Off season exersises to reduce injury during the ski season

[Wish]

I wish I had a bunch to share but not the case. Basically thought it would go allong with the supliment thread. Good ideas and thoughts there. As I'm getting older, I find it harder to recover and would like to prevent injury in the first place. Shoulders, elbows, lower back, ankles, neck and anything else that gets hurt often in our sport. So bring on the ideas, concepts, spacifics and philosophies. Anything that can help us all learn.

[The_MS]

@Wish wait until M4 and it will really change. I do lots of floor work. Push ups, pull ups, standing lunges, lots of 1 leg balance moves with ski handle and roman chair ab work. I play hockey all winter to keep the cardio up and it also helps keep me limber.

Since I have added a good pull up routine, my elbow problems have went away. Squats and lunges help the lower back and it takes me until now to get my back feeling better from the season. If I had the cash, I would get a good rowing machine.

[gregy]

I bought a rowing machine 2 weeks ago. My lower back is feeling better already. Found it on craigslist.

[tfriess]

why is the rowing machine so good?

[gregy]

Works legs, back, and arms at same time. Plus cardio

[Razorskier1]

Both @MS and myself hit the big 50 this year. By the end of ski season I always have a list of troubled areas -- shoulders, lats, knees, back, neck, etc. As soon as I'm done skiing for the season I just go to the gym and do the things that I know help for each of those areas. Lots of stabilizing exercises for shoulders and knees. Lengthening and strengthening for pretty much everything else.

[Skoot1123]

@wish - from my limited experience, there has to be a balance of strength routine with the stretching/limberness routing. In my mind there are two things that do this: Yoga and foam rolling. Yoga is self explanatory, but the foam rolling is like getting a deep tissue massage (if done properly). I have found that increasing my flexibility has reduced injury and soreness because my muscles now have the ability to stretch more. The great falls and spills we experience in slalom contort our bodies in strange ways (and very quickly). When our bodies are prepared to absorb/move in crazy ways the less it will hurt and/or strain something.

[RichardDoane]

flexibility is also key to my survival, I think it was @Rich who is also a big supporter of yoga

[Jody_Seal]

I just ordered 4 cords of fire wood and 40 yards of snow! If it was good enough for Rocky it is good enough for me!

On with the new season!!!!

[gump]

don't drink water only beers !!! (lol).

what is favorite baller's beer?

 

[jimbrake]

@MS - what's your pull up routine? Just a s--t ton of them or some sort of variation? I like pull ups too as a skiing exercise. I do a combo pullup, pushup, crunch routine followed by wind sprints that is quick but effective (it hurts).

[Brady]

@MS HOCKEY????????? Are you friggin kidding me????? The title of this thread is activities to "reduce" injuries during the ski season. I don't know what kind of hockey you play, but I go see the Grizzlies every chance I get and it is violent as hell!!!!!

 

That is akin to just getting home from a tour in Afghanistan and saying, I am going to go hang in Iraq so I can be safe!!

 

Dude, you are a crazy man!!!

 

Quick side note, I had a buddy who played hockey and I was telling him I could kick his ass on the ice, so he slapped a pair of skates on me and we went out on the ice to have a fight and the first punch I threw, I completely lost my balance and fell right on my ass, and he beat the shit out of me!! Those guys are crazy!!!!

[The_MS]

@Razor You must be a young 50 because I lost the urge to ski late season last fall and you are still hitting it hard.

@jimbrake Sounds like we are close in routine. I just try to do 3-4 sets of as many as I can and I mix up my grip width and front/back. The last 2 sets are tough if I mix in curls, dips and push ups. on my non hockey days, I will do wind sprints on the bike, pedal brisk for 2 minutes and then very hard for 30 seconds. Can hardly walk when you get off the seat. The only weights I lift are curls, squats and bench. I mix it up with the upper body dumbbells frequently. Hot tub and a Summit IPA.

@Brady I play girl hockey (No Checking) even though there are still guys in there 40s that think they are playing for the Stanley Cup. You just have to stay clear of those guys. Hockey is one of those sports where you never know who can skate by looking at them in street cloths. You get some @Horton looking guys that you laugh at in the locker room and then they go out and take it to you on the ice.

 

[Andy]

Hi guys. Long time reader, first time poster. I use free weights and dumb bells . I'm 52 and find the more exercise I get the better I feel. I focus on range of motion in everything pushing and pulling. Technique is important to avoid injury. I push one day, pull the next, legs and bike the 3rd day.

[RichardDoane]

@andy - welcome to the BOS, how's it feel to not be a lurker anymore ?

[A_B]

Well don't use basketball. My knee swelled up like it is on Viagra. Waiting for swelling to go down and hoping it is only inflamed arthritis. Should have learned my lesson when I tore my other knee's meniscus last year. Figured I would just take it easy and get some exercise.

