Good morning Ladies,! How do you start your day off. Saturday mornings I hit the gym at 8:00 with a total strength class and a HITT Class. I take Yoga, Pilates and a core and strength class during the week. Normally about 8 classes a week. What is your workout schedule like and is there one specific exercise you do for skiing? I would really love to know.
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Fitness for Skiing
- Thread starter Frankie
- Start date
snoWYmonkey
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My goal was to keep working out at the gym during ski season. After 5 days on the hill I have revised my goal. Instead I am sticking to an more reasonable upper body with wieghts and full body range of motion quick routine at home to wake up the body and senses before going out into the cold. I like to thing of it as exploring the movements that skiing neglects.
Mudgirl630
Angel Diva
Simply, I ski everyday HARD in the season. That is my training.
MissySki
Angel Diva
I like to do various classes online during the week using the Peloton app.. core, lower body strength, yoga, barre, spin, upper body to round everything else out.
I don't do specific workouts on the weekends because I'm skiing then, but will usually do some form of stretching and sometimes a short hip opening yoga flow before heading out.
I don't do specific workouts on the weekends because I'm skiing then, but will usually do some form of stretching and sometimes a short hip opening yoga flow before heading out.
Iwannaski
Angel Diva
Have you done the Denis Morton 10 min remix focus flow for hips (Pelvis with Elvis)? It’s my skiing hip favorite!!!
MissySki
Angel Diva
I have not, but now I need to look that up!
CyberLola
Certified Ski Diva
MissySki, that's awesome!! 
I hope that will be me next year, skiing hard everyday, that's one of the reason my husband and I are moving locations and our hopefully next home will be right next to a nice ski area. Skiing is something we love and do together, and being right next to where we can go will eliminate the traveling, have maximum fun and allow us to be super fit, doing it everyday.
For now I exercise everyday here at home and have watched Youtube videos of skiing fitness for inspiration, as well as buying compact equipment I can fit into our tiny apartment. Not going to ski for 2 yrs due to covid left me super unfit, I was exhausted and sore the first day we went this season, so now I'm drinking whey protein and creatine everyday + exercise.
I hope that will be me next year, skiing hard everyday, that's one of the reason my husband and I are moving locations and our hopefully next home will be right next to a nice ski area. Skiing is something we love and do together, and being right next to where we can go will eliminate the traveling, have maximum fun and allow us to be super fit, doing it everyday. For now I exercise everyday here at home and have watched Youtube videos of skiing fitness for inspiration, as well as buying compact equipment I can fit into our tiny apartment. Not going to ski for 2 yrs due to covid left me super unfit, I was exhausted and sore the first day we went this season, so now I'm drinking whey protein and creatine everyday + exercise.
noprobllama
Certified Ski Diva
I'm trying to get better with skiing conditioning off-season (2023 goal for me), but I usually use my indoor bike and do couple exercises that target my ski legs. Other than that just go skiing!
TrixieRuby
Certified Ski Diva
Right now, in my 60's, my pattern is that I ski hard for about 4 hours on almost all blues in the east, and I do feel my quads the next day...and I'm hesitant to ski multiple days in a row due to quad fatigue. I had been weight lifting twice a week with lots of weighted squats and lunges, but I am thinking that is not enough if I want to ski for a longer period of time, or go for a week out west, which we do about once a year. is it my age? or is it under-exercising? not sure??!! I do work out year round, and hike and bike in the off season.
snoWYmonkey
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@TrixieRuby possibly more HIIT workouts? Skiing is not a sustained slow cardio sport. It is made up more of intense bursts for a few minutes, that demand strength, cardio, speed, and balance. If one of those categories is undeveloped I find that I work harder than I need to.
Even classes vary so much. Age is a factor but I am regularly outrun and outlifted by women 20 years my seniors. I do have the speed and the balance.
Not sure where and how you train but seeing if you can add speed and balance exercises may help. I find that easy trail hiking and road biking are great for cardio but lacking in the foot and eye speed coordination.
The one word of major caution though, is to not get hurt while training for the winter season.
Even classes vary so much. Age is a factor but I am regularly outrun and outlifted by women 20 years my seniors. I do have the speed and the balance.
