Your ski vacation is coming up, but you’re not sure if you’re fit enough for it? Do you want to prepare yourself but don’t know exactly how? Then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, you’ll find out how to get fit for your ski vacation and why it’s so important.
How do you get fit for a ski vacation?
Skiing, snowboarding and similar winter sports are a real challenge for the body. It now needs various skills that are not necessarily trained in everyday life:
- Stamina: Your muscles, breathing and cardiovascular system are put to the test when skiing.
- Strength: The legs and torso in particular have to work hard during winter sports.
- Stable tendons and joints: The knees, hips and back in particular have to absorb a lot of strain in skiing.
- Coordination and balance: These skills help you to reduce the risk of falling and avoid awkward movements as far as possible.
- Agility: A certain degree of flexibility is required to drive safely and react quickly.
Typical for skiing are long isometric loads (recognizable, for example, by “burning” thighs), rapid changes of direction and strong centrifugal forces. All of this has to be available for hours on end, and in very cold temperatures. No wonder the body needs a bit of preparation in order to have enough strength and energy and be fit for the slopes!
The aim of your preparation is not to build muscle, as you may know it from the gym. Instead, it’s about making your body more resilient overall, supporting the stability of your joints through targeted training and having lots of fun on your ski vacation later on.
Which forms of exercise are useful to prepare for skiing?
Ideally, you should combine different forms of sport and exercise:
- Strength training, especially for the core, arms and legs: This ensures more stable knees, better control and less fatigue.
- Exercises for coordination and balance, for example standing on one leg on unstable surfaces.
- Endurance sports, for example brisk walking, Nordic walking, cycling, cross-training or climbing stairs.
- Classic ski gymnastics exercises: We’ll show you some of them in the next paragraph.
Fit for your ski vacation: classic exercises from ski gymnastics
These exercises will help you prepare for winter sports:
Squats
Squats strengthen your thighs, core and buttocks. This is how you do them:
- Place your feet hip to shoulder width apart and keep your back straight!
- Push your bottom back and slowly go down! Make sure that your weight is on your heels and that your knees remain above your feet!
- If you are already advanced, hold the position below for 5 to 10 seconds!
- Then push yourself up again in a powerful and controlled manner!
- Can you do 15 repetitions?
Wall seat
This exercise strengthens your leg endurance. This is how it works:
- Lean your back against the wall as if you were sitting on an invisible chair!
- Your knees should form a 90-degree angle.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds, later up to 60 seconds, and continue to breathe calmly!
Ski jump movement (Jump Squats Light)
This exercise strengthens your coordination and explosive power. But be careful: you should only do it if your knees are pain-free. For jump squats light, squat slightly and then make a small, controlled jump! Land softly and immediately build up tension again! Make sure you do it properly!
When should I start training and what else can I do?
Ideally, you should start your training 8 to 12 weeks before your ski vacation. Even 4 to 6 weeks of preparation can still bring noticeable success. If you have less than 4 weeks, then it’s still a matter of “damage limitation”, which can also be worthwhile.
When preparing, also make sure you eat a balanced diet and get enough sleep so that your body is in top form! Many of our customers turn to SILICIUM PRIME for support, especially during the cold season and in stressful situations. This bundle consists of two high-quality food supplements that work together perfectly: On the one hand, you get the SILICIUM PLUS capsules with calcium and magnesium. On the other hand, this valuable supplement package contains drops with vitamins D3 and K2. Magnesium and calcium support normal muscle function, while vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones. Together, they can help you get fit for the slopes or other challenges. Try it out!
