Pre-ski season, it’s time to get your body ready
Ball exercises boost balance and stability for explosive movements
Staying injury-free and skiing to the best of your ability requires a strong, stable, flexible body. With a minimal amount of pre-season ski conditioning, your body can perform at a higher level and contribute to enjoyable days on the hills.
Improving core strength and control will give a solid foundation for explosive athletic movements, it will also help keep you more stable and balanced while on skis. Skiers must assume an athletic body position to be able to ski efficiently and to react to irregularities in the terrain.
Because skiers use their upper body and their poles during turns, there is a need for integration of the upper and lower body during conditioning activities.
Consult your doctor before beginning or modifying your training plan, and always perform a progressive warm-up before exercising. Ball plank
Doing an athletic plank on the ball is a great way to train your core. Start with your forearms on a ball and your hips, knees and ankles flexed. Your spine should be parallel to the floor with neutral curves. Good core activation will hold you strong in this starting position.
To increase the leverage, slowly push the ball five centimetres forward and back, moving only the arms, without losing any quality in your spinal position or core engagement. As you get stronger, increase the movement of the ball, and incorporate opening at the shoulders and hips at the same time. Perform three sets of 30 to 60 seconds in a smooth, controlled fashion.
As you get more comfortable, increase the speed of the movements or add side-to-side action to the ball. Always use core engagement and neutral spinal alignment as your measure of quality. Ball bridge
Ball bridging uses much of your core and hip musculature.
Start in a sitting position on a ball, then roll out until the back of your head and shoulders are resting on the ball and your knees are at 90degree angles, with your feet hipwidth apart.
Extend your arms upward with your palms together, and maintain good core activation and spinal alignment.
Try turning your rib cage, shoulders, arms and head as one stable unit while keeping your hips as still and level as possible. The ball should roll sideways, underneath your bottom shoulder, as you turn. Pause and twist to the other side. Perform three sets of 20 repetitions. Ball side flexion
Try this great exercise to target the sides of the torso, which include the lower back and abdominal muscles.
Start by lying on your right side over the top of an exercise ball, with your feet braced against the base of a wall and your top leg behind the bottom leg. The ball should be positioned so that it supports your pelvis and lower torso below your rib cage.
Place your arms across your chest, or for greater difficulty place your hands at the side of your head as shown in the picture. Maintain good alignment of the body as you lower your body down, stretching over the ball, then raise it back up, lifting your left elbow toward the ceiling as you shift your rib cage upward. Try two to three sets of 10-12 repetitions on each side, maintaining strong core stability and controlled movement speeds. Be careful to maintain good balance and control of the ball.