Home Exercises To Help Your Fitness And Improve Your Skiing
by Janey Jones
The average American only spends two hours a week exercising. If you’re skiing on a regular basis, however, it is important that you keep your fitness levels up all year round, even when you’re not on the slopes. Skiing requires muscular strength, and without that, spending a day skiing could mean that you spend the next few days wiped out. Fortunately, there are some great home exercises that you can do every day that will help with your fitness and improve your skiing.
Quad muscles
When you are skiing, your quad muscles work extremely hard. You should try to exercise with a focus on this muscle group every day. It helps to make fitness a priority in your daily life and be consistent with your workout routine at home. Get into the habit of doing some regular exercises every day, and it will pay dividends when you are on the slopes. Squats are one of the easiest exercises that you can do to strengthen your quad muscles. Build up your routine slowly though, doing a few sets of 20 at a time. Squat jumps take this a step further – begin with a squat and then jump high in the air.
Abdominal muscles
Your abdominal muscles are right at the core of your strength. Without the strength in your abs, you will struggle making turns, especially if you are on more challenging terrain. The plank is a simple exercise that you can do at home, which will help to strengthen your abs. Start by lying flat on the floor; then rest your elbows on the floor and push your hips up so that you are resting only on your toes and elbows. Hold this position for a minute, building up gradually for longer periods of time.
Thighs and calves
The muscles in both your thighs and calves can help you gain more control and power when you are skiing downhill. Lunges will help to increase your endurance and strength in your hamstrings, quads, glutes, and many of the harder-to-reach muscles in your inner thighs. The perfect lunge should be done from standing, moving forward with one leg, so that your knee is at a 90° angle. Repeat these in sets of ten, alternating legs.
If you are preparing for a ski trip, it is important for you to exercise regularly in the weeks and months leading up to this. Making strength exercises part of your daily routine can help you stay fit and build up your muscle endurance.
