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If you exercise often, you’ll begin to build your strength and enhance your endurance in the muscle groups used in downhill skiing. You’ll be preparing yourself for the rigors of skiing in the expert zones where both staying power and explosive power are of the utmost importance. First, we’ll get into the why and when you need to exercise, before moving onto the five essential elements of ski-specific exercising. Big White’s latest hot ski Canada deals and special offers entice tourist to go there.

The ultimate body for an expert skier is powerful, from strong ankles to strong shoulders, and every finely-tuned muscle in between. Remember the last time you watched someone effortlessly weave through a mogul field and wondered, “How does he do that?” It’s partly due to practice, and partly to the body awareness and balance that strength training provides. The expert skier, who is physically strong, instinctively cues every part of his or her body. A fit body is like a well-tuned sports car. It handles effortlessly, acting on subtle intuitions.

Skiing requires a number of athletic abilities including technical, physical, and mental skills. This article is all about the physical requirements of expert skiing. Future articles will deal with the technical aspects of all-terrain skiing, as well as establishing the right mind set. But first, to ski strong you need to be strong.

Why do ski exercises?

If you think skiing exercises are just for serious skiers, think again. Strong muscles improve every skier’s performance, whether he or she is a beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert skier. For those who feel they’ve reached a plateau in their skiing ability, ski exercises may provide the boost you need to reach the next level.

Few sports are as physically demanding as downhill skiing, especially skiing on moguls, in trees, and down steeps. Yet, many skiers hit the slopes after little or no training in the preseason. They pay for it with sore muscles, but that’s only the beginning. The lack of good physical fitness also increases the chances of injury. The most common ski injuries are joint related, and the best way to protect joints is by building muscle. Strong muscles stabilize your joints and, in turn, enable you to control your skis.

In light of the above, this article focuses on building the muscle groups around the joints that skiing taxes the most, including the knees, hips, and ankles. For the knee and ankle joints, we’ll be dealing with the upper leg muscles, including the quads and hamstrings, as well as the lower leg muscles, most noticeably the calves and Achilles tendons. For the hip joints, we’ll be concerned with the core, namely, the hip flexors, glutes, abdominals, groin, and lower back muscles.

Doing the downhill skiing exercises on a regular basis will make your skiing a lot easier, as well as take your skill set to the next level, because you will:

• Build muscle strength in your legs, core, and upper body
• Enhance muscle endurance and staying power for those long runs that never seem to end
• Increase your cardiovascular endurance so you can ski all day long
• Improve your stability and balance in all types of terrain and snow conditions
• Help your foot-to-foot quickness in the tight, tree runs
• Add explosive power for those short, intensive bursts in the mogul fields
• Avoid sore muscles, injuries, and spills

When should you do ski exercises?

Exercising can be done any time you feel like it. However, in the context of the sport of downhill skiing, I recommend you begin exercising at home, two to three months prior to the start of the ski season. If your season kicks off in December, try to begin your preseason conditioning program in late September.

Exercising in the Preseason

However, if you’re already involved in a ski-related conditioning program during the summer months, you’ll be able to shorten you’re fall program from three months to about six weeks. In addition, you should do your ski exercises on three nonconsecutive days each week. This will allow 48 hours between successive work-outs. The muscle groups will have plenty of time to recover.

Does this seem like a lot of work? At first, it will be. But after your first runs of the season, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to link smooth, short-radius turns from top-to-bottom, all day long. You’ll look back up the hill and smile, knowing that your exercise program in the fall was well worth the effort. You will have cleared the first hurdle on the road to expert skiing. Physically, you will now be much stronger!

Exercising during the Season

Strenuous activities like downhill skiing, especially at the expert level, promote tightness and inflexibility in the muscle groups. Therefore, stretching before and after skiing will keep you flexible and help prevent common injuries. Should you do the ski exercises after the season starts?

Yes, definitely. After the season starts you can catch up and get in sync by doing the exercises during the week when you’re not out skiing. If you ski on Saturday and/or Sunday, do the skiing exercises on Tuesdays and Thursdays. By exercising throughout the season, as well as skiing, you’ll accelerate the strength building process, and your performance will show a marked improvement.

Exercising in the Postseason

By exercising in the postseason you will maintain your fitness level that you worked hard to implement in the preseason. Aspiring expert skiers need to impart continuity in their conditioning programs throughout the year. Once you become strong, you need to stay strong.

In addition, by participating in a ski-related exercise program from June to September, you’ll be able to ramp up much more quickly in the fall. The summer is also a good time to improve your cardiovascular endurance.

The Five Essentials of Ski-Specific Exercising

Flexibility, cardio, strength, balance, and power are the five essential elements for the expert skier to master. Let’s consider each one of these requirements in turn.

Flexibility: Your range of motion or mobility is of prime importance. Stretching to maintain muscle elasticity, which decreases with age, is vital for skiing. Stretching for skiers will not be covered here, as we have already dealt with this subject in a previous article entitled Ski Fitness for Recreational Skiers.

