vert in your daily life, hiking up and down mountains with weight, then leg blasters may not be the most important pre-ski exercises for you. You may want to focus instead on core and/or even arms. And if you don’t get much cardio in your daily life, we’d recommend adding more hiking, biking, or running into the mix, too.
FAQ
Q: Do I have to train for skiing?
A: It’s not mandatory to train for skiing, but it will make those first days on the snow a bit easier. You also might not be as sore, meaning you can get after it again more quickly. Leg blasters and core strengthening could also help prevent injury when skiing.
Q: Do I have to use weights to train for skiing?
A: You don’t need to use weights to train for skiing. All of the leg and core exercises outlined above can be done with or without weights.
Q: How long does it take to get fit for skiing?
A: It depends. The short answer is that it’s never too late to add some weight training to your routine, even in the middle of the ski season. The more training the better, but you could feel a difference after only a couple weeks of leg blasters. We recommend doing this leg blaster routine about twice a week to start.