• Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.

Staying in Ski Shape through summer

theyardsaleexpert

Certified Ski Diva
With ski season coming to an end, what are exercises/workouts you would recommend to keep up your ski legs?

To preface this, I’ve skied since I was twelve but this is the first season that I have consistently gone. I have gotten to skiing double-blacks and am a pretty aggressive skier now. I want to make sure that I stay in good ski shape and keep my technique in the off season, so I can pick back up where I left next season.

I’m an avid runner/biker but am not sure how either of those help with technique.
 

racetiger

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I would think bicycle would be good because of the resistance training. I was told riding dirtbikes has alot of the same principles. Personally my job walking 10 miles a day and studying martial arts is what keeps me fit.
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I walk, hike, bike. mostly I walk. Maintaining balance thru yoga/stretching I think helps too.
I'd say if what you did last summer led to good runs this winter, you're doing great!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
There’s a thread about this around here somewhere, from last summer. (Yes, we keep this up all summer! For our Aussie and NZ friends, and others from the Southern Hemisphere if they join in.). (That’s not quite true. Some of us can’t stay away!)

Hiking is supposed to be good because it uses a lot of those same large and small muscles: not only strength and endurance, but balance. Biking also, and resistance band exercises for abductors and adductors, to protect the knees.

My knees are hurting every night. I’m thinking of not skiing this week :hurt:
 

Skisailor

Angel Diva
There’s a thread about this around here somewhere, from last summer. (Yes, we keep this up all summer! For our Aussie and NZ friends, and others from the Southern Hemisphere if they join in.). (That’s not quite true. Some of us can’t stay away!)

Hiking is supposed to be good because it uses a lot of those same large and small muscles: not only strength and endurance, but balance. Biking also, and resistance band exercises for abductors and adductors, to protect the knees.

My knees are hurting every night. I’m thinking of not skiing this week :hurt:

Your knees are hurting from skiing??
Or are they hurting from injury and skiing just agravates things??
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
In line skating is a great off season workout. Did it for many years but not so much now...... Still have my k2 in line skates in storage. Maybe I need to get them out. Cycling, walking, running, hiking, strength training all good off season workouts.
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
I run 3 days per week year round, and last summer DH and I got hybrid bikes and put a couple hundred miles on them. I had one of my best ski seasons ever this year, and I attribute some of that to my exercise regime. I am adding more yoga to the mix this summer... a few sun salutations daily to work on balance and breath.

Part of my summer conditioning need to address my head...so that I can start next season remembering that I do in fact know how to ski, and haven’t forgotten everything over the summer.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Your knees are hurting from skiing??
Or are they hurting from injury and skiing just agravates things??

Skiing. :rolleyes: And skiing without doing enough summer/fall exercise and stretching. :eek:

22 days so far this year, on much more challenging terrain. I’ve never been much of an athlete, and I’m too old to do this weekend warrior nonsense. I promise to do better next summer!
 

Skisailor

Angel Diva
Skiing. :rolleyes: And skiing without doing enough summer/fall exercise and stretching. :eek:

22 days so far this year, on much more challenging terrain. I’ve never been much of an athlete, and I’m too old to do this weekend warrior nonsense. I promise to do better next summer!

Gotcha. I only asked because my own experience is one of burning quads and aching patellar tendons for years, and it continued no matter how much I worked out over the summer to get in "skiing shape".

Lunges, squats, biking, downhill hiking and all manner of skiing exercise regimens that I found online were part of my off season training to get ready for the season. I was fit and strong. Then I would start skiing and it made little if any difference. My quads still burned and my knees still ached. Bummer!

Then I learned how to stand on my skis and how to ski efficiently (from Ursula) and now, with NO off season ski specific training, I ski all day every day with no fatigue, no sore muscles and no achy knees. On day two this year, I skied a long, 6 mile, 3600 vertical foot run off Lone Peak nonstop. No fatigue. No burning or achy muscles. And I've skied every single day since Thanksgiving except for 2 days.

I'm not sharing this to boast! There is absolutely nothing special about me!! I just want to provide the perspective that there are more and less efficient ways to ski. And proper technique can make skiing easy - almost effortless.

