Getting fit for skiing

Have had my worst preparation for a winter ever, and managed one of my higher milages ever, without really putting a great deal of effort in, and taking time off during the day to meet with friends. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

However, I do not think that skiing is just a fitness issue. My beliefs are that you need to attend also to strength, mobility and technique.

Strength ~ Anyone can run into a potential trouble spot, and need to take quick avoiding action. Having strong leg muscles is a safety issue. If you have a long term injury, strength and strength endurance preparation will improve the average ski performance.

Mobility ~ Retaining good mobility will reduce the chances of injury.

Technique ~ The better is one's technique, the less energy is used in skiing. Additionally, if you are unable to relax the thigh muscles during the turn, then after about a minute, lactic acid build-up will occur, leading to the "burning thigh" feeling.

My bench mark is this - as long as I can win the Cornflake box game then I'm still quite fit :lol:

caron-a wrote:My bench mark is this - as long as I can win the Cornflake box game then I'm still quite fit :lol:

:thumbup:

Anyone care to fill me in on the Cornflake box game ?

Obviously been living abroad too long ......

G

it's so much fun :lol:

you have to pick a cardboard box up with your mouth without using your hands at all. Once everyone's done it you have to tear a section off to make it shorter. When you can't do it or your hands touch the floor then you're out. It doesn't have to be a cornflake box, we used Go Cat last saturday.

It's definitely swine flu pandemic territory :mrgreen:

Sound a bit like Twister !! (not that I have ever tried that)

Think a Wii fitness board sounds like the way forward though ....

But I presume alcohol is involved .......

G

I think its all a lot more simple than you think.
Don't over do it, drink plenty of water, eat before you ski and again in the middle of the day, and relax properly afterwards.
You do not need to be Mr Motivator to be a recreational skier, end of.

Tony_H wrote:Quads and core muscles are the ones to work on to help with "fitness". Funny this topic was raised, as I started my "skiing fitness campaign" 3 weeks ago, early September.
100 crunches, 25 leg lifts of 4 different sorts, and 50 each of 2 different type of upper body/abdominal stretches.
I also find keeping out of the pub as often helps.

Tony, page 2, (end of September).

What happened to you, Tony, to make you change your mind?

It is quite simple, really. There is a certain level of fitness one has to be, depending on what one is intending to do on one's ski holiday. And one needs to exercise to get up to this level before the holiday, unless one is already fit enough. The amount of exercise needed depends on the size of the disparity between the two fitness levels.

Ally