Sunday, November 23, 2008

Strengthen Your Legs Like Those of Skiers

By Ryan L. Freeman

Don't miss any powder day's this season from weak legs or ski injuries!

Every time I sit down to read a skiing magazine or see another so called 'expert' recommending specific workouts for skier's, I have to cringe when I see some of the workouts they recommend! After all, isn't the goal of an effective skier fitness training routine to reduce injuries while also building incredible strength and stamina in your legs and core?

We all want to tear up the slopes as long as possible each day and avoid the dreaded 'jello legs' that might slice our day of skiing short, and even prevent nagging injuries that might cut our skiing season short.

I see the problem with traditional exercise routines that are being recommended for skiers are that they not only use inefficient workouts that don't carry over that well to actual skiing movements, but also may even be setting you up for an injury. For example, if you've seen workout routines that are recommending machine leg presses, mechanical leg extensions, and mechanical leg curls, please run screaming from that workout recommendation as fast as you can! It will only set you up for injury, and won't even help your goal of strength and endurance that's actually applicable to skiing movements.

It can be said if you see fitness gurus recommending the smith mechanical squats or any smith machine exercises whatsoever... they should all be avoided as smith mechanical movements follow unnatural patterns (which are not biomechanically correct) that can create excessive stress on the back and possible injury there and/or in your knees.

Now what about wall squats workouts (aka 'wall sits')? Almost every fitness program for skier's in existence recommends this skiing exercise, I don't find it to be the best. It's a step in the right direction compared to mechanical based workouts that I mentioned previously. But, wall sits are still not a great and effective exercise that carries over directly to strength and endurance throughout the entire range of motion that your legs use during a day on the slopes. This workout can be mildly effective since even an isometric exercise held for endurance in one joint angle will still carry over to a slightly wider range of motion, but I actually have at least a dozen workouts that are MUCH more effective than wall squats.

I have found some major faults with typical exercise routines for the skier is that often they neglect getting a proper joint to strength balance (proper strength ratios between hamstrings, quadriceps, etc). Although skiing demands a lot of work from your quad's and less work from your hams and glutes, it is still really important for injury prevention to maintain proper strength ratios between all of the muscle groups of your body and to make sure the stabilizer muscles around the joints are correctly strengthened. Another factor that's left out in most workout programs.

Want all of the specific workouts that really work in getting rock solid legs that will never quit on you while you are out on the slopes? Visit here for the best Ski Conditioning workouts and learn the best kept secrets. - 16004

About the Author: