This could be you.

Winter is already upon us, so if you have not reached your goals in your weight loss program, click on the link to get in shape for the season.

Don’t miss another powder day with an injury or weak legs that can’t ski more than a half day!

Every time I read a skiing magazine or see another so called expert recommending ski-specific workouts, I cringe…especially when I see some of the foolish exercises recommended! After all, isn’t the goal of an effective skier fitness training routine to reduce injuries while simultaneously building incredible strength and endurance.?

Of course it is! We all want to tear up the slopes for as long as possible and as best we can, and avoid the dreaded ‘Jell-O-legs’ that might cut our day of skiing short, and also prevent nagging injuries that could cut the whole season short for us.

The problem I’ve seen with workout routines that are being recommended for skiers is that they  use inefficient exercises that don’t carry over that well to the actual skiing movements, and also might be setting someone up for an injury. Ff you’ve ever seen workout routines that recommend machine leg presses, machine leg extensions, and machine leg curls, please run screaming from the gym as fast as you can! That advice will set you up for injury, and certainly won’t help your goal of strength and endurance – one that’s actually applicable to the skiing movements.

The same can be said about authors recommending smith machine squats or any smith machine exercises whatsoever… they should all be avoided because smith machine movements follow unnatural movement patterns which are not bio mechanically correct and can create excessive stress on your back and injury to your knees.

Now what about wall squats – or ‘wall sits’? Although almost every skiing fitness program seems to recommend this exercise for skiers, I don’t find it to be optimal at all. However, I will say it’s a step in the right direction when compared to the machine-based exercises that I just mentioned. But wall squats are not a truly effective exercise that carries over directly to strength and endurance throughout the entire range of motion that your legs will use while skiing. This exercise can be mildly effective since even an isometric exercise held for endurance in one joint angle will still carry over to a slightly wider range of motion

Typical ski workout fitness routines they often neglect to achieve a proper joint and strength balance, that is, a proper strength ratio between quadriceps, and hamstrings. Although skiing demands a lot of work from your quadriceps and less work from your hamstrings and glutes, it is still vitally important for injury prevention to maintain proper strength ratios between all of the muscle groups of the lower body and also make sure the small stabilizer muscles around the joints are properly strengthened. It is just another factor  lacking in most skier workout programs.

For the advanced trainer, I suggest that you go to this site and take it to one level higher in your weight training program.

This could be you.