[Skoot1123]

@brady and @MS - Hockey is critical to keep the strength and cardio up in the offseason!! I too play hockey, the "wimpy" kind where it is no checking. Believe it or not it also helps with the hand/eye coordination as well. (P90X2 REALLY helped with hand/eye coordination)

[jedgell]

Try to do Yoga at least once a week, I've been doing the P90X Yoga. It's a good workout and has made a huge difference in keeping my back feeling good during the season. Also getting into Crossfit, great whole body workout. It's a nice change from doing the same routine at the gym.

[BobF]

I recommend any good core strength and flexibility program.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Core-Performance-Revolutionary-Workout-Transform/dp/1594861684

 

Started using this program in the off season a few years ago and it de-olded me a bit. Also solved some nagging lower back issues that I'd had for a long time.

[Razorskier1]

@MS -- I'm getting old -- trust me. More aches and pains at the end of this season than I've ever had. Working on getting things right again in the gym. Mostly joints -- shoulders, knees, elbows. Still, my power is OK. Did four sets of four reps at 305 on the bench last Saturday (will go to 315 this week) and on Sunday did a set of 20 reps with 900lbs on the leg press. Could this be why my joints hurt???

[Than_Bogan]

I'd end up shorter than Horton if I tried to leg press 900 lbs. But I'd have a better shot at that than benching 315...

[The_MS]

@Razor I am not in your league but I lifted to heavy last winter and came out with back issues.This year I am moving to light weights and lots of reps but mainly staying away from weights and working on core. 900lbs is like leg pressing a Nautique.

[crashman]

I've been liking the TRX system- seems like I can do some stability exercises with it that are hard to duplicate with other equipment

[Klundell]

Developing the posterior chain of muscles (hams, gluts, erectors) is key to our sport. This is the group that is going to prevent you from getting broken when you take that big hit from the boat. Movements like deep (below parallel) squats, deadlifts, back extensions, reverse hypers, and my all time favorite the power clean (because it is a dynamic lift... more like waterskiing) will help develop this posterior chain and make you a more powerful skier and less prone to injury. Pull ups and dips are a great accessory movement to work in as well as some ab stuff.

[swerv_6]

Live in S. Florida. so I get to ski all year. Cycling is my cardio and legs, also use resistance bands. They dont take up as much room as free weights. PERFECT PUSHUP has a pretty good three week workout to give us a break from all the pulling motion.

[Klundell]

Oh and I agree with the all of the rowing comments above. Best cardio you can do!

[rayn]

Totally agree with @klundell. Most of the training I do with Jenny Labaw is around the posterior chain.

[Andy]

@Richard. Thanks the welcome. I'm learning quite a bit from you guys.

[tsixam]

My only workout this off-season is crossfit. After only two month I am much stronger and much more overall fit.

Tsixam

[ForrestGump]

Crossfit for me too in the off-season.

[Texas6]

Jenny LaBaw here as well...two years and going strong...she's as good as it gets and at 39 I've never felt better. I've lifted and run participated in numerous triathlons, etc etc, but NOTHING got me in better shape for this sport quite like Jenny's workouts have. And I have reduced injury and eliminated tendinitis issues in the process. Hopefully this endorsement gets me my next month free:). Jk

[rayn]

Is there a subset of ballers called Labaw-ers. I am feeling a cult like following that is well deserved.

[Texas6]

@Rayn, I have referred to her before as Jenny LaBaw-Breaker but Jenny La-Baller has a nice ring to it

[GAJ0004]

I have 4 different strength training circuits that I do. Two different ones each week. The rest of the time I do cardio since I am trying to get leaner. I have the genetics to be a bodybuilder more than a water skier. The second half of the off season I will cut back to 1 day a week on strength training, and then add more cardio. When I was at my first Midwest Regionals and seeing my competition in slalom, and tricks it really made me feel like a total lard-ass...

[SkiJay]

I have to give a shout-out here to Karyn Harpell-Eade as an elite-level personal trainer at NTC in the Orlando/Clermont region in Florida. Karyn TOTALLY gets water skiing and water skiers and what we need for strength, balance, and movement. She is a masterful trainer who works with many of the pros, and you can work with her for an hour or on a schedule. Either way, you will come away knowing what YOU need to do most for your ski conditioning. If you want to get the most out of your plan to ski in central Florida this winter, contact Karyn at: karyn.harpell@orlandohealth.com

 

Update: I saw Karyn's husband, Kyle (Kiwi) Eade, walking on a treadmill at the National Training Center last week. Kyle is a medical miracle having come this far from his paralyzing jump crash a couple of years ago in New Zealand. The Eades are inspiration personified.

[ForrestGump]

6 Crossfit workouts in 5 days this week. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty wiped out now.

[rotb35]

Nothing, get some rest. Pick up the weights 6 weeks before you're in the water.

[skibug]

Kettle bells, cardio, balance board, body weight lifts - push ups, pull ups, Ab Ripper X (11 excersizes, about 20 mins, about 300 reps total)