Are you planning a skiing trip to a glorious winter wonderland? If you’ve never skied before, you have no idea what’s in store for you. Skiing may seem a lot like gliding, but it is an exercise that engages all body muscles. It requires strong ankles and knees, a sturdy back, tight core muscles, and good stamina.
If you are weak in the ankles and knees or avoid back and core exercises, you will find yourself quickly exhausted. If you want to enjoy a rewarding skiing experience truly, it’s ideal for embarking on a fitness regime to strengthen your core. You know what they say, don’t ski to get fit, get fit so you can ski!
Intense skiing is an exhilarating experience, but you will have to prepare your body to get there. All it takes is two weeks of rigorous core-strengthening exercises to build up your muscular strength. Be sure to train your abs and lower body, and you can enjoy a powerful sense of achievement.
This article offers an all-inclusive fitness guide to help you prepare for the skiing trip of a lifetime.
BUILDING ENDURANCE
Skiing doesn’t require you to be a devoted athlete to enjoy sliding down icy slopes. However, it is crucial to building your endurance so you can actively engage and enjoy this sport. Skiing requires high endurance levels, which need you to engage in intense cardio. If you have two weeks before your skiing trip, increase the duration and intensity of cardio exercises.
If you don’t have the time to join a gym or fitness facility, create your ski prep workout at home, followed by 10 minutes of brisk walking. You can start by stretching your limbs with a few yoga moves. You can also alternate walking with a few cardio activities that pump up your heart rate, such as mountain climbers.
START RUNNING
Running continuously for half an hour is the best exercise to boost your stamina and endurance levels. If you find running difficult, try breaking it up into segments of running and brisk walking. The goal is to enhance your breathing patterns and build up your stamina for high-endurance exercise.
Regardless of whether you run, walk, or engage in cardio exercises at home, consistency is vital. Just be sure to remain consistent and regular, so you can gradually build up your endurance levels.
BUILDING MUSCULAR STRENGTH
Skiing requires muscular strength as it deploys multiple muscle groups to keep the back straight and upright. Maintaining proper posture and positioning is essential, but this can take a toll on the back of an untrained skier. So, your skiing fitness training must include several exercises that build up key muscle groups’ strength.
Here are some exercises that will help:
SQUATS
Squats are excellent for building up your lower body strength and tone up the muscles in your legs. Maintain the right posture, or else you’ll end up doing more harm than good. Be sure to keep a 90-degree angle as you lower your hips and widen your thighs.
Try holding this pose for at least 30 seconds or more to increase your thigh and leg muscles’ impact. Side lunges are another significant move to build up the strength of your inner thigh muscles. Again, try focusing on posture and positioning to enjoy the benefits of this move.
CRUNCHES
Strengthening your core muscles is crucial to enjoy skiing like a pro or not feel entirely out of place. Crunches are a simple and easy exercise to strengthen the muscles in your back and abdomen.
You can perform crunches anywhere and everywhere, be it at work or home. Just be sure to intensify your movement by engaging the muscles in your stomach and upper body. Avoid lifting your neck and focus on only raising your stomach.
PLANKS
Planks are the ultimate move to take your fitness to the next level. They offer the perfect muscle-toning and strengthening benefits to up the ante and get in good shape. Performing a plank is pretty straightforward: bend your elbows and lift your weight on your forearms. Your body must get laid out straight on the floor.
The plank position will engage your core and stomach muscles, strengthen your body, and correct your posture. You can maintain this position for as long as you can smoothly, gradually increasing the duration to intensify the move.
PUMP UP YOUR HEART RATE
Increasing your heart rate is the ultimate strategy to enjoy lasting fitness benefits and build up your stamina. Mountain climbers are another excellent move to strengthen your body from head to toe. They will help you build up endurance and muscular strength and accelerate your heart rate without leaving the house.
This simple exercise is much more beneficial than running, and you can gradually intensify the workout by adding more reps.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
When it comes to enjoying the benefits of a fitness regime, consistency and regularity play crucial roles. If you’re not maintaining frequency, you cannot enjoy lasting benefits. If your trip gets scheduled for four to five weeks ahead, you have ample time to build up your strength. The more regularly you exercise and boost your session’s intensity, the more you’ll enjoy skiing.
CONCLUSION
Skiing requires intense muscular engagement, and if you’re physically unfit, you will find it increasingly challenging. If you are starting a month or even two-three weeks before your holiday, it will help you get in good shape. It is crucial to take out time for a workout and build up your physical fitness so you can enjoy a memorable skiing trip.