Ski Season: Getting fit for the annual adventure

Written By Gayle Pinn
Photography By Brian M. Freer

If you’re like most Virginians, skiing is a once-a-year adventure. That means you are filled with excitement and enthusiasm when you leave for the slopes, and dragging along with sore muscles or a sprained something when you return. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you don’t have a regular exercise routine, start one now. I recommend you begin one a minimum of eight weeks before your outing. Focus on increasing endurance, flexibility and strength.

Endurance:

Incorporate cardiovascular exercises into your fitness program. This should include at least 30 minutes three to five days each week of your favorite aerobic (heart-rate increasing) activity. Also keep in mind that the higher the elevation, the more taxing it will be on your cardiovascular system.

Flexibility:

Being flexible is another way to keep your body safe from injury. Having a good range of motion in your joints will enable your body to adjust to any sudden changes in your direction.

Strength:

The muscles used most in skiing are the quadriceps. These muscles hold you in position as you ski and they also provide protection for your knees. Other lower extremity muscle groups such as the lower back, thighs, hamstrings and glutes assist the quads. Together they stabilize and steer the body. Upper body muscles are required for pushing off the poles and using them for leverage and steering.