Ski Conditioning

Fall is upon us, and with Thanksgiving quickly approaching, that can only mean one thing: Winter is coming. No, I’m not talking about the Game of Thrones finale (we’ll have to wait until the summer of 2019 for that). I’m talking about the start of another ski season. I’m talking about catching the first chair and ripping GS turns down perfectly groomed corduroy. I’m talking face shots in feet upon feet of glorious white powder. Park and pipe. Moguls. On piste. Off piste. I’m talking charging for 8 hours with the sun on your face and wind in your hair, waking up the next morning and doing it all over again. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Skiing is a complex, total body sport both, aerobic and anaerobic, that requires strength, stability, mobility, and cardiovascular endurance. And if your plan is to show up at the gondola without any prior training, I have bad news for you. At best, you’ll be winded, your muscles are going to be extremely sore and you might not be looking forward to that 7:00 AM wake-up call. At worst, you put your body (especially your knees) at risk for injury. So, if you’re taking a ski vacation this year, or lucky enough to live in the mountains, don’t just pray for snow, check out these ski conditioning exercises to prepare your body for your best season yet.
Release
QL
TFL
Glute
Calf
Hip Flexor
IT Band
Hamstring
Shin
Quad
Warm Up
Thoracic Rotation
Thoracic Mobilization
Thoracic Extension
Nose to Wall
4-Way Lunge
Good Morning
Golf Ball Pickup
Lower Body Strengthening
Reverse Lunge
Calf Raise
Swiss Ball HS Curl
Monster Walk
Hip Thrust
Deadlift
Single Leg RDL
Adductor Slide
Lat Squat
SL Bridge
Upper Body Strengthening
SAASR
Zombie Slide
Lower Trap RDL
Bosu Rocks
Push-ups
Sots Press
Lat Pulldown
Core Strengthening
Paloff Press
Plank with Arm Extension
Reformer Planks Pikes
Reformer Planks
Supine Ab Rotation
Reverse Torso Curl
Agility/Plyometrics
Wall Burpees
Mountain Climbers
Skater Jumps
Box Jumps
Agility Drills
Endurance
Bike, swim, run, elliptical, spin, row, jump rope. Dealer’s choice.
For more videos on releases, exercises, and stretches, check out our React Physical Therapy YouTube page here.