Important muscles to use when skiing?

[Little Lightning]

Is road bicycling good cross training for skiing? It depends on what else you do. Performed in conjunction with a well rounded fitness program, yes. Road biking by itself will build cardio, quads and calves.

I was just looking at an article for winter training for bicyclists. Author commented that bicycling has no "eccentric action", therefore, single leg workouts are necessary to strengthen the leg muscles. Doesn't look like bicycling as a cross training program for skiing works all the muscles needed if the author is suggesting supplementing the bicycle training program with single leg training.

Years ago, I was heavy into bicycling. Lots of cardio was the thing back then. I also lifted weights at the gym incorporating machines, barbells and dumbbells. Currently I work with a personal trainer. I strength train with weights and kettlebells. Do plyometrics, agility training and HIIT. My current program has done more to improve my skiing than all those hours on the bike and using weight machines.

Nowadays I ride for fun, still enjoy bicycle tours but don't depend on bicycling as a major part of my ski conditioning.

 

[skinnyfootskis]

I haven't found anything that uses the same set of muscles that skiing does. Horseback riding definitely doesn't, just as nothing seems to use the same set of muscles that you need in the saddle.

My knees definitely ache a bit after I've been skiing, and if I've been doing a lot of carving, my obliques might be feeling like they had a workout. And my feet get tired and might be achy. But that could be because I'm in my 50s.

If his thighs and butt are sore, it's because he's going into the backseat. If his calves are sore he should get the fit of his boots checked. If his knees are sore, well, that happens.

And as far as "working hard", unless you start getting into competitions and stuff, the better you get, the less work it is to ski.

serafina, why do you say that about calves hurting? I just got new boots and that is the only body part that hurt. A day after for 3 days... High up on the calves. I thought it was because I was trying to push through my arches.... and out of shape. I find balance boards, squats and plyometric jumps help with getting in shape.

 

[Littlesonique]

Our ski instructors both train for ski season cycling.

I do a lot of hiking, pilates and yoga. I'm almost never sore unless I'm in the backseat too much!

 

[kiki]

serafina, why do you say that about calves hurting? I just got new boots and that is the only body part that hurt. A day after for 3 days... High up on the calves. I thought it was because I was trying to push through my arches.... and out of shape. I find balance boards, squats and plyometric jumps help with getting in shape.

Yes @Serafina please elaborate on the calves comment

 

[geargrrl]

1. Yes, he needs to get over himself.
2. Road biking is very static. There were a couple of really good posts about how multi-plane mountain biking is for small muscle adjustments and overall more big muscle use.
3. Road bikers and runners are notorious for muscle development imbalances (example, overdeveloped quad and under developed hamstring) and pelvis imbalances. (overtight IT band, psoas, and hip flexors)
4. If you aren't getting very sore, it probably means you are efficient and well balanced.

 

[Cantabrigienne]

A combination of physios + pilates instructors who ski have identified that I have a really weak left psoas, which in turn is hampering my ability to get balanced, flatten skis, release edges at the right point in the turn etc. They've suggested cycling + even spin class as a way of indirectly strengthening the psoas - I get around town by bike but I tend to just use my gears intelligently and then just mash hard, but my pilates instructor sighed and said, well that's what happens when you're quad dominant. I have terrible problems standing + pedalling and apparently there is link between that and my challenges in getting off the intermediate skiing plateau.

So, it sounds like it's entirely logical that you aren't getting tired legs. From my limited experience with riding, you must have really (appropriately) strong legs + core already and as others have pointed up upthread, that's helping you a lot.

 

[Serafina]

serafina, why do you say that about calves hurting? I just got new boots and that is the only body part that hurt. A day after for 3 days... High up on the calves. I thought it was because I was trying to push through my arches.... and out of shape. I find balance boards, squats and plyometric jumps help with getting in shape.

Too much forward lean in the boot can cause people to start fighting the boot, trying to stand more upright when the boot isn't allowing for that, and this will kill your calves. A boot cuff that hasn't been adjusted properly will do the same kind of thing.

