Skiing/Snowboarding as Exercise

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If you have ever visited a gym you may have noticed that there are exercise machines that will mimic many of the activities that people do because they love them. The logical explanation for this is that many sports including snowboarding, hiking and skiing are excellent ways to exercise the upper body. If you’re most loved sport is swimming or playing tennis then you will usually not find those machines at the gym. There there are two good explanations for that: 1) snowboarding and skiing exercise your body in a way that other sports don’t and 2) a tennis machine might look weird unless it’s Wii Tennis.

Skiers usually have massive upper body strength because when people ski, it works so heavily on that part of the body fully utilizing the arm and chest muscles. Skiing also works the legs quite a bit with all of the balance and leaning that is required to ski successfully, the legs get a massive workout as well. Even though it is hard to compare a day at the gym with a day on the slopes it will keep you in shape and give you something to look forward to.

There is a lot of lower body action going on with skiing as well which is why most skiers should always engage in other activities that are meant to make the lower body stronger. Any exercise that strengthens the lower half is acceptable. Squats, lunges and side lunges work especially well because they can mimic many of the skiing moves enforcing lateral movement. Downhill skiing entails a lot more than it might look like it does. It requires a lot of practice, being physically fit, and of course, the proper equipment is very helpful too.

The first day on the slopes is going to result in using muscles that haven’t been used in a while which is naturally going to result in muscle soreness. This is true for even the most seasoned skiers. The calves, hamstrings, and the quadriceps have been resting all summer and they are now being put back to work vigorously, this is good! Never just put your skis on before warming up with a few exercises so that you can avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the muscles such as tears and strains. Consider investing in an elliptical machine and doing some running in the short off season from skiing because these mock skiing. Lastly, you should look to avoid skiing knee injuries. If snowboarding I recommend reading Snowboarding Safety 101.

While such sports as downhill skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing can only be enjoyed during the winter, they are physically challenging and give the body a great workout, and they are also very beneficial physically. Drastic improvements in muscle tone are developed from downhill skiing that benefit the entire body and are also great for endurance and balance. Because of the arm movement involved with cross country skiing this is a great cardiovascular exercise as it keeps the heart pumping rapidly. Muscle tone in the entire lower body is increased from snowboarding. Sure, often these sports take some time to master and can often be expensive as well they are very beneficial to the body.

Remember that you can’t learn skiing and snowboarding overnight (but here’s a shortcut: A Dummy’s Guide to Snowboarding). These top resorts (and others) offer lessons for skiers and snowboarders of all types.

Photo Credit: caseywest

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This post deals with:

chest muscles, downhill skiers, downhill skiing, hamstrings, leg muscles, lower body exercises, quadriceps, side lunges, slalom, slopes, squats, upper body strength, wii tennis, workout machines

... and focuses on:

Exercise

Posted by Lazy Man on October 30, 2008 in Exercise.

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