Top 3 Lower-Body Strength Exercises for Skiers

By Published On: May 26th, 2019Comments Off on Top 3 Lower-Body Strength Exercises for Skiers

The best exercises for ski racing are the ones that have the greatest amount of transfer to the hill. To maximize the transfer of training to skiing, the exercise and skiing must be similar in three ways: muscle coordination, muscle contraction, and joint movement.

Not every exercise will fulfill all of the above criteria, but the more principles an exercise meets, the better chances your efforts in the gym will result in improved skiing performance. When designing your off-season training, select exercises that check off at least one of the transfer of training principles.

To develop ski-specific strength, the following three exercises should be staples in your gym training this summer:

Coordination: The Squat

The squat has very similar muscle coordination to skiing and though it may not seem flashy, it is a tried and true staple in training for skiing.

 

Contraction: Single-Leg Eccentric Leg Press

This exercise has a similar type of muscle contraction to skiing. Managing eccentric load in skiing is critical because of the forces resisted in turning at various speeds through ever-changing terrain.

 

Joint Movement: Landmine Skier Squat

The landmine squat has smilar joint movement to skiing, specifically the direction of applied force.

 

Armed with these three exercises, you should have a solid start to your summer training program.

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About the Author: Alex Bunt

Alex is a High Performance consultant for Red Bull and the private trainer for Olympic Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn. Prior to working with Red Bull and Lindsey, Alex was in charge of strength and conditioning coaching for the University of Utah Pac-12 Alpine ski, Nordic ski, and cross-country running teams while attending graduate school at the University of Utah for exercise physiology. When not traveling, Alex resides in Venice, CA.