Ski Fitness
Solid physical preparation can make the difference between you having an incredible skiing experience, or an incredibly painful experience! Pure Powder's ski fitness programme offers some practical tips for preparing you for the ski season ahead, as well as a ski specific training program.
We've developed our ski fitness programme with the help of Craig McLean who runs the Putney Chiropractic Centre and is himself an avid ski enthusiast.
The series of stretches and strengthening exercises have been specifically designed for skiers who want to take their skiing to the next level. Our exercises are designed to increase you optimal range of motion and strength across the key joints used while skiing. There is an emphasis on independent leg strength and control. Performed correctly these exercises will increase your performance and reduce the chance of injury.
You can download the Pure Powder Ski Fitness Programme, and follow Craig demonstrating the exercises below.
Stretching
It is our belief that dynamic stretching is a safer and more effective way of improving flexibility. Some of our favourite exercises include leg kicks, star jumps, hip swings in the saggital plane as well as dynamic hip adduction and abduction. Ensure you have conducted some form of aerobic activity before performing such exercises. We would reserve five minutes every session for flexibility work.
The following exercises are for individuals who already have a significant level of fitness. If you are unsure as to whether they are appropriate for you, please consult your doctor.
Strengthening
The strength component deals with base strength preparation. This is the work you need to complete before you can progress onto more advanced forms of training such as stability ball exercisea, BOSU integrated training and resisted movement training. This phase involves fundamental large muscle movements such as squats, lunges, deadlifts and body weight resistance exercises such as pull ups and press ups. These exercises recruit high threshold motor units and increase motor unit firing rate. The base strength preparation phase should last between four and six weeks, depending on your fitness levels.
The following exercises are for individuals who already have a significant level of fitness. If you are unsure as to whether they are appropriate for you, please consult your doctor.