抖阴ap

With ski and snowboarding season upon us, enjoying winter sports with minimum pain and suffering is the goal. So make your choice: Are you going to be a weekend warrior or weekend whiner?

Ski-conditioning classes help prepare the muscles and lungs for that first snowy run, but too many skiers think that once the classes are completed that they can maintain their fitness levels just by skiing or riding. Others who keep themselves at the ready with year-round exercise may slack off their regular workout routine during ski season. After all, a day on the slopes is exhausting. It just doesn’t seem like it would be necessary to keep exercising between frequent ski trips, does it?

Oops – you’re out of bounds. Those who don’t maintain their fitness level at the gym between ski trips often find themselves dealing with injuries resulting from the strain and stress put on a body that is actually losing conditioning as the season progresses.

For the untrained or undertrained athlete, the risk for injury when skiing increases, especially with pulled muscles, muscle cramps, joint injuries, heart attacks and other cardiac problems.

“Skiing only on the weekends is not enough to prevent injury, build strength and perform better,” says Stuart Wilson, owner of Champion Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, which has offices in Denver and Arvada. Training during the week, he says, builds muscle memory, increases strength, power and endurance, and makes you less prone to injury.

You can also think of it this way: Spending so much time and money on equipment, tickets and lessons while neglecting your physical condition is illogical, even dangerous.

With the evolution of shaped skis and boots with better lateral support and more flexibility, it’s easier to turn and stay on the slopes longer. Control becomes the issue. Up until about 10 years ago, skis were straight, and turns were accomplished by weighting and unweighting the body. Now more movements occur from the core area of the hips, lower back and abdominals.

In addition to the technological advances in equipment, bigger and faster chairlifts can whisk you to the top of the mountain faster, so you can increase the number of trails you used to ski or ride in a day.

Preseason conditioning

Ski and snowboard training involves three general areas, all built one upon the other: muscular strength and explosive power; cardiovascular and muscular endurance; and agility and balance. Skiing requires the body to work in all three planes of human movement – sagital (left and right), transverse (diagonal), frontal (forward and backward). It is tempting to focus ski training primarily by imitating these moves, often called “functional training.”

But without a good base of pure strength, the “functional” moves do not allow us to function nearly as well.

The U.S. Ski Team knows this. Its training season begins by developing basic strength, moves to maximal strength and power, and then evolves towards agility and functional movements. All winter sport enthusiasts should follow their example.

Neil Wolkodoff, a ski coach certified by the U.S. Ski Association, says a six-to-eight week ski-conditioning course should begin at 70-percent strength training and 30-percent functional training, transitioning to 30-percent strength and 70-percent functional by the end of the training period.

Strength is important because it helps fight the forces that come into play as you are turning and holding an arc while speeding down a hill, Wolkodoff says.

“Depending upon the terrain and your speed, you could be fighting up to four times your body weight in the turn,” he says. “This is why a good foundation of strength is required before all else.”

As general strength progresses to maximal strength, agility and functional movements can be mastered more easily and skillfully.

Core strength is crucial to skiing because the lower back, gluteus and abdominal muscles all are vital to the control needed with modern equipment.

“The ability of the back to maintain position as your spine is twisted in different directions against the hips and legs is paramount to core strength,” Wolkodoff says.

The need for balance and agility is a given for all skiers, especially if you have ever lost either when another skier crosses your path unexpectedly. This is where the core training really pays off, along with work on “proprioception,” a scientific term for knowing where you are in space and time. Improving your awareness and ability to respond quickly can mean the difference between enjoyment and injury.

Cardiovascular endurance is very important, especially at higher altitudes, because heart and lung conditioning means better endurance and mental alertness, both of which are essential for avoiding injury.

For skiers, this means training for the long runs, as well as for the short, intense moments. Again, with the quicker rides back up to the top of the mountain, recovery time is reduced.

Training to fight fatigue will make for a safer experience and better level of performance. Cardiovascular conditioning, both aerobic (where muscles are getting plenty of fuel during a period of nonstop activity) and anaerobic (which usually occurs during short, explosive bouts of activity) is important throughout the entire season, not just in the preseason.

Ski conditioning classes

Many fitness facilities offer snow-sports preparation classes. Options range from high tech to wild fun. Here are just a few examples of what is available around town:

SnowFit at RetroFit Personal Training (with Wolkodoff and Bill Corbett) has adopted the U.S. Ski Team paradigm of building strength first and then working on functional training.

In addition to all the normal equipment used by most gyms, SnowFit has such tools as whole body vibration using equipment made by PowerPlate and PneuVibe. These pieces are used by the U.S. Ski Team to help adapt to the vibrating conditions that occur on snowy and icy race courses. Agility and reaction are improved by using such reaction-time equipment as the Makoto. Additionally, they offer MAINTain, a program that works on maintaining abilities while reducing injuries. Classes are limited to five participants.

Colorado Athletic Clubs offer Ski Conditioning, a nine-week program that focuses on anaerobic endurance and power; and Ski and Snowboard, combining aerobic and anaerobic cardiovascular training, along with flexibility, stability and strength training. The classes are organized according to the demands of the specific club demographics and are sponsored by Gore-Tex. Class sizes run eight to 15 participants; class days and times will vary from club to club.

Denver Athletic Club has a class designed to mimic some of the training protocols utilized by U.S. Olympic and Ski teams. BOSU Sport (BOSU stands for “Both Sides Up”) uses the blue half dome that is part stability ball and part solid, flat platform. This piece of equipment is perfect for working on balance, core strength, proprioception and joint stability. The BOSU trains body and mind while integrating balance and cardiovascular training.

The DAC’s other class, Ski Fit, was developed by personal trainer David Mack. A progressive conditioning program, the class of eight to 10 people builds week by week in volume and intensity. The club also offers circuit training twice a week, with 15-25 people per class, through the end of February.

So whether you design your own program or take a class at a gym, get in prime shape for the snow, and stay there for the season.

PRESEASON CONDITIONING

Strength training: Two to three times a week

Skiing and snowboarding requires strong quadriceps, hamstring, gluteus and calf muscles. But the muscles of the back (particularly the lower back), abdominals, shoulders, and arms are also involved. Core strength is a must in order to maintain balance and agility. The following are good exercises to perform in order to get a good strength base to build upon.