 

[emmthorpedo]

A combination of physios + pilates instructors who ski have identified that I have a really weak left psoas, which in turn is hampering my ability to get balanced, flatten skis, release edges at the right point in the turn etc. They've suggested cycling + even spin class as a way of indirectly strengthening the psoas - I get around town by bike but I tend to just use my gears intelligently and then just mash hard, but my pilates instructor sighed and said, well that's what happens when you're quad dominant. I have terrible problems standing + pedalling and apparently there is link between that and my challenges in getting off the intermediate skiing plateau.

So, it sounds like it's entirely logical that you aren't getting tired legs. From my limited experience with riding, you must have really (appropriately) strong legs + core already and as others have pointed up upthread, that's helping you a lot.

Yeah that makes sense. I struggle with lower body and upper body separation so my shoulders tend to follow my hips (which is strange given i ride horses). Im trying to master being able to control my upper body and getting more vertical. Riding and mountain biking have definitely helped my co-ordination and balance and i spin alot during the winter. I am not advocating that strength and skiing ability are correlated (like some people have mentioned technique will override brute force) but i think having strong legs and muscular glutes has certainly helped me with endurance. I have so much to learn still regarding technique though

 

[emmthorpedo]

1. Yes, he needs to get over himself.
2. Road biking is very static. There were a couple of really good posts about how multi-plane mountain biking is for small muscle adjustments and overall more big muscle use.
3. Road bikers and runners are notorious for muscle development imbalances (example, overdeveloped quad and under developed hamstring) and pelvis imbalances. (overtight IT band, psoas, and hip flexors)
4. If you aren't getting very sore, it probably means you are efficient and well balanced.

Thanks regarding 1) i think i am with you. This winter has been a bit of a challenging time for us. I know there are a few people saying that couples should avoid each other skiing and let each other go at their own pace. In some ways i agree but in other ways i think we are sometimes at risk of constantly treading on egg shells around the male ego. This competitiveness has meant he snaps and is overly pointed in unrelated things after skiing which can ruin nice weekends. it would be good to hear if anyone else has experienced this - i may start another thread

 

[Pequenita]

This competitiveness has meant he snaps and is overly pointed in unrelated things after skiing which can ruin nice weekends. it would be good to hear if anyone else has experienced this - i may start another thread

In the Divas Only section - it'll likely get more participation there if posters have assurance that there stories won't pop up in an internet search.

 

[emmthorpedo]

ah noted :-)

 

[Skidreamer]

Hiya, I'm a dressage rider and former eventer in my early 50's, I don't feel my decades of riding have helped my skiing at all, I feel like everything I've learnt in my riding training works against my skiing. Particularly my pathological fear of leaning down the hill when skiing. I'm basically at the stage of winter is for skiing and horsey gets a holiday, the other 3 seasons are for horses. I'm also a runner, I trained in the months leading up to our recent 2 weeks at Whistler and I believe it helped hugely in terms of stamina/fitness, but not really in terms of technique. The strange thing is that I've come back from skiing 13 days straight and no running for 3 weeks into a ferociously hot and humid Australian summer, and I am running better than I was before the skiing holiday. It seems that the skiing has aided the running, I don't really understand it, but I'm not complaining, I'm really enjoying it. One of my problems as I age is flexibility, if I'm neglectful of my required exercises, particularly with my desk-bound job, I really seize up and stiffen up, which adversely affects all of the above pursuits, obviously.

 

[marzNC]

was it a family ski trip to N. America? Where did you go?

Hiya, I'm a dressage rider and former eventer in my early 50's,

Have you noticed there is a horseback riding section?
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?forums/horseback-riding.55/

The strange thing is that I've come back from skiing 13 days straight and no running for 3 weeks into a ferociously hot and humid Australian summer, and I am running better than I was before the skiing holiday. It seems that the skiing has aided the running, I don't really understand it, but I'm not complaining, I'm really enjoying it. One of my problems as I age is flexibility, if I'm neglectful of my required exercises, particularly with my desk-bound job, I really seize up and stiffen up, which adversely affects all of the above pursuits, obviously.

