With us being smack bang in the middle of ski season, here are our five best exercises to give you maximum performance on the slopes and to stimulate those muscle you need to avoid injury.

1-minute intervals of side-to-side Jumps

Skiing involves a lot of side to side weight shifting moves, a great exercise to mimic this type of movement is side-to-side jumps. Not only will this strengthen the muscles in the legs, it is also a great cardiovascular exercise. The exercise is performed by Jumping from side to side and landing onto one leg (the leg of the side you are jumping towards) Try this for 3 sets of 1 minute intervals with 1minute rest between sets.

Isometric wall sit on one leg

You will need a mixture of leg strength and balance when skiing, so with that in mind, a good exercise you can try, is a wall sit (squat), but try this standing only on one leg, with the other leg lifted up off the ground, hold this for 30 seconds and then change leg. This can also be done with a Swiss ball behind your back, repeat this 3 times.

Stiff leg dead lift

It is important to strengthen both sides of your body, so it is a good idea to follow your quad exercises with a hamstring exercise. This will eliminate injuries and increase balance and stability. To perform this exercise, stand on one leg, keeping your knee slightly bent, extend your free leg back ensuring that you bend from the hip. Continue to lower your body until your torso is parallel to the floor. You can use a wall to help you with you balance if need be. Perform this exercise 3 times for 10-12 reps on each leg.

Russian twist

For this exercise you will need either a weight or a medicine ball. This will target the oblique’s and work the core muscles, which will be put under a lot of stress when skiing due to all the twisting and turning. To perform this exercise, sit on the floor leaning back to create tension in the abs and core, with either heels dug into the ground or for more advanced levels, feet raised up off the ground with knees bent, hold onto a medicine ball and twist from side to side. Aim to touch the floor either side of your hips. Do 30-40 seconds 3 times.


Squat Jumps

To finish off the workout try 3 sets of 30 second squat jumps with 15-30 seconds rest in between sets. This exercise works all the major muscles in the legs, will also give you a cardiovascular workout, if you’re an advanced skier and thinking of tackling any jumps then this exercise will help build the core leg power needed. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, perform a squat, then engage your core and jump up explosively. When landing, lower your body back to a squat position, then repeat.
  
Hopefully this short workout will help prepare you for your skiing trip so that you get the most out of your holiday. Remember it is important to stretch after training to prevent injury, aid recovery and help keep you supple. Enjoy your holidays and be safe.