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Home: Best Weight Lifting Routines for SkiersPeople who do not ski regularly may not realize how physically demanding a sport it is. And we are not talking about extreme downhill here, even basic recreational skiing taxes muscle groups in both the upper and lower body, and requires good balance. If you do not workout with weights regularly, as we recommend for all people, it is extremely important that you work your muscles for skiing. Why? Because for most people skiing is a once a year activity, and if you have been sitting around on your duff all year before that first ski trip, you certainly are not in any condition to face a downhill. Weight training and weight lifting routines that can add to your flexibility and muscle strength are recommended for skiers. You also want to strength train especially for the quads. Strong quads can help protect yo from the most common skiing injuries like damage to the knees joints from sudden stops or turns. Leg lifts ad leg presses are probably the best exercise for strengthening quads. You can do leg lifts or leg extension on the leg station on a weight machine, or with a barbell and weigh bench outfitted for leg extensions. Sit with back firm against the back of the pad; slip your ankles tight under the footpad. With you back straight and firm do at least 3 sets of 10 reps at a comfortable weight. As your strength increases, build it up to 12 - 15 reps. Also try to 4- 8 reps with each leg individually at half weight. Leg Presses are also very effective for building up muscle in the quads. There are several positions for leg presses on most multi-gym stations; any and all of them are valuable weightlifting exercises for skiers. The same machine or bench that you used for leg extensions, can also be used for hamstring strengthening, another exercise of value to skiers. Flip over onto your belly; slip your legs under the footpads to do hamstring curls. Skiers are also going to benefit from strengthening the calf muscles. Most gyms will have a calf machine, but you can also accomplish the same work out with a barbell across the shoulders. And if you really want to get a compete lower body workout - squats and lunges are the ticket - but these can be difficult exercises and not recommended for beginners who have had no prior weightlifting experince or training. Try to do these exercises at least two days a week, with two days off to rest and rebuild. You might want to take a day in between to work the upper body. It is not a good idea to work the same muscle groups two days in a row. But with a little simple weight training you'll be ready for the slopes in no time.
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