I'm a pretty lazy person. I chose this sport because gravity does most of the work. So I will probably do some hiking, walking, and a little biking this summer. But I do those things because I enjoy being outdoors. Not because I feel it is necessary to train for the winter ski season.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
So I decided to go running today - first time in a couple of years - used to run 10k's for many years but stopped running due to back issues and knee issues for the last year. Well , everything went great - went for a 3 mile run along the ocean on a nice path and back to my house (about 1/2 block from the ocean). Had my iPod and felt great - as stated earlier first time running in 2 years. A few houses away there is an very uneven sidewalk which I forgot about on the way home and tripped and went flying. Fell on my hands and pubic bone area. Ouch. I was afraid I fractured something but seem to be okay. Lesson learned: watch where I'm going on city sidewalks. Good news: knee felt okay and had no problem running 3 miles.
 

snoWYmonkey

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I confess to not being a very cardio, or workout inspired person. Which is why I love skiing and mountain biking.

I do try to hike on and off trail in the summer and mountain bike as much as I can, including those tedious uphills.

8 weeks of preseason training have been part of my getting ready for skiing routine for the past few years. Many gyms offer ski specific group training options. I have tried many and stuck with the one that offers not just strength and cardio, but a lot of balance work, upper and lower body and core, along with speed work for legs and feet.

Be careful in your choice of classes and drills. Many people get hurt training for skiing...not the point.

Squats, lunges, jump squats and jump lunges seem to be a part of every class I have taken. Then things vary a bit more. Box jumps, ladders (on the ground), a lot of balls, both to balance on such as the half ball and big ones, and thrown ones, and carried ones up and down stairs. One day a week the class is more strength and one day more cardio. Holding of tuck position for longer stretches.

I agree with statements above that good form on snow will reduce fatigue and chronic use injuries. No matter how efficient we become, skiing will at some point, bumps, steeps, powder, high speed carving, be a physically demanding activity. Some preparation seems to really pay off. I can keep up with my colleagues and ski all day the first day back with no issues. That was not the case when before I started participating in ski fitness classes.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
So I decided to go running today - first time in a couple of years - used to run 10k's for many years but stopped running due to back issues and knee issues for the last year. Well , everything went great - went for a 3 mile run along the ocean on a nice path and back to my house (about 1/2 block from the ocean). Had my iPod and felt great - as stated earlier first time running in 2 years. A few houses away there is an very uneven sidewalk which I forgot about on the way home and tripped and went flying. Fell on my hands and pubic bone area. Ouch. I was afraid I fractured something but seem to be okay. Lesson learned: watch where I'm going on city sidewalks. Good news: knee felt okay and had no problem running 3 miles.
Ouch! Better be careful, boyfriend needs you to wait on him . . . :smile:
 

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ouch!!

In-line skating, moutain biking, and hiking are the best cross training sports for downhill skiing. They all use similar prioproception and gross and fine muscle muscle movements. Skating is the closest to skiing, and that and mountain biking also teach balance while moving at high speeds.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
In-line skating, moutain biking, and hiking are the best cross training sports for downhill skiing. They all use similar prioproception and gross and fine muscle muscle movements. Skating is the closest to skiing, and that and mountain biking also teach balance while moving at high speeds.
Doesn't ice skating also belong on this list? Granted, most people are interested in doing an activity outdoors during the summer. But in the south sometimes going to an indoor ice skating rink is a nice change from the hot weather outdoors.
 

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Doesn't ice skating also belong on this list? Granted, most people are interested in doing an activity outdoors during the summer. But in the south sometimes going to an indoor ice skating rink is a nice change from the hot weather outdoors.
Of course! It just never occurred to me. I would bet hockey skating would be especially efficient for cross training.
 

KathrynC

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I love the outdoors anyway. As the skiing tails off I'll be increasing the running, hiking, and big cycling trips, and as we get into summer there'll be rock climbing and sea kayaking. For me the main thing is just staying generally active and strong rather than specifically cross training for skiing.

I have some congenital issues with my hips and regularly work on my hips and glutes in the gym to deal with that - those exercises really help with skiing. Also, I live near an indoor ski centre. I don't visit often for me as it quickly gets boring going up and down the same slope, but this summer I have volunteered to be a helping hand during lessons run there by Disability Snowsport UK, which in addition to being a lot of fun is a good way of keeping my ski legs.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
26,235
Messages
497,578
Members
8,503
Latest member
MermaidKelly
Top