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Winter is here and if you’re like us, we don’t stop being active when it gets cold!
For some of you, skiing and snowboarding are in your future and if that’s the case, it’s important to get yourself ready for the slopes!
Both skiing and snowboarding require a lot from your thighs and trunk, not to mention your lungs! Here are a few important, but simple exercises to get your legs and core prepared for all you expect of them.
First, let’s talk about those quads. The front of your thighs will be working hard to control your movement and impact as you race down the slopes! It’s not just about strength though; endurance to get you through the entire trail to the bottom is essential too.
The exercises below are a great starting point and can be done in a circuit, repeating the group 3-4 times. Working on each one for time versus reps will help with your endurance as well when skiing and snowboarding.
Multi-plane lunges
We all know how great lunges can be and you can up your lunges game with multi-planar or walking lunges. We live our lives in 3 planes of motion and your exercises should too!
Deadlift
Working the backside of your legs is important too - variation of deadlifts can be done with dumbbells, a barbell and even household items. Hinge at the hips and keep your back straight!
Chair Pose/Wall Sits
If you played sports in high school or college you may cringe when you hear the phrase “wall sits.” It brings back some FUN memories for some of us! This is a great strengthening and endurance exercise that gets the burn going in your thighs and prepares your legs for the longer runs on the slopes. Pay attention to keeping the weight equally distributed through both feet!
Planks
We don’t want to forget the last two exercises for the all important abdominal and core muscles. Good ol’ planks and side planks will wake those muscles up and help to stabilize your lower back and pelvis! For a small spin on the traditional front plank, we are demonstrating the up and down plank to engage the shoulders as well.