Conquering the mountain
So last year you packed your gear, trekked up to the mountain, and felt the excitement of the new snow season upon you. The first run felt great. On the second one, your thighs burned a little but it was tolerable. By the third trip, your feet hurt and your entire body seemed to ask, “Why are you torturing me?” You then told your friends you would be in the lodge drinking hot chocolate when they were ready to leave.
Skiing and snowboarding require the use of muscles in patterns that are very unique. “It’s nothing like anything you’ve done before,” says Dustin Semb, the Outdoor Supervisor for the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department. “You’re sliding side-to-side and you have to control your edges.”
This year, why not make the adventure more rewarding, by actually feeling strong enough to last the entire day (or at least until lunch time). Listed below are five key exercises that will help you decide when to call it a day, not your burning legs. These moves will help develop your balance and improve your leg and core strength, which are attributes required to feel like you can conquer the mountain.
5. Planks –From a prone (face down) position of the floor, rest on your forearms and toes, holding the rest of your body off the ground. Suck your belly button in toward your spine to stabilize your core muscles (abs, sides and lower back), keep your hips up and your body aligned in a straight, or plank position. Your shoulders should be aligned directly over your elbows. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds or until you feel fatigued. Repeat 3 times. Add time or sets or lift one leg off the floor to increase difficulty. Planks help strengthen lower back, abs, obliques and arms.
2. Wall Squats – This traditional exercise remains one of the best to improve leg strength and reduce thigh burn while riding. Stand with your back to a wall and your feet shoulder width apart. Slowly lower yourself toward the ground by walking your feet forward. Go down until your legs form a 90-degree angle. If this is not possible while maintaining proper form, lower yourself as far as you can comfortably and progress toward 90 degrees as strength improves. Make sure your knees stay directly over your ankles and keep your arms, head and shoulders against the wall. Hold 15 to 30 seconds (or until you tire out) and repeat 3 times. Increase time or sets, or hold light dumbbells in each hand to increase difficulty. Wall squats will increase the strength in your quadriceps (the front of your thighs).
3. Lateral Jumps – Stand on one side of an imaginary line. With knees slightly bent and feet shoulder width apart, crouch down about half as far as you would during a wall squat. Arms should be bent at 90-degree angles in front of you. Jump laterally to the other side of the line and then back to where you started. See how many jumps you can do in 30 seconds and repeat 3 times. Use a low bench or step, or increase duration to make this more challenging. Lateral jumps will increase outer leg strength (which is used for turning down the mountain), improve reaction time and increase your aerobic conditioning.
1. Stork Stand – With both feet together and your belly button drawn in toward your spine, slowly lift one leg until it forms a 90-degree angle. Extend your arms out from your sides for balance if needed. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets and work on increasing time and repetitions as you start to master this skill. To add difficulty, slowly move one leg backward, close your eyes, rotate your trunk both directions or hold a light weight in one hand. Stork stands improve balance, develop propioceptive strength in your ankles and legs, and increase core strength.
4. Chair Pulls – Sit down in a chair that has wheels on the bottom. Lean forward while maintaining correct posture and pull yourself across the floor by digging your heels into the floor. Do 10 “pulls” with each leg and repeat 3 times. Use a hard floor to make it easier. Pull yourself across carpet or increase repetitions to increase the difficulty level. Chair pulls will increase strength in your hamstrings (the back of your thighs).