Don’t let the bowls of fresh gazpacho fool you: Ski season is bearing down.
You can laze around for the rest of the summer (you have three more weeks). Your physical exertions through Thanksgiving may not extend much beyond dragging a rake across a leaf-blanketed lawn.
And when you hit the slopes? Good luck.
Robert Glowczewsky, 45, doesn’t think much of luck.
The telecommunications executive stays in shape all year, but in August he starts getting ready for ski season.
He’s not a pro, but he does take the sport seriously, spending vacation time and most weekends on the slopes or the snowy backcountry.
We asked Glowczewsky how he prepares for his favorite sport.
“Weekend warriors like me, I want to get my money’s worth. I want to be able to ski all day, every day I’m out there, in all conditions. So I crank up the training. I was out riding my mountain bike the other day, and all I could think about was skiing.”
Q: You think about skiing when you are mountain biking?
A: You have to prepare for ski season. You have to prepare for ski conditioning classes. I have a system. In August and September, you are building the base. You do lots of cardio. Running. Cycling. Anything that elevates the heart rate. That will get you ready for ski conditioning classes, which I recommend.
Q: Are classes necessary?
A: Nope. But training hard is. In October and November, I do two or three days a week of very heavy weights, to build up the quads. So lots of squats with heavy weight. Any exercise that builds up the legs. And I keep up the cardio, of course.
Q: What is important, other than legs?
A: The core. It is essential. Start really working the abdominals in September and October, and keep at it through the season. Do sit-ups and the other exercises that work stomach muscles. I do core four days a week.
Q: Anything for balance? That’s a big part of skiing.
A: Absolutely. I do a ton of plyometrics in November and December. Plyometric exercises help with balance, but they also build explosive strength in the right places — vital for skiing. So you might just stand with your chest facing forward, while leaping back and forth over a cone. Jumping rope is plyometrics. It’s a lot of hopping and jumping. You can go into the foothills and just leap from rock to rock — that’s plyometrics.
Q: Do you think just a general gym routine works?
A: It’s better than nothing, but I recommend sport-specific training. For skiing, that means you concentrate on the legs and core. You do a lot of plyometrics. I just take the cardiovascular work for granted — you need to do that to prepare for any sport.
Q: Do you work out during the ski season?
A: I take Fridays off. Or if I’m skiing Friday and making it a long weekend, I’ll take Thursday off. Skiing is hard work, and I like my body to be a bit rested before a ski weekend.
Q: You have been doing this regimen for four years. Has it made a difference?
A: I’m much stronger, much better able to attack the mountain all day. My buddies who get injured are out of their comfort zone — they hit deep snow, or an icy patch. That’s when your knees, thighs and core have got to be ready.
Douglas Brown: 303-954-1395 or djbrown@denverpost.com
