OVERVIEW: Ski & Ride Conditioning is designed to prepare athletes for lift-assisted downhill, side country, and the backcountry. Skiing and snowboarding have very specific fitness demands with emphasis on leg and core strength. Each workout is composed of warm-up/mobility drills for the legs, hips, shoulders and strength & conditioning exercises as follows: lower body, upper body, core, full body, lower body power.
This program trains 2x/week for 8 weeks for a total of 16 sessions. The workouts can also be condensed to a 3x/week program for 5 weeks. The workouts can be completed in about 45 minutes.
After the warm-up, complete the strength & conditioning exercises in a circuit, one right after another, with little to no rest between drills. Then rest 1-2 minutes between rounds. The odd and even numbered sessions are composed of slightly different exercises that provide some variety, but with enough similarity to produce consistent gains. Maintain good/neutral skeletal alignment – especially as fatigue builds. If you lose alignment/form then reduce weight and rest for an additional 30-60 secs between sets. The program progresses, getting more physically challenging each week as you get stronger. So don’t skip around – do all the workouts in order.
Overall, this training is designed to get you slope strong, stable and sport-specifically fit.
We have removed the traditional heavy squatting and deadlifts, as this strength does not seem to transfer well to the demands of all mountain skiing that favor eccentric leg strength and power.
In addition, we have reduced many of the high impact/jumping movements as most older knees don’t need the extra wear and tear. The program also focuses on durability and endurance so you can reduce the chance of injury and perform well all season.
Enjoy!
Any questions email: mikec@southyubaclub.com
