We asked our friend Cole Nelson, fitness manager for GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness Club, to give us a few pointers on how to stretch before and after a glorious day of skiing.
Here's Cole:
As the temperature starts to dip, and our thoughts go to snow, the excitement starts to build for the upcoming ski season. Having a good, solid cardiovascular and strength base is imperative as we prep for those exciting days on the mountain.
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| Cole Nelson |
What about the day-of? We will address some of the best day-of pre-ski and post-ski exercises to help reduce fatigue and soreness and maximize your enjoyment on the mountain.
No matter how well conditioned you are, proper fitting boots and equipment is a must. Ill-fitting boots can cause premature ankle, calf, and quad fatigue and increase the risk of injury due to lack of control.
Pre-Ski Warm Up
Don’t count on walking your snow equipment from the car to the base of the lift as a “warm up”! Take the time to prepare your body.
Swing one leg forward and backward to loosen hips. Keep your leg relaxed with the big movements to warm up the body. Some light lateral hops and body weight squats work well for a quick dynamic warm up to get your heartrate slightly elevated and blood flowing through your muscles.
Start with 15-20 body weight squats and then move on to 10-20 lateral hops per side.
Next, I’d recommend alternating reverse lunges to target the quads, glutes, and hip flexors. Do 10 each side.
Moving to a total lower body stretch, place one leg behind you, knee straight and heel flat. Lunge onto your forward leg keeping trunk upright, stretching the behind leg’s calf and hip flexor holding for 30 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side.
It is important to stretch your quads. Stand tall and bring one heal up toward your glutes. Use a ski pole or railing to stabilize yourself and grab your toe pulling in towards your glute getting a nice stretch in the quad. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.
Finally, prepare your trunk by standing, feet firmly planted (slightly more than hip width apart) and twist trunk by swinging your arms side to side, loosening the spine. Shoulders: Big sweeping arm circles on each side.
Post-Ski Stretches
Be sure to get your quads and trunk stretched out as described above! Add in, hamstrings: standing, cross legs and fold at the waist feeling a nice stretch in the back legs hamstring. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.
Lastly, deep hip rotators. Sitting, cross one ankle over the other knee and sit up, slightly bend forward for a deep hip stretch. If you have access to a foam roller roll out your glutes, front and back of the legs, and calves. Enjoy a nice hot tub or hot springs après ski with friends and as always, remember to hydrate properly!