Uphill battle to go downhill

It will take some doing to get ready to ski, snowboard

Brian Metzler, Special to the News

Published October 28, 2006 at midnight

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In case you haven't looked out your windows at the snow or driven west on Interstate 70 lately, it's pretty apparent that ski and snowboard season is here. Arapahoe Basin and Loveland ski areas have been open for two weeks, and more resorts will be opening soon.

Are you ready to hit the slopes? Or have you been a relative couch potato since summer ended? If you're not in tiptop shape to tear through a bump line or carve deep power, you're not alone. Don't worry, you've got time, but you're going to have to make it hurt.

"If you can give yourself 30 days, that's more than most people, so take advantage of it," said Leah Garcia, a Boulder- based personal trainer. "The key is to have some intensity built into your workouts that build muscles you use skiing and snowboarding. You're looking to kind of shock your system so after about 30 days you'll start to feel spunky."

But, Garcia warns, start slow so you don't injure yourself. Starting with 10 to 15 minutes of workouts a couple of times a week and increasing to 60 minutes after 30 days can be a good starting point. Many gyms and public recreation centers offer specific ski and snowboard training classes.

Denver Athletic Club strength and conditioning coach Jon Berdanier said the twice-a-week ski conditioning classes he oversees have been bursting at the seams thanks to the early snow. The core of the 60-minute class is 15- to 20- minute circuits of intense, short-burst workouts.

"There are a lot of people who I've never seen in the gym before coming up to me and asking me about the class," Berdanier said. "They say, 'OK, it's been snowing and I realize I'm out of shape, so what can I do?' And I tell them that working out two to three times a week can make a big difference."

Garcia and Berdanier recommend focusing on building explosive power, balance and core strength this time of year. That can be done in a variety of ways, but the key is doing the workouts with regularity. Deep lunges, squat presses and one- legged jumping are several ways to condition your legs for the impacts of skiing.

Trail running on hilly terrain, and climbing aboard a bike, also can help build explosive power, Garcia said.

"Riding on the flats is cold this time of year, so you might as well ride hills anyway," Garcia said. "Basically, anything you can do to work on the hamstrings and glutes is a good thing for ski and snowboard fitness, and trail running and cycling can also add to your base aerobic fitness, too."

Working on balance helps a skier or snowboarder develop specific muscles and a sense of body awareness necessary for the dynamic movements on the slopes, Berdanier said. He puts his class participants on a Bosu ball, a large, half-sphere plastic fitness ball that helps build strength and coordination. Balance also can be honed through one-legged lunges, running or hiking downhill on technical trails, and a variety of yoga exercises.

Building core strength, specifically abdominal and lower back muscles, will help a skier or snowboarder "put it all together" on the hill and avoid the overuse of leg muscles as the body starts to fatigue. Sit-ups, leg raises, fitness ball exercises, yoga and Pilates workouts are among the many ways to build core strength.

Ultimately by the end of a 30- day period, a skier or snowboarder who has gone through a consistent training program, either on their own or at a gym, will build what Berdanier calls power endurance, or the ability to do tolerate intense muscle movements for long periods of time.

"In our class, there are some people who are pooped halfway through," Berdanier said. "That's understandable, but do you want to be done at 11 on the first powder day? That's not what we want at all, so it's a good reason to keep training."

Key points

10-15 minutes a couple of times a week should be the goal to start with for getting into "ski shape." Work up to 60 minutes after 30 days.

TRAINING GOALS

• Explosive power. Running on hilly terrain or biking uphill can help build it. So can exercises such as deep lunges, squat presses or one-legged jumping.

• Balance. Work on balance using fitness balls, one-legged exercises, trail running and climbing, and yoga and Pilates.

• Core strength. Work your abdominal and lower back muscles with sit-ups, leg raises, fitness ball exercises, yoga and Pilates.

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