1. Calves.
The skiing stance puts a lot of pressure on your calves to keep you upright, so work them out by doing standing calf raises or machine calf raises. This will ensure you build your calf strength and can ski with much less conscious effort.
2. Hamstrings.
Holding your body in the downhill skiing position puts a big strain on your hamstrings and glutes, which you use to keep yourself stable and upright. To work these muscles before hitting the slopes, try doing some deadlifts, or step-ups if you don’t own dumbbells.
3. Thighs.
Like the glutes and hamstrings, a major part of what the thighs do is stabilisation and balance. To do this they have to work excessively hard, so getting them whipped in to shape before you go gallivanting around the mountains is a must. Side lunges, squats, and leg lifts are all simple ways to the work the right muscles, and let you outski your friends.
4. Quadriceps.
The strain you put on your quads when you ski can be brutal if you’re not prepared, but just by getting used to a few sets of squats and lunges as regularly as possible, you’ll be in a much better position to take on the pistes.
5. Back.
An important muscles group that is all too often forgotten, your back will come under some serious strain from holding you in the downhill skier position. Some simple bicycle exercises will fortify your back muscles, as well as strengthening your abs and core.
The idea of skiing is to be fun, so don’t work out until you drop, just make sure you slot some of these exercises in to your daily routine. The earlier you start, the more action you’ll be able to handle before succumbing to the bars and spas.
