What to do when you need to be Ski fit in 6 weeks

When you have that one precious week a year to ski, it is even more important to get your body ready for it because you don’t want to be on the sofa after over doing it on your first day out and now nurse a broken something for the rest of your week.  No fun, experience says.
 
Being ski fit will give you confidence to pick up where you finished on your last ski trip and not take you the whole week to make progress.  Here are some doable exercise to get your started from the Body Works Clinic. http://www.thebodyworksclinic.com/getting-ski-fit-how-to-avoid-injuries-on-the-slopes/

Aim for 3 sets of each exercise, three times a week. Try and do a couple of cardio sessions a week too for stamina.

Heel Drops to Prepare Your Legs.
This move strengthens your calves, glutes and ankles.

Stand with your heels hanging off the the edge of a step
Lower your heels until you can feel a stretch in your calves. Hold onto something if you need to
Pull your bellybutton in.
Lift your heels up as high as you can, your heels should be higher than your toes.
Lower back down to the start position for 1.
Do 15 reps
Lateral Towel Jump for ski fitness
You do not need to go this high for this exercise to be effective!

Lateral Jumps for Faster Reactions
This helps you learn to keep your feet apart letting your legs do the work while keeping your upper body stable.

Get a rolled up towel and place it on the floor
Stand with feet hip width apart next to the towel
Jump from one side of the towel to the other as fast as you can
Keep your feet hip width apart (that’s the tricky bit!)
Make sure you land with your weight on both feet.
Do this for 1 minute

Crossover Lunge for Ski fitnessCrossover Lunge for Injury Prevention
This helps prevent falls by building stable joints.

Stand with your weight on your left leg.
Bend your left knee as deeply as you can while pushing your right leg behind and to your left.
Keep the right leg straight
Keep your chest and shoulder UP and facing forward.
Tap your right toe to the floor
Breathing out, push through your left heel as you stand up to complete.
Repeat 15 times then switch legs.
Side lunges for ski fitnessSide Lunges for Smooth Turns

Build strength in your legs for quick weight shifts on the slopes.
Stand with feet wide apart
Bend your left knee, keeping your right leg straight.
Transfer your weight over so that your right knee is bent and your left leg is straight.
Keep your back straight and your chin up
Keep your belly button in
Repeat 20 times
 

Squats to Avoid Thigh Burn
Stretching your thighs and stabilising your pelvis will boost your endurance and technique.

Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width and knees slightly bent.
Squat down as far as comfortable.
Clench your buttocks to push yourself back up.
Remember to always keep your chest and eyes UP so you are using thighs and buttocks.
Toes slightly out (if you have stiff ankles) or feet straight – both are fine”
Repeat 15 times.