Exercise routine for slalom in off season

[blinddog]

Anybody got a good workout routine for the off season that seems to be beneficial for slalom skiers? I usually don't do much in the winter and it takes me most of the ski season to get back in shape to run more than one set. It's usually too cold here in Ky to do much outside until March and I have plenty of gym equipment (Nautilus NS300 weight machine, treadmill, recumbent bike, elliptical machine), I just don't know the best routine to keep me in decent slalom shape.

[GAJ0004]

P90x and Insanity workouts. The company that makes them has a hybrid schedule for the two workouts. They are better than any workout than I ever got at the gym.

[LeonL]

Hey Jim, concentrate on core exercises with emphasis on the back. Toss in a good dose of aerobics and you'll be good. But you can't ignore the advantages of full body weight training. Get a routine that hits all muscle groups.

[jhughes]

Crossfit has absolutely transformed my spring ski readiness factor. Before, even in my 20's, the first few skis in the spring would DESTROY my body. Now I might have just the mildest soreness after that first set, if anything. The formula is simple: in skiing you manage a load with your hands that meets the water at your feet, all the way at the opposite end of your body. Everything in between has to be in top shape to manage that and that is most of the lifts used in the CF programming. All the oly lifting, for example. Rowing, pullups, muscle-ups, etc. all hit heavy back and lat areas used in skiing on top of that.

[bishop8950]

What @jhughes said. I have seen crossfit transform skiers. My wife went from barely being able to get up 6x in a row at the end of a season to nearly setting a PB in her first ride the very next spring have only done crossfit over the winter. And she was not sore.

 

I would bet other dynamic programs like P90x would be great as well but I have less experience.

 

Regarding specific movements, I think cleans, deadlifts, rowing and pull ups are huge for ski fitness. But most people don't get how much it helps to strengthen everything you don't need to hold the load from the boat. It will stabilize you, reduce movement and lowers risk of injury.

 

It's personal though, figure out what works for you. Next season I am going to hit crossfit all Sumer and lower my number of rides per week from 8 to around 6. It's an experiment. But last season I skied my best in that routine and when I stopped the gym and just skied more my scores slowly went down.

[epnault]

I am doing the branded crossfire now since September last year. Before this I was doing HIIT workouts that were all body movement without weights. I had the endurance before but I had not realized how weak I had become until I started crossfit. What you find is your strength will increase and movement are very similar to what your body needs to do while in the course. I can't comment on the results on the ski until spring but my stats prove I am getting stronger and stronger each week.

[lpskier]

While I haven't done crossfit personally, I know many friends that do it and love it. You need to be a bit cautious though as there seems to be a larger percentage of injuries in crossfit than in, say P90X, which I also don't do. While I now live in Orlando and work out with a trainer, when I lived in the remote reaches of NY, @bkreis designed monthly workouts and sent them to me via the Internet. He was always available for questions, encouragement, etc. I always started the season in great shape and I never got hurt. Just a thought.

[bkreis]

Thanks @lpskier , I love working with skiers! Anyone interested may message me.

[Wish]

A fun cross training winter sport is indoor rock climbing/boldering. It will hit you HARD in all the right places. Grip/core/legs/ankles/back/ And like skiing once you start up that wall (enter the course) stopping is not an option and even though you are harnessed in, it is not an option to fall off the wall in ones head (crash in the water). Similar adrenaline rush.

[bishop8950]

2nd that for rock climbing. Super fun as well.

[jjackkrash]

Deadlifts, squats, pullups and overhead press. Then toss in some heavy farmers carries and 40 yard prowler sprints.

[sunvalleylaw]

I am interested in cross fit but blew a lower back disc a few years ago. Some of the exercises make me concerned I would re-injure myself. Any input on that?

[RazorRoss3]

If you do the lifts right before pushing weight you won't get hurt. If you try to push weight before you have the technique right you will get hurt. Very similar to skiing.

 

The crossfit movements and great for functional strength and day to day mobility and if done correctly will almost certainly make you a better skier. They will also help keep the winter weight off which will also make you a better skier.

[auskier]

Getting hurt doing crossfit is not any higher probability than doing something you shouldnt do skiing. Going for that one extra rep, when you are fatigued and you are compromising on good technique when you probably should rest, is no different to getting in an eye peeling lean lock out of 5 ball on your hardest pass. You know you sure as hell should have popped the handle before the white water, but you held on anyway and that trough off the second wake is going to eat you and send you supermaning to 6 ball in a 'ball of spray'.. see what I did there..

[Steven_Haines]

Snow skiing and beer!

[cragginshred]

Winter water skiing, climbing outdoors 90% of the year. This winter however I have spent the past 3 weeks off real rock due to the monster storms coming through California. Also Mt biking and core routines in the PT clinic at work.

 

In the Cali foothills of Sonora we enjoy a typically mild winter and the cliffs sit above the valley fog and below the snow so folks travel from all over to climb here in the winter!

[sodbuster88]

Crawling around, in and on an f-body winter rebuild will keep you limber, calloused and mentally strong!!!!

[RichardDoane]

crossfit and weights are great, but don't forget the flexibility and core improvement that comes with a yoga practice

[brettmainer]

Cross fit is hard work. Makes you sweat and can give you callouses.

Suggest 12oz curls.

When feeling strong, up the weight and lower the reps and do 22oz curls. If money is tight and biceps are strong, 40oz curls are a a possibility.

