There’s still time to get in shape before heading off on your skiing/snowboarding holiday. CrossFit is a great way to get in shape for the slopes as Ski Magazine found out:
I felt great all day—as we toured through the pines on soft snow, navigated steep chutes with some icy patches, and clocked a few hairy seconds avoiding hard-to-spot rocks that stuck through thin cover. At the end of the day, I was exhausted. But my muscles barely ached. And the next morning, I was amazed to find that not a single body part hurt. (The only pain was of the psychological kind, caused by returning to my office.) I’d planned to give myself a day to rest before returning to CrossFit. But instead I was fired up for the workout.
So I’ve answered two of my own questions: Will CrossFit help my skiing? And how fit is fit enough? To the first, the answer is an unequivocal yes!
Many people neglect to get into shape before their winter sports holiday. We tend to head straight from the office onto the piste and plunge straight into a week or two of intense physical activity. It’s not surprising that most injuries and general aches and pains are the result of inadequate preparation.
Skiing and snowboarding are fun yet high exertion sports, as the high altitude, great physical involvement and long days all take their toll on your body. So if you really want to make the most of your annual ski trip this year, it’s sensible to spend some time conditioning yourself beforehand. Why suffer on the slopes when you could feel stronger, ski for longer and wake up without those sore and aching muscles?
Slope Fitness – Specific Training
The key areas we will look at are :
Muscular strength, and endurance, especially the muscles in the legs. It is important to have a full body workout, but for the purpose of skiing and snowboarding, the muscles such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals and calves are our main focus. Much of your endurance will rely on your legs and how long they will hold out. Good leg strength is essential to turning faster & harder. We will also work on core strength and stability, this will lead to improved control on the slopes.
Flexibility, having a good range of movement in your joints will enable your body to adjust to any sudden changes in your direction and also help prevent injury when you fall.
Cardio Respiratory Endurance – If you want to get your money’s worth out of that expensive lift ticket, you’ll want plenty of cardio endurance. Interval and aerobic training will enable you to ski longer.
Our sessions will also improve your balance, coordination, agility, speed, accuracy and power – all useful skills on the slopes.
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