Ski season is upon us, and despite the pandemic, most ski resorts are open. As with any sport, a little preparation before skiing can improve performance and prevent injury. Houston Deck, the Park City, Utah-based athletic development coach for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard aerials and freeski teams, says even elite athletes start offseason training with basic functional movements.
“Whether it’s an aerialist dropping from 50 feet in the air or an alpine athlete racing downhill at over 80 miles per hour, we like to say, ‘Train the human, then the athlete,’ ” says Mr. Deck, age 26. “We evaluate how well they can skip, jump, sprint, crawl, squat, push, pull and hinge with their own body weight before we progress to higher intensities.”
Share Your Thoughts
How do you plan to keep fit this winter? Join the conversation below.
The first three exercises of this program can be done as a warm-up to a workout or before hitting the slopes. They focus on mobility, which is often confused with flexibility. “Flexibility is how well a muscle can lengthen,” he explains, while “mobility relates to the range of motion in a specific joint.” The goal of these exercises, he says, is to pinpoint areas of the body that may need more attention before or after training, such as a tight right hip.
The second part of the workout builds strength and power. Skiing is an eccentric-dominant activity, meaning muscles are lengthening to absorb force. But skiers also need concentric strength, which creates force as muscles shorten under tension. These exercises train both.
The Workout
Part One: Mobility Primer
90-90 Hips
Mr. Deck performs a 90-90 hip mobility drill.
Why: Anyone who sits for prolonged periods, whether in a car or behind a desk, likely has tight hips. This drill stretches the muscles in and around the hips, including the hip flexors, hip adductors and abductors, and glutes. The front leg’s position is similar to pigeon pose in yoga, while the back leg is in internal hip rotation.
How: Sit on the ground with your feet flat in front of you, roughly shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on the ground behind your hips for balance. Staying as upright as possible, take your gaze and shoulders to the right, letting the outside of the right leg and the inside of the left knee rest on the ground. Hold for three seconds before slowly shifting to the other side. Repeat in a slow windshield-wiper motion for 30 seconds.
Option: Hold your arms out in front of you for an added challenge.
Thoracic Spine Circle Draw
Mr. Deck doing a thoracic spine circle draw.
Why: Habits like talking on cellphones and hunching over laptops can lead to tightness in the thoracic spine, or middle back. Healthy thoracic mobility means we can turn our shoulders more freely, making it easier to turn a pair of skis or do a 360 while snowboarding.
How: Kneel in a lunge position beside a wall, with your right foot forward and your right leg pressed against the wall. Your left knee should be on the floor directly under your hip. Raise your right arm overhead and slowly reach back, tracing the face of a clock from 9 to 3 and back again. Take your gaze with you. While doing this, keep your left arm straight in front of you. Pretend your wrists are being pulled in opposite directions. Repeat 10 times on each side, then complete one or two more sets.
Core Rotate and Reach
Mr. Deck demonstrates a trunk activation drill his athletes use as part of their warm-up.
Why: “The trunk is designed to resist flexion, extension and rotation,” says Mr. Deck, “and this exercise tests your ability to do just that.”
How: Lie on your side and prop yourself up on your right forearm, with your left hand on your left hip and your left foot in front of your right. Press your left hip to the ceiling. Slowly rotate into a prone plank, reaching the left arm in front of you, before returning to the right side. Repeat five to 10 times, then switch to the other side. Complete two to three sets.
Option: If this is too challenging, rotate down to a forearm plank rather than extending the arm.
Part Two: Strength and Power
Squat Jump
Mr. Deck demonstrates a squat jump.
Why: When you ski, gravity takes you down the mountain and your muscles use eccentric strength to absorb that energy, especially on mogul runs. Squat jumps require explosive power to burst off the ground, but also build eccentric strength as your body absorbs the landing and sinks back down into a squat.
How: Stand tall with feet shoulder width apart and arms overhead. Bring your arms down and slightly behind the hips as you lower into a squat. Keep the chest up. Swing the arms forward and up as you explode off the ground. Try to land softly and with control in a squat position. Repeat six to 10 times on each side. Complete three to four sets.
Options: If you are a beginner, remove the jump and focus on perfecting the squat technique. When you’ve mastered the squat jump, hold a weight.
Lateral Lunge
Why: “This exercise combines strength and mobility,” says Mr. Deck, giving athletes an opportunity to train the same movement plane they experience with sharp turns.
How: Stand with your feet hip width apart. Your hands should be in front of you, fingertips touching. Extend your right foot out to the side. As your foot hits the ground, sink the hips back and down, keeping the chest up. Push powerfully off the right foot to return to start. Complete three to four sets of six to 10 reps on each side.
Options: For a challenge, hold a weight. To make this exercise easier, widen your stance and start with your hands by your sides. Bring the arms forward as you send the hips back and down, sinking your right knee into a side lunge. Keep the chest up. Return to the starting position and repeat six to 10 times. Switch sides.
Wall Sit
Why: Wall sits and similar isometric exercises simulate a skier’s crouched position. “An isometric contraction is when the muscle isn’t lengthening or shortening, but the tension stays constant,” Mr. Deck says. “This exercise tests your ability to handle time under tension.”
How: Stand with your back against a wall. Keep your feet shoulder width apart and squat until your knees are at 90-degree angles. Press down into your feet and engage the core as you hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds. Repeat three to four times.
Options: Beginners can squat at an angle above 90 degrees. For a challenge, try doing a wall sit on only one leg.
Climb the Ladder
Once you master the basic moves, try combining them for this workout called Climb the Ladder, which Mr. Deck uses to challenge his athletes:
2 lateral lunges
2 squat jumps
10-second isometric squat
4 lateral lunges
4 squat jumps
10-second isometric squat
6 lateral lunges
6 squat jumps
10-second isometric squat
Continue adding two reps each round for 10 minutes. Beginners can stop at six minutes. For an extra challenge, try 12 to 15 minutes.
What workout would you like to learn more about? Tell us at [email protected]
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