[Razorskier1]

variety. Also, do as many things that (a) require full body strength and (b) offer some assymetry. For example, if you use dumbbells to do things like lat raises or curls, do only one side at a time and don't hold an offsetting weight. This forces you to balance and use your core. If you want to make it better still, stand on one leg, or stand on one leg on a bosu ball. That throws balance into the mix in addition to core plus the main exercise you are doing. Try to make sure all of your exercises engage multiple parts and movements. Try to avoid sitting on a machine doing any exercise -- great for muscle isolation and perhaps rehab, but not very applicable to skiing.

 

A new one I just picked up is the 'Jefferson Deadlift". Look it up -- too hard to explain!

[lpskier]

Tele skiing is also a big part of my winter "legs" workout. Just got home from five days hitting the western gym.

[Joeprunc]

@lpskier I couldn't agree more, I also mix in motocross.

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

@RichardDoane Agree 150% I started yoga last summer, I try to focus on my core more than anything. Also stretching and strengthening the muscles around my hips, since they take such abuse during the season

[Alakey]

At home I have only elliptical machine, but I`m visiting a gym every 3 days

[h2oSkiJunkie]

Reading this thread, I feel like I've tried it all. I'm always looking for what can give me an offseason edge. Being a Virginian, I'm usually off the water entirely for over three months. Trying to come back stronger for the next season motivates me every year. After years of torturing myself with different regiments, I have found the most important thing is to do SOMETHING. In the original post, @blinddog said "I don't usually do much in the winter." Transitioning from not much to a crossfit addiction or the p90x/insanity blend is probably unlikely, and possibly unhelpful, unless you have a burning passion for peak fitness.

 

I have found that the key is to identify the types of recreational and physical activities that you really enjoy or think you might really enjoy. If you enjoy something you will stick with it. For some it is joining a pool and swimming laps. Others take up running or rock climbing.

 

For me, Yoga has been BY FAR the most beneficial off-water practice both during the ski season and offseason. Most skiers lack the hip mobility, balance and core strength to perform optimally. Yoga will change that, while also significantly decreasing your risk for injury and improving your focus. I have been a pro skier for nearly 10 years now. I have never been hurt once from skiing during that time, and I'm proud to say that I have not taken a single Advil/Alieve or the like in that time. That's from the guy who is known for taking the worst hits on the pro tour...

 

Here are the other things I ENJOY doing in the offseason to improve my fitness: Hiking, Running, Riding my bike, playing tennis, little body weight circuits (push ups, sit ups, pull ups, lunges, squats, planks), climbing trees, slack lining, I have a battle rope, tractor tire and sledge hammer in the yard to play with, lifting free weights (yes I pop in the p90x videos from time to time, when I want to hang with Tony Horton). Then when I can I love to snowski/board or surf.

 

Nothing is going to take away early season soreness - NOTHING. The key is to be as healthy and fit as possible when that time comes. What you eat will also largely determine how bad the soreness is and how long it lasts. More sugar = more sore, anti-inflamatory foods = less sore. Find something fun this offseason. If you can make a couple hours in your day in the summer to go skiing, you can make a couple hours in your winter days for some other recreation that you enjoy. Lately, I've been calling that time "recess". Instead of telling myself "you must workout for the next hour" I've been giving myself two hours of "recess" to just go outside and move my body. Is that as fun as skiing? No (well, arguably better than the frustrating sets that make you question your self worth, but nothing like the typical ecstasy).

 

If it's peak condition that you are after, I'd get in touch with @bkreis

[bbruzzese]

Kettlebells are also a great tool...swings, cleans and deadlifts etc. Work all the right muscle groups including grip and can be done in a relatively small space.

[david_quail]

Very good points made by all. Somehow I feel wrong if I allow a thread like this go by without giving, based on my own experiences with various training programs, a thumbs up to CrossFit (as others have done as well).

 

Nothing will prevent you from being stiff after your first day back on the water. Nothing. But if the relevant muscles are in shape (via CrossFit or other) it’s days rather than weeks of stiffness. But more than that, you’ll have the strength to carry you through the season performing better, and with a lower risk of injury.

 

Kettlebells, core, pull ups, Olympic lifts, deadlifts, high intensity intervals, farmer carries, sled pushes all translate to slalom well, and incidentally are all emphasized in CrossFit. If you have the time and money, it’s way more enjoyable to do these in a competitive group setting, than making your own workouts up and then throwing weights around in your garage/local gym by yourself. Slalomers seem to be the type of people who thrive obsessively in competitive environments so I reckon many would enjoy this type of exercise setting

 

Apologies for sounding like an infomercial :\

 

[ktm300]

About 10 years ago, Brian Kreis helped me for a little over a year. Those workouts have been the foundation for me ever since with some variation. The more I learned over the years, the more I recognized the wisdom and knowledge in the workouts he created. Really A+ stuff.

[bkreis]

@ktm300 thx, and glad the knowledge kept itself going!!!!

[lpskier]

If you don’t have in person access to a well qualified water ski specific trainer, @bkreis is your best option.

 

Define “well qualified?” If he or she trained Andy Mapple for ten or more years at his peak.

[dave2ball]

If you go to SpartanTraining.com this web site will give you the spartan training that is functional for slalom. It uses free weights and is a circuit work out. And it’s free.

They send you a week of workouts every Monday. Like anything else you get out of it what you put into it.

[vtmecheng]

In the end, skiing is a physical sport. Anything is better than nothing. Anaerobic is better than aerobic since skiing is a burst sport, doesn't take long to get through 6. So that leaves us to full on weight lifting for sports, which is considerably different from lifting for mass or cut. The reps, sets, and rest times need to change for sports strength where you don't just gain weight. There are plenty of books and websites out there that will likely work. I'm partial to the book "The New Rules Of Lifting." As the always been thin guy it was the only routine that really got me to build muscle.