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Whether you are touching the 100 days a season or the one big trip, being able to ski your best from bell to bell is the goal. Even a mellow day on the slopes can put your muscles through more activity than you expect. To help you make the most of your days on snow we've reached out to Spyder Pro Team athlete Alice Merryweather for her key pre-season workouts.
Works: Core Strength.
Action: To set these up, fasten a band around something sturdy just a few inches off the ground. Lie with your head close to where the band is fastened, and hold your arms straight above your head while holding the other end of the band. From this position, alternate straightening your legs out then back to 90 degrees. I recommend 20 total leg drops, or 10 each side.
Works: Central Core and Obliques
Action: Hang from a bar with a medicine ball (I use 12lbs) or a soccer ball between your knees. Bring your knees up to a little above parallel with the floor, then alternate rotating them side to side with as quiet a torso and as little swinging as possible. This pattern fires both your central stabilizing core and your obliques, and gets me more satisfyingly sore than any other exercise. I also like the added benefit of squeezing a ball between my knees, because it both adds to the core challenge and also fires your adductor muscles in your inner thighs.Works: Lower Quad and Back.
Action: To do these, set up two grips about shoulder width apart. You can use anything - two benches, two sturdy chairs, you don't need anything specific. Then, placing one hand on each side, contract your core and activate your quads to lift your legs to a 90 degree angle from your torso. You can hold this position for as long as possible, or do 10-20 crossovers for an extra challenge. I like these because they force you to be really stable through your whole core and back, and they also fire your VMO (a lower quad muscle), which is used a lot for skiing. P.S. These are definitely pretty tough, so I recommend starting with your hands on higher grips than I have in the video. You can then lower the grip height as seen fit.
Works: Obliques.
Action: These are straightforward as can be. Choose an appropriate medicine ball weight (here I did 12lbs) and hold it over your head. Alternate leaning your torso side to side while keeping your hips parallel to the floor. I usually do 12-16 reps total, or 6-8 each side. These activate your oblique muscles along your sides, which are crucial to stabilizing your upper body when getting sick angles out on the slopes.
Works: Core Top to Bottom
Action: Lie flat-backed on a bench with a dumbbell (I use 35-40lbs) in your hands, holding it straight up in front of your face, and bring your feet to a vertical position above your hips. From this starting position, simultaneously extend your feet and arms towards the ground in opposite directions until you are in a straight line, then bring them back up to the starting position. To advance this exercise, you can add a light weight or med ball between your feet. I really like this exercise because it works your core from top to bottom, and activates deep, low core muscles like the Transverse Abdominis that sometimes get overlooked.
