Core Exercises for Skiing

Now acknowledged as being probably the most important muscles for posture, stature and injury prevention during sport, your core muscles (or trunk muscles) are essential for skiing as they will help with co-ordination, balance, posture and the ability to keep your technique tight on the slopes!

The trunk exercises are probably the one area that almost all skiers neglect in their warm up for skiing holidays. The trunk is the key to all movements, tying together all four limbs, and enabling you to perform movements with control.

Even if you workout normally, trunk exercises are quite specific and you need to be targetting them properly in order to wrk them out. Simply doing twenty cross sit-ups at the end of your will not get it done!

There are all sorts of exercises to work your trunk, we'll look at three different types:

Static Core Exercises

The Plank

As seen on abs exercises page this is almost defintiely the best static exercise for these key core muscles

The Side Plank

As the name suggests, you start on one side, weight resting on your elbow, with your body straight from your feet through to your hips and head. Hold this position for an increasing length of time up to a maximum of one minute. Repeat two to three times.

Dynamic Core Exercises

Bicycles

Scientifically proven to be one of the most effective of all abdominal exercises.

Lie on an exercise mat, bend your knees and lift them until your shins are perpendicular (90 degrees) to the floor. Bend your arms and touch your hands to the back of your head, then gently bring one elbow forward while bringing the opposite knee to meet it.

Pause, then twist to bring the opposite knee and elbow together. Repeat 20 times.

Rotation Exercises

Chop Rotation

This uses a cable machine. Kneel by the side of the pulley, with the attachment at head height. Grasp the cable handle with two hands, and with your hips straight, pull the handle down, rotating your shoulders away from the column and crunching down.

The finishing position is with hands by your hips and your shoulders facing away. Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

Lift Rotation

Kneel by the side of the pulley, with the attachment below your kneeling hip height. Grasp the cable handle with two hands, and with your hips straight, pull the handle up, rotating the shoulders away. You should finish with hands above your head and shoulders facing away.

Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.