Not sure where and how you train but seeing if you can add speed and balance exercises may help. I find that easy trail hiking and road biking are great for cardio but lacking in the foot and eye speed coordination.
The one word of major caution though, is to not get hurt while training for the winter season.
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geargrrl
Angel Diva
I do a functional fitness program 2x weekly year round. It's never the same thing twice: we do SIT, HIIT, tabata, circuits, weights, heavy lifting, endurance lifting, functional work like balance, core, plyometrics, multiplane work (movement in all directions). The focus is on functional strength for aging. People think it's crossfit but it's not: the gym is a PT facility and our trainers are all highly certified with NSCS, degrees etc.
The idea is to have a level of strength and conditioning so you don't have to do ski or other specific conditioning.
All I know it it works. I'm 62, and have 31 days of skiing in so far this year, half of it alpine and the rest Nordic. My first alpine day out was 10" of powder, top to bottom runs all day long. I gave up "skiing into shape" years ago. I try to condition year round so whatever adventure comes up I'm ready for it.
The idea is to have a level of strength and conditioning so you don't have to do ski or other specific conditioning.
All I know it it works. I'm 62, and have 31 days of skiing in so far this year, half of it alpine and the rest Nordic. My first alpine day out was 10" of powder, top to bottom runs all day long. I gave up "skiing into shape" years ago. I try to condition year round so whatever adventure comes up I'm ready for it.
TrixieRuby
Certified Ski Diva
Thanks--these are good tips.
TrixieRuby
Certified Ski Diva
wow! sounds fabulous. I will look for some different classes than the ones that I am doing.
geargrrl
Angel Diva
Trixie, you can definitely fix this with strength and conditioning. I am 62, and skied all week at Revelstoke. I had a 3 out or 4 day ticket. I skied 2 days, took a break and did nordic, skied another day. I averaged 22K of vertical for 3 days of alpine. Much of it was off piste. My 36 year old son was complaining.
What do you work outs look like? You probably need to ramp it up with additional dedicated/intentional work whatever you are doing. A good place to start is the book Next Level by Dr Stacy Sims. It is fitness and health info specifically for active menopausal women.
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Little Lightning
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I also do a functional fitness type program with a personal trainer. The program is semi-private, 1 trainer to a max of 5 participants. We each have out own program with focus on our specific goals and needs. As the owner of the gym says, "you can have a 72 year old woman with a hip replacement working next to a triathlete." We work in 4 week phases, strength, endurance, power, etc. No phase is ever the same, workouts are always evolving.
I'm also a fan of Dr. Sims book Next Level. I've learned so much about nutrition. I discovered her through a company here in the Denver area that sells vitamins designed by her for various stages of a womans life. I'm 74, prone to Osteoporosis and am taking her "bone health" vitamins.
Here's a picture of me on the slide board (endurance workout) taken in Dec. at my gym.
I'm also a fan of Dr. Sims book Next Level. I've learned so much about nutrition. I discovered her through a company here in the Denver area that sells vitamins designed by her for various stages of a womans life. I'm 74, prone to Osteoporosis and am taking her "bone health" vitamins.
Here's a picture of me on the slide board (endurance workout) taken in Dec. at my gym.
Attachments
TrixieRuby
Certified Ski Diva
thank you everyone! I thinkthis is primarily a strength issue. My balance is excellent, my cardio is average, my agility is excellent (former gymnast and dancer) and my flexibility is excellent. I think more functional strength training is the way for me to go. I do XC ski, so that helps with cardio, when there is snow! (Massachusetts here) as does biking and hiking and the dreaded treadmill machines/bikes/elipticals. the gyms near me are less than they were pre-covid, but if I look around I bet I can find some better options. xoxo
TrixieRuby
Certified Ski Diva
Also, what terms shall I in google to find the kinds of classes you are describing?
shadoj
Angel Diva
I'm a big fan of water aerobics/fitness classes, if you have a facility with a pool nearby. Nice low-impact way to mix things up on non-skiing days. Can vary the aerobic intensity easily. Great for symmetry, core strength, balance, range of motion, practicing correct movement patterns, and gentle resistance.
