The ultimate exercise for skiing?

Through the development of the SkiFit programme we have put together a set of over 100 exercises that when combined together develop all round strength and fitness for all snow sports. However I know that we are all very busy people and finding time for 1 hour workouts is difficult and sometimes impossible. This realisation set me thinking… what if we could only do one exercise in our skiing preparation and we had to slip this exercise into our daily activities, which one should it be?

Here I have identified three contenders….

Single leg dip

A great exercise you can do pretty much anytime, anywhere without drawing too much attention. By isolating each leg this exercise challenges both balance and strength. Its important to focus on correct knee alignment while doing this exercise as this also encourages muscle recruitment that protects and stabilises the knee.

Skier’s lunge

A more dynamic exercise than the single leg dip, the skier’s lunge replicates the varying loads experienced while skiing and gets the heart and lungs working too. However you will want somewhere private to do this exercise or questions will be asked!

Wall sits with cycling leg

The ultimate exercise to bring on the thigh burn that feels painfully similar to skiing a long challenging run. Its a little more subtle exercise than the skier’s lunge which means you could probably just about get away with doing in the office, however it will quickly bring on the sweat and shakes!

Well obviously you don’t need to stick to a single exercise so perhaps each day you should choose one of these three and do your best to sneak in a few repetitions during your commute, at the office and while cooking the tea. It all helps!

Tony Lowe