The best ski conditioning involves several different aspects of fitness: balance, flexibility, core strength, cardio, and leg strength (hamstrings, adductor/abductor).

I started skiing more regularly after age 50. Working on core strength and balance made the most difference.

Here's my favorite video for ski fitness balance.

 

[kiki]

Excellent video, thank you @marzNC

 

[emmthorpedo]

Thanks for the video. That one in particular is so helpful. I’ve just done it. The horse riding link is a great discovery. That must have been hidden. It’s interesting how riding hasn’t helped some people. There may not be universally correct way to cross train. Genetics may also play a factor hence why I can’t do one press up or pull up no matter how hard I try

 

[MrsPlow]

@emmthorpedo - I thought I couldn't do press-ups either, then spent about 3 weeks landscaping and paving our property. Was feeling strong so thought I'd give a press-up a go and could do 10 without even thinking about it!

 

[marzNC]

Thanks for the video. That one in particular is so helpful. I’ve just done it. The horse riding link is a great discovery. That must have been hidden. It’s interesting how riding hasn’t helped some people. There may not be universally correct way to cross train. Genetics may also play a factor hence why I can’t do one press up or pull up no matter how hard I try

I did enough riding before college to get good enough to appreciate the muscles and skills required for jumping and dressage. But I think doing modern dance and ballet growing up was probably more useful when it came to learning to ski in middle school. That meant I had good 1-leg balance and core strength. I also found it easy to learn to ice skate as a tween with no lessons. The same was true for both of my nieces who were really into dance by high school. They had a relatively easy time becoming intermediate skiers with a few lessons even though they only took one ski vacation per season for a few years while in middle and high school.

I was a tomboy who always liked to climb . . . jungle gyms, trees, rocks . . . so have always had good upper body strength. I found the TRX is great for core strength. But indoor rock climbing is more fun for HIIT cardio than any sort of bike.

 

[emmthorpedo]

@emmthorpedo - I thought I couldn't do press-ups either, then spent about 3 weeks landscaping and paving our property. Was feeling strong so thought I'd give a press-up a go and could do 10 without even thinking about it!

That’s such a coincidence as we need our back patio taken up and re-paved in the spring. I may tackle it alongside the professionals. Well done, I don’t think I could ever do 10. I have the spaghetti armed, flat chested look that just collapses and melts under any upper body strain as my husband regularly reminds me of :-/

 

[emmthorpedo]

Yep I can totally relate to your post. Riding and MTB’ing inspired an interest in anatomy so I did a course and even though I still only have basic knowledge,I do feel it helps when you can apply it to new movement. Probably in a similar way to your ballet and dressage.

Without sounding too ‘up myself’ we were told the core as this entire unit will give the rider a much more accurate and holistic approach and that mechanically, the strongest part of the body should be the posterior chain — ie the muscles at the back of the body; lower back, glutes and hamstrings. In the old old old days maybe we would’ve used our bodies in a way that complimented this design; squatting, pulling, pushing etc would be strengthening the back and keeping the hips mobile. I do a modern day office job which can shorten the front of the body and leave the posterior chain lengthened and weak. Sitting all the time lengthens and weakens the glutes and tightens the hip flexors. So I always feel I need to correct.

The muscles south of the pelvis, mainly the glutes and hamstrings are massive to the correct function of the pelvis and the hips, which is vital for us riders and it does help with my positioning for skiing . To sit in the saddle with a long leg it needs to take the hip into some external rotation and extension (moving the leg towards the back of the horse), which requires the glutes and hamstrings to be firing. I think office desk jobs are a killer for not being able to fire those.

Sorry if I’ve just bored the pants off everyone.

 

[marzNC]

Sorry if I’ve just bored the pants off everyone.

Not bored at all! I learn all sorts of stuff that's good for general fitness from Diva discussions. Doesn't matter if it's directly related to skiiing or not. After I finished grad school decades ago, no patience for taking a formal class that lasts longer than an hour. But I'm curious enough to do some reading on topics of interest.