Get in shape for winter sports

It’s that time of year again! My heart’s beating faster, the snow cats have groomed the snow to create perfect slopes, just waiting for me to whizz down them. My skis are waxed, the slope’s empty and the sun’s shining. The only obstacle that could ruin my day - is myself - if I wasn’t properly prepared. But that’s not the case. I’m well prepared physically, so nothing is left to chance and I won’t have to give up after the third run down.

For this reason I’ll wind back a few weeks. At least four weeks before the first day’s skiing I start with my ski preparation programme. To get fit for skiing you only need to do a few simple exercises. These I do thoroughly on a regular basis. To be exact I do these exercises three to four times week. Basically it doesn’t matter what time of day you train, the main thing is you do it properly. I take a few minutes time in the afternoon or in the evening. Which leads us on to the main theme - you can join in too. So stand up and let’s get started J Top of the trainings plan is a short “warm-up” session. A 10-minute run, star jumps on the spot or a few stretch jumps are also okay. The main thing is you get warm and your body’s not completely surprised by the sudden physical effort. Then you’re ready to get fit for the slopes with the following exercises.

Exercise 1 (Downhill) squats – train the upper thigh muscles

The name says it all. Stand with your legs hip-width apart and bend your knees. Your upper body should be bent over as far as possible, so that it’s nearly touching your upper thighs – just likeHermann Maier. Now hold this position for as long as you can. Best find a partner and make a challenge out of it. Take a short break and repeat the exercise again twice.

Exercise 2 "Planking" (forearm push-up)

Now it’s time for the forearm push-up. Your back should be straight and you mustn’t let your best bits hang down. Tense your muscles from your toes to your forehead. The world record in planking is 8 hours and 1 minute. Challenge accepted?

Exercise 3 The Diver

Now you can lie down at last. Lay flat on your stomach and stretch your arms out in front of you. Now lift all extremities a little. That’s the starting position. Now raise your left arm and your right leg and hold this position for around 2 seconds. Lower these two limbs and return to the starting position, but not quite back to the ground. Now do the same with your other two limbs. Repeat this this exercise 20 times each side. So how did you get on? If you did okay then there’s nothing to stop you having fun on the slopes. You’ll certainly ski better and longer and with a lot less risk of injury. You can thank me later :)

Photo credits: Matthäus Dürager, Salzburger Sportwelt