Fit For The Slopes

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Week One

If it’s raining in the city, it’s snowing on the mountains! Can’t you feel it now…the speed, the adrenaline, the powder, the wind rushing through your hair, the crisp chill to the air, the majestic mountains!

Since skiing and snowboarding are such a blast, most of us forget that they are both very intense sports requiring musculo-skeletal strength and endurance, cardiovascular fitness, power, flexibility, balance, coordination and agility. All the twisting, jumping, and bashing through the bumps can lead to injuries if your body isn’t ready for it – besides if you’re not fit, you may risk an embarrassing performance!


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Well this year is going to be different. No longer will you be forced to suffer the humiliation of holding up the rear!  Say good-bye to all those post-ski aches and pains. This year you’re setting the pace – let’s just see if your friends can keep up to you!

We will be reviewing a weekly program to condition your lower body and torso, develop your balance, agility, power and speed and improve your flexibility. Now all you have to do is follow it!

Here’s some basic guidelines:

Begin each of your workouts with a dynamic 6-12 minute warm-up.

The purpose of this component of the workout is to increase your body temperature and prepare your muscles and joints for the demands of the upcoming workout. This could include walking, light cycling, or easy stair-climbing.

When performing this sports specific workout, you will quickly move from one exercise to the next and you will only need to perform 1 set of each exercise. Each week, we will add a new set of exercises to challenge your bodies. By the end of the program, you will have learned and practices a variety of new sport specific moves. There will also be an apres-ski stretch at the end of each week’s program that can be performed at a pub or restaurant so by the end of the program, you will have a full stretching routine that you can perform at the end of the day.

Perform the following program 2x/week maximum on non-consecutive days:

In addition to the following program, you should also include some longer and slower aerobic workouts like running, stair-climbing, power-walking or cycling.

This sport specific program will involve a lot of very intense and high-impact movements. Please feel free to omit or modify any of the movements by removing any jumping or movement patterns that do not feel comfortable to you.

I tried to keep the equipment requirements as minimal as possible.

You will require the following:

Step (sturdy box or crate will do)

Skipping rope

Cones (any kind of prop will do)

Medicine ball (purchased in the sports department or any sporting retailer)

Be sure to set your posture before each exercise. This means engaging your abdominals and keeping them strong and active, keeping your shoulders back and your chest up and out and maintaining neutral back positioning.  Then you can start the exercise.


Lower Body: Knee Dips + Lunge

Stand on one leg (on the floor or on your step for a greater balance challenge). Set your posture and keep your knee-cap facing forwards and your weight distributed on all 4 corners of your foot. Slowly bend your supporting leg so that your front leg dips down in front of your step a few inches. Now slowly extend back upwards and then take the unsupported leg and lunge it backwards behind the step until the knee of the front leg is at 90 degrees. During the backwards lunge motion, remember to keep your body-weight on the front leg. Slowly lift back to the starting position. Perform 13-20 reps each leg.


Agility: Lateral Agility Drill

Position 2 cones or props a few feet apart. Now quickly step laterally to the outside of one cone and back to the outside of the other touching down towards the floor on each end. Try to go as fast as you possibly can. Continue for 30 seconds.

 


Upper Body + Torso:  1 Legged Push-Ups

Get into push-up position with your arms positioned on your step and a little wider than shoulder width apart. Support your body weight on your 2 hands and one foot. The other leg is straight and extended in the air. Keeping your abdominals contracted and maintaining perfect posture, slowly lower into push-up position. Perform 10 reps on each foot. Note: If you are just getting started with pushups, keep both feet in contact with the ground.


Flexibility: Apres-Ski Back Stretch

Sit in a chair with perfect upright posture and abdominals contracted.  Now slowly rotate in one direction and hold.  Repeat to the other side.


Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan


 

Join us for the Couve Clover Run (3, 7 & 10 Miles) March 22nd, 2020!

RUN, GIVE BACK & PARTY AT MAIN EVENT AND OTHER DOWNTOWN PUBS!
Join us for the 6th Annual Couve Clover Run and celebrate in your festive green while running or walking 3, 7 or 10 miles along an extremely fast and scenic course to support local charities! We will make you earn your post-event party but it will be off the charts hosted by Main Event and other downtown Vancouver Pubs & Breweries.

 


 

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