Physical preparation for winter sports: why it is essential and what exercises to perform

Christmas is upon us and everything is ready for the start of a new season dedicated to winter sports that are so passionate and so entertain adults and children. Whether you are an agonist of these sports, a 'weekend warrior' or just an enthusiast who dedicates himself to it during the winter holidays, surely a good pre-ski preparation will be able to make your descents more performingin addition to avoid injuries unwelcome. It doesn't matter whether you do cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating or alpine skiing: the right athletic preparation for winter sports is essential to preserve your safety and to enjoy your days on the snow to the fullest.

These sports all have in common the characteristic of significantly engage the lower limbs and core. Not everyone has the good habit of keeping active during the year with other activities and this can lead to a greater risk of injury during their performance.

How to avoid injuries while skiing or snowboarding

Most injuries while performing these activities are caused by lack of muscle strength precisely in the lower limbs, as well as trunk stability. The legs are subject to mostly isometric and eccentric contractions during descents on skis or snowboards, which put significant stress on the muscles. If not trained, these muscles will "get tired" very quickly and will no longer be able to stabilize and control the various joints, with the risk of incurring falls, uncontrolled twisting movements and overloads of other muscle groups.

Remember that these sports have in common that they are practiced on the INFO, which has the characteristic of being an unpredictable and mutable terrain during the course of the day. You don't always find yourself in front of beautiful groomed slopes, which manage to maintain their compactness throughout the day. Potholes, softer areas or ice sheets can negatively affect the technical gesture you are performing, and if you don't have good stability and coordination, the risk of falling or performing an uncontrolled movement is around the corner.

Athletic preparation for winter sports: which exercises to perform

As previously mentioned, the muscle groups mainly involved in these activities are the lower limbs, so a great method to prepare for downhill runs is to insert some specific exercises in your training routines (if you already play some sports) or to perform some circuits even at home in order to tone and make your joints more stable.

Squats, lunges and isometric holds are certainly the most useful exercises to perform, as they train the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings as well as the core.

Below is a small one workout routine for preparation for winter sports that you can also comfortably do at home 2 times a week:

• Squat
• Front plank with support on the elbows
• Alternate sagittal lunges
• Bridge for buttocks
• Lateral plank with elbow support
• Isometric squat with or without wall support

If you have the opportunity to lean into some gym, and you have different equipment available, this is the circuit that's right for you:

• Squats up Dune ball board
• Side lunges with Flying alternate
• Front plank with support on the elbows
• Clean with Flowbags
• Russian twist with Med ball
• Isometric squat up Dune ball board

In both the first and second cases, run 3 times higher this circuit doing 30 seconds of activity and recovering for another 30 seconds, the time to prepare for the next exercise. Once the first round is finished, recover for 90 seconds and then start again.

Remember to make time for stretching as well at the end of your routine as only a strong and flexible muscle will be able to support repeated heavy loads during sporting activity.

Recommended activities for preparation for winter sports

Among the various proposals of activities present in the fitness centers, surely the one that is right for you would be a class or functional training as the characteristic of this activity consists precisely in being able to improve tone as well as intra and intermuscular coordination.

There are many exercises present in this type of activity: in suspension, ballistic, weightlifting and agility. Remember that not only do you need to tone up your muscles to be sure you don't get injured while skiing or snowboarding, but you also need to have the ability to be able to coordinate the various movements and have a certain mobility sectors that allows you to sustain sudden movements performed at high speed.

5 useful tips to enjoy your activity to the fullest:

1. Get ready to your winter sports week or weekend by performing for example the routines presented.
2. Search for keep you hydrated during activity. Even if it's cold that doesn't mean you aren't sweating, keeping your muscles hydrated will allow you to last longer in your day.
3. It eats foods rich in vitamins and minerals.
4. Search for take some breaks between the various descents.
5. Don't start immediately from the most difficult tracks. As soon as you start your business or after a long stop, try ad run an easy track so you can use it as heating.

Did you like the tips? If you want a routine that suits you or some other advice do not hesitate to contact us.