You can barely imagine the fresh powder beneath your waxed skis as you prepare for barbecues, boating, and wearing less clothing, but there are ways you can keep your legs “fine-tuned” this summer so that you feel good and prevent injury when ski season returns.
Focus on legs.
And I do not mean stare at sexy legs all summer. Keeping your legs strong and stretched should be a top priority for skiers.
First, maintain lots of leg-work in your cardio exercise. If you prefer to swim, row, kayak or rock-climb in the summer, you will need to schedule leg-time into your week, too. Go for walks after dinner, include more hiking when you camp, and use resistance (like flippers) when you paddle-kick in the pool.
To keep them strong and fit for skiing, strength-training work-outs must emphasize legs. Squats and lunges are some of the tried-and-true best leg exercises. Use hand-weights, bars, machines, tubing, and bands for a bigger challenge. Lunging around a room holding weights is a fast and effective way to tone the legs.
Stretch and twist.
Flexibility is important for ski injury prevention. It is easy to forget this component when you have traveled in cramped quarters to get to a ski resort, then slept in an odd bed, fought jet lag, put on 20 pounds of gear, and finally made it to the slopes.
But stretching is critical to the joints, especially for the knees and back. You want to keep muscles and joints limber, enhance blood-flow and oxygen, and prevent aches from work tensions that can interfere with playing.
Rotational stretches, or twisting, should be the focus for skiing flexibility. When you sit for long periods of time, such as at a desk at work or in a car, your spine and joints stiffen. Gentle twisting stretches restore muscles and joints in a way that is beneficial to feeling good and ski preparation.
Extras.
If you want to maximize your ski training this summer, you will also include torso toning. Posture and core strengthening are beneficial.
Practice strength exercises to tone the upper body and improve posture. This will enhance your skiing abilities and counter-balance any poor posture habits you might have.
Even though they are far from the ski slopes, Dr. Kevin Stone and Michael Mullin, of San Francisco’s Stone Clinic, sum it up best. They reminded us that “skiing is loads of fun, training should be the same”.
For more articles, plus video, on this topic, visit the Higher Lifestyle blog: http://www.higher-lifestyle.blogspot.com
Nina Schnipper is a fitness trainer and massage therapist in Basalt, Colorado at Higher Spa & Studio. She offers sports therapies for athletes, weekend warriors, and non-athletes. She specializes in pain relief and injury recovery.
Nina is part of the Official Sports Massage team for Higher Spa & Studio, so she works with skiers, synchro-skiers, climbers, and other athletes throughout the Aspen valley and Colorado Rockies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nina_Schnipper
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Get-In-Shape-Over-The-Summer-For-The-Next-Ski-Season&id=1176921
Post a Comment