MAGAZINE ARTICLES
May 2008
Active in Winter
Inside exercises to keep you fit
Do you prefer to stay inside during the winter months or do you love the crisp cold air and dream of hitting the slopes for a ski or a snowboard? Whether you love the cold or not you can still be physically active – even in the winter. Forget the excuses and give these ski exercises a go.
As early as the ’70s, professional downhill skiers developed “tele-ski exercises”. They are designed to get you into shape with “dry-land runs” and are great to do even if you’ve never skied before! These exercises are a great way to work on your most important muscle groups from the legs to the shoulders while increasing your endurance, strength and mobility. So try out the exercises below and get into shape weather you’ll be hitting the slopes this season or not.
Training with hands and feet
As with every sport, you have to train regularly (at least twice a week) and warm up beforehand. Stand up with your legs together, bend your knees slightly and bend your arms next to your body. Now move your hips to the right and left. Alternatively, you can simply jog in place. Bring your knees up as far as you can. This boosts circulation and warms up your muscles. Now, let’s move on to strength exercises. Everyone knows that you need strong legs for skiing, but your arms should not be neglected either. Become a friend of press-ups – an effective exercise against weak arms. You can train biceps and chest muscles by doing the classic variation; using the reverse position (placing your hands on the floor behind your back and pressing up and down) strengthens your triceps. Repeat this exercise at least 20 times.
No chance for problem areas
Your legs and abs also need to be in shape. One way is to use the “downhill position”. Stand with your legs hip distance apart and push your bottom out. Now bend your upper body forward, keeping your back straight. You can place your arms on your thighs. Now drop down with your bottom and then slowly straighten up. After 30 repetitions, stay down and bounce 20 times. Then stand up straight and shake out your legs. The next exercise, called the “suspended seat,” trains your abs and hip flexors. Sit on the floor, bend your legs (with your feet suspended above the floor) and put your hands behind your head. Make sure you keep your back straight. Slowly lower your legs (stretch them out) and lower your upper body just above the floor. Now pull each knee alternately, turn your upper body in and bring your opposite elbow to the pulled in knee. Repeat 20–30 times on each side.
After skiing
For the muscles to remain elastic, you should stretch them after each workout. Here are two exercises for the legs: Stand straight up and bend one foot toward your bottom. Grab your ankle and make sure that your hips remain straight while pulling your foot toward your bottom. This stretches your upper thigh muscles and the hip flexors. Put your leg back down and take a giant step forward. Press your back leg hard into the floor and push your hips forward. This stretches your calf muscles and the back leg muscles. Repeat on the other side. It is also important to stretch your arms. Raise an arm above your head and place your hand between your shoulder blades. Then press your elbow back gently with the other hand. Hold each position for 30 seconds and then switch sides.
Now you’re finished – well done! You can reward yourself with a hot shower or a muscle-relaxing bath.
