My Top Five.....

.....exercises to get your ski legs.

This post probably should have been written about four weeks ago, but with the temperature hovering around the 70's in October the idea of getting ready for the ski season never crossed my mind. All that changed this morning when I saw the early morning temp of 27 degrees. It will soon be time for some of you to be hitting the slopes which means it's time to get pre-season ski training under way.

A lot of the muscular qualities that are important for downhill skiing are also important for other sports: single leg strength, posterior chain strength, hip stabilization, core endurance and strength endurance. So if you're existing training program focuses on these qualities, great. If not, I'm going to suggest five exercises to work into your training program that stress these qualities:

1. Low Box TKE. One of my favorite exercises in regards to knee health. Not only are you strengthening the quadriceps, but working from the unsupported position brings your hip and foot stabilizers into play.
2. Trap Bar Deadlifts. Posterior chain strength is crucial when it comes to maintaining knee and low back health. Plus the positioning of the trap bar deadlift looks close to that of the tuck position during a downhill run.
3. Low Cable Split Squat. Any split squat variation is great to work out any left to right asymmetries. Left to right asymmetries are a good predictor of future injury. Using the low cable position also brings in an anti-flexion and anti-rotation core component.
4. KB Swings. Another posterior chain exercise. I'd suggest performing these in the higher rep range (20-25 reps) or for timed sets to increase the time under tension for the set and bring in more of a conditioning component.
5. Bulgarian Squat Holds. This exercise serves two purposes. One is to create that burning sensation in your legs you may get after a hard downhill run. Two, to help open your hips and increase your hip mobility. Poor hip mobility leads to knee and low back injuries. To perform, get into the bottom position of a Bulgarian Squat (some refer to it as a rear foot elevated split squat) and hold for 30-60 seconds on each leg. A great way to finish off your leg workouts.

For other ways to get those legs ski ready shoot me an email or call (781)538-6664.