Cardiovascular Endurance: Aerobic capacity is very important to skiers so they have the stamina to ski in the expert zones, and the endurance to ski all day long. If you wish to improve your cardiovascular fitness, try one of the following activities on three nonconsecutive days per week. Perhaps it would be best to do your cardiovascular routine on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and your strength, balance, and power exercises on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• Lap swimming, 25 laps to begin with, increase to 50 laps
• Brisk walking for at least 30 minutes, preferably 45 minutes
• Jogging, 15 to 20 minutes, but no more
• Rowing machine, 15 to 20 minutes
• Treadmill, 15 to 20 minutes
• Cross-country skiing
• Cycling, short sprints are best
• Inline skating, long distances and short sprints are best

Strength and Endurance: Muscular strength improves the expert skier’s ability to relax, yet still maintain control, and to handle the quick adjustments needed in all-terrain skiing. The movements in alpine skiing include all the major muscle groups, so total body muscular strength is of prime importance. You’ll want to do exercises that strengthen your entire body.

With this in mind, target the following ski exercises and muscle groups:

Essential exercises for the legs – quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, calves, and ankles
Essential exercises for the center – abdominals, hip flexors, glutei, and lower back

Stability and Balance: Why should you care about balance? Well, for starters, it’s the basic skill needed in practically every sport. Changing your center of gravity to match your moves is the key to efficiency in sport. Good balance can help you keep your form when you encounter changing terrain and snow conditions. The result is better skiing and fewer spills.

Slight deviations in terrain often require subtle adjustments in your balance to avoid injury. To enhance your stability and balance, target the following muscle groups:

Essential exercises for the center – abdominals, hip flexors, glutei, and lower back

Fortunately, the exercises that help improve stability and balance work to build muscle strength and endurance in the core, all at the same time. This can be seen if you look back at the previous topic, Strength and Endurance.

Power and Quickness: To improve your reflexes and foot-to-foot quickness, you need dynamic, ski-specific drills from lateral training that simulate the actual movements you do on the ski hill. With this in mind, we’ve included five jumping exercises, which are also called plyometrics, as the essential exercises to improve your foot-to-foot quickness and explosive power.

Plyometrics are commonly referred to as explosive types of exercise drills, and are often used in conditioning programs for elite skiers because the combination of squatting with weights and lateral jumps, sprints, or quickness drills, develops the leg and hip power necessary for high performance skiing.

Before you Start

Caution must be exercised whenever beginning any conditioning program. Use an exercise regimen that’s appropriate for your body type and your present level of conditioning. Please consult with your physician, if you suspect that this ski-specific program is not suitable for you at the present time.

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Surf contest is one of the best recreational sports and an activity that is healthy, fun, and thrilling. Surfing is an activity that can be enjoyed by all. So, what type surfboard, surfing product or accessories will give you a day of fun and enjoyment? What do you need to go surfing?

Waves are the most important thing you need for surfing. You may ask, what type waves do I need? The answer to this question is simple; any wave that is available to you. There are all types and sizes of waves from rippling little ones to the giant waves of Hawaii. Recreational surfers need and prefer the little waves. However, you need the proper surf products and accessories for all conditions.

In order to enjoy the waves, you need to be prepared. This means that you may need several different surfboard types and surfing devices along with the necessary accessories to ride the waves that are available for you to surf on any given day. Every day is different and the conditions will dictate that you need a different type surfboard or surfing device to take advantage of the waves at your local beach break.

Here’s a list of surfing products and surfing devices for you to consider:

• Swimfins
• Bodyboard
• Skimboard
• Wakeboard
• Soft surfboard
• Short surfboard
• Long surfboard
• SUP

On some days, the waves will be perfect little peelers for bodysurfing. In order to really take advantage of the waves, you need to have a pair of good fitting swimfins. Fins will allow you swim faster and to get into the wave earlier, which will allow you to ride the shoulder of the wave just like the board surfers and boogie board riders do. You want to get on the corner of the wave and ride the green water out of the soup. This is a thrill and you need swimfins to catch the waves and stay with it. The fins will allow you to also ride the bigger waves as you get more proficient. Bodysurfing is a great way to have fun with your friends. Getting your group together and going to a spot that is suited for bodysurfing is really fun.

Body boarding, or boogie boarding as I like to call it after my friend Tom Morey who invented the little board, is something you can do under almost any surf condition. It is especially fun in little waves, which allow little kids, those who are beginning surfers and senior citizens to ride and enjoy the sensation of riding waves. You can ride the foam and the little waves right up onto the sand. As you get more experienced, you will want to ride the shoulders of the waves like the surfboard riders. Eventually if you are experienced and good in the water, you can ride the bigger waves as some do in Hawaii and other select surfing spots throughout the world.

