Winter Strength Exercises

WORDS: MANUELA BERCHTOLD 2 x OLYMPIAN, MOGULS

As a retired Winter Olympian in mogul skiing, I can vouch for the importance of overall strength and conditioning to help you be at your best and avoid injuries. Here are some tips on strengthening your legs, core and upper body.

Leg Strength is The Foundation

When you are on snow, your legs are constantly working. Whether you’re carving turns on groomed snow, standing in a lift queue, or powering through rough terrain or conditions, your legs are the foundation of everything. Building leg strength is crucial for maintaining control, preventing fatigue, and keeping your knees safe and reduce the strain on your ankle, knee and hip joints.

Key Exercises for Leg Strength:

• Squats: There are so many Squat variations, mix them up to feel the positions you get your body into when in your ski and/or snowboard stance.
• Lunges: Static, forward, backward and lateral lunges will help strengthen your legs in all directions.
• Box Jumps / Ice