Ski Training with Groucho

The three of us were hyped. Ski season was finally here, the snow was sparkling below our boots and we were just seconds away from sliding down the mountain on our new skis. While the first day of a new season typically arrives with a bit of trepidation, this year I was really ready. Hours on the Stairmaster were finally going to pay off. I performed the mandatory double whack of the ski poles before jabbing them into the snow and prepared to push off. Then, with all of the warning of a heart attack, both of my legs seized into crippling muscle cramps, dropping me to the snow, while my friends flew away. So much for great preparation�

The Right Stuff�
Exercise professionals have long touted the concept of “specificity of training“. What that means is that the best way to prepare for a winter of skiing, boarding or skating is a winter of skiing, boarding or skating. Tough, when it’s August and 95 degrees outside. But unless you’re capable of spending your summer in Portillo, Chile, you’ll just have to make due with what you have available: exercises that reasonably emulate your winter sport.

To adequately address fitness and how our body moves during sports, you need to be aware that muscles contract in four different ways; two of them are commonly used in sports. Concentric contractions occur whenever a muscle shortens. An example would be when your thigh muscle extends your knee, or when your bicep flexes your elbow joint. Conversely, eccentric contractions occur whenever a muscle lengthens. Examples would include flexing your knee joint while descending stairs (which lengthens the thigh muscles). Most anti-gravity sports, like snow skiing predominantly use eccentric muscle contractions.

The majority of muscle soreness occurs as a result of over zealous eccentric muscle contractions. Regardless of how much cycling, swimming or stair climbing you do, you’ll never adequately develop the muscles that come into play during winter sports. What you need to do is work on the opposing movements: those that gently lower you to the ground, such as descending stairs, hiking downhill or lowering weights to the ground. Snow sports are all about “negative” contractions.

Skipping Your Way into Strength�
There’s a couple of easy ways to develop great eccentric leg strength. Remember when you were a child and you merrily skipped along on your way to school? As it turns out, skipping is an excellent way to build not only concentric but also eccentric leg strength, as well. Begin by taking small skipping steps, rising modestly, vertical. Try skipping for 8-10 “skips” and walk to recover. Repeat four or five times. As you get stronger, try skipping higher by lifting your knees higher. This will generate more vertical power and require more strength to catch your body as it comes back down. As you leap up, use your arms to accelerate higher. Your arms should actively flex up and across your chest.

Training with Groucho�
Another great exercise is walking like Groucho Marx. Remember watching the movie “Duck Soup”? Whenever Groucho strode across the room, he would never seem to come up out of a crouching position. Groucho must have been a skier. By emulating Groucho’s walk, you’ll use more thigh muscles because your legs are never allowed to fully extend, allowing your legs to rest. Start by flexing your knees about 20 degrees; not so you’re in a full sitting position, but not in a standing position, either. Extend a leg out and try to walk 10-15 yards without allowing your legs to fully extend. Use your arms for balance, and build up to 10 repetitions.

To the Core�
Finally, one of the most important parts of your winter-conditioning program should be developing good core strength. Your CORE is the center of your body that includes your pelvic region, abdominals, chest, and back. Many fitness experts feel that developing good core strength is even more important than developing good leg strength. The belief is that your core dictates all of your balance and peripheral movements. Keeping the core strong and aligned will allow you to easily move your arms and legs about as needed and will help you to recover your balance during near falls. If you have weak core muscles, everything else suffers. Sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts and back extensions are a great way to develop core strength. Other exercises can be performed on a Fitball. Fitballs are large, inflatable balls used to support the body during strength exercises. You can usually find Fitballs at your local gym, or you can purchase one at www.balldynamics.com on the Internet for around $30.00.

Conditioning for winter sports is not like any other sports. It requires specific training for the best results and the most fun. Small adjustments to your fall conditioning program can deliver huge results for the winter.