Skimboarding is another surfing sport that does not require large waves and is done right near the shoreline, typically in smaller waves or even no waves at all. Some kids even skim on wet grass where there are little knolls. Another thing you can do when there is no surf is to ride your wakeboard. Wakeboarding is done behind a boat and can be done on wakeboards made especially for being towed behind a boat or you can ride your short, long, soft and hard surfboards. Some surfers, when they get proficient, let go of the rope and surf the waves generated by the wake of the boat. Don’t let the fact that there are no waves to surf at your chosen surf spot keep you from enjoying the water and riding the surfboard or other surfing device that will make your day a fun filled experience.

You really need to have at least one surfboard type that you can use for most surfing conditions. It’s better if you have more than one, but stay with what you can afford. Selecting a surfboard or surfboards is a fun process, but selecting the right one is very important. You ask yourself, should I buy a soft surfboard or a hard surfboard? What length board should I buy? What are the surfing conditions where I will be surfing the most? Is it shore break, point break, big, average or small type surf? What is my experience level that will justify the surfboard type that I choose? All of these questions need to be addressed. The surfboard type and design that you choose should be suitable for the normal conditions of the waves you will be surfing most.

If you live on a lake, bay, lagoon, river, or an ocean where there are calm surf conditions, you will probably want to have a SUP, which is also known as a Standup Paddleboard. SUPs have become one of the most popular surfing devices because they are large, stable and the fact that they are also very easy to learn to paddle and ride. Persons of all ages can ride them and the SUP has become a board that all members of a family can own and ride. SUPing has become a terrific group and family activity, which requires no surf and can be done on almost any calm body of water.

How about surfing accessories? What accessories do you need? Here’s a list of the more essential ones:

• Wetsuit(s)
• Rash guard
• Wax
• Surfboard leash
• Variety of fins and fin key
• Travel bags
• Surfboard rack for your car
• Plastic container for wetsuits and changing
• Large towel
• Board shorts; more than one pair
• Sunscreen
• Hide-a-key
• Carry bag
• Money
• Water
• Swimfins

Surfing is a sport that is conducted away from home. I recommend that you have all of these accessory items listed above to meet the conditions of the water and the surf activity of the day. You will need different items on different days, but on some days you will use all of them. Plan ahead and you will have success and fun on your surfing days.

Before you go surfing, you should check the local surf report from an online source like Surfline.com. What is the water temperature? Do you need a wetsuit? If so, what thickness suit do you need? Do you need booties or a hood to keep you warm? Maybe all you need is a spring wetsuit or maybe the water is warm enough to wear only your swim suit. The choices are many. Some of the wetsuits have short sleeves and or short legs or combinations of long legs and short sleeves or vice versa. I would suggest that in moderate climates you have a spring suit and a full suit. The spring suit should be 2.0 and the full suit should probably be 4/3 or 3/2 depending on the prevailing water temps. Rash guards should be worn under wetsuits to prevent chaffing. You may also want to wear one on a sunny day to prevent sunburn. These items will be worn for all types of surfing.

Don’t forget to bring wax and a leash for your board. It seems that surfers forget this item or lose it in the water and are always looking around for some. You need specific wax for the water temperature conditions. Ask the surf shop people what kind you need or read the labels and use the type you need based on the surf report. A handy tip is to keep your surfboard waxed and ready to surf at all times. It’s no fun not to have any wax and go out into the surf with a slippery deck surface. You’ll be slipping and sliding and falling off your board and end up not having a good surf. The other thing you need is a leash, especially if you have a long paddle out, rough surf, or if you are surfing in a rocky area. Loosing you board and having to swim back in is no fun. If your surfboard is damaged in the rocks, that makes it all the worse and will ruin your day fast.

The rest of the items on the list are self explanatory. Make a check list and make sure you check your accessory items before you leave to go surfing. There is no use leaving something behind that will cause you to have a bad day.

With all of these thoughts in mind, get the right surfboard type products and go Surf Life! It’s a blast!!

Oak Street Surf was founded by Chuck Herpick, a Stanford graduate and former Naval Aviator, an accomplished surfer who has spent his lifetime in or near the ocean surfing most of the California and Hawaii breaks over the many years.

Oak Street Surf, [http://www.oakstreetsurf.com], is an online surf shop representing the latest surfboard products and accessories. You can get a good review of top of the line surfboard types and designs including bodyboards, skimboards, Custom SUPs, longboards, and shortboards.

Chuck believes that surfing, whether it is bodysurfing, boogie boarding, board surfing, skimboarding or riding a Standup Paddleboard (SUP) will change your life forever. You will be able to apply the love you will obtain from surfing to everything you do and will learn how to Surf Life! What a joy!!

Visit Oak Street Surf at [http://www.oakstreetsurf.com], the one-stop online surfboard and surfing equipment store, to find out more about surfboards, surfing, Standup Paddleboards, and what types and designs of water sports products are available. You will be able to talk to the experts with over 70 years of surfing experience. Visit the site now!

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