Health & Fitness: Training for ski season (from LA Monitor)

Health & Fitness: Training for ski season

KIM LAZARUS, D.C. Special to the Monitor

With the hopes of a good ski season, training now will pay off later. Some of the areas you want to focus on when training for the ski season are balance, lateral movements, flexibility and strength training. Explosive exercises like plyometrics are also good training.

Downhill skiers turn with lateral movements that involve many muscles from the hips to the ankles. Being able to compensate for these obscure movements involves the ability to bring the muscles back to a neutral position.For example, if you were to run and suddenly fall into a small hole, would you twist your ankle or would your muscles compensate and return back to neutral without injury?

The ability to do this is called proprioception. Proprioceptive training involves exercises that have a wobble factor to them. A wobble board, theraball and a foam roller are a few examples of devices that can be used for these exercises. When a muscle gets challenged to compensate for imbalance, the properly conditioned muscle seems to gain an ability to compensate when put under pressure.Flexibility training can be important in the prevention of a strain syndrome. When a muscle is under stress in its contractile state and cold weather becomes a factor, a muscle tightens up, pulling on the tendon, which can cause tearing.

Because you are sitting on the chair lift in between runs, the tendency is to tighten up. Moving your legs while on the lift may help keep blood flowing to them. Proper supplementation and staying hydrated can also assist in the prevention of injuries.Strength training for the arms and legs is critical. Two leg workouts per week at least two months prior to the start of ski season is recommended. Squats, lunges, extensions and leg presses are a few good strengthening exercises.

A personal trainer could be extremely helpful in organizing a good program for preseason training.When strength training is combined with speed and agility training, a skier will add explosive power to their skiing. Interval training and plyometric exercises are examples of this type of training.Plyometrics are exercises that involve quick, explosive moves and may be mixed with more moderate cardio types of moves to achieve higher performance for the skier.Other exercises that have been used include wall sitting. This exercise is an isometric exercise to strengthen the thighs. Lean against the wall with your back flat to the wall and slide your back down the wall. Your feet should remain about shoulder width apart and out away from the wall. When you slide down, make sure your feet are out in front of you and your knees do not extend over your feet. You will feel your thighs burn within the first minute.

Strengthening the shoulders, arms and abdominal muscles will keep your balance in tact as well as preventing fatigue throughout your ski day.No off-slope conditioning is as good as the actual art of skiing, but your ski season will be more rewarding if your physique is conditioned prior to the season. Now is the time to get started!

Dr. Kim Lazarus is the co-owner of the Los Alamos Fitness Center and a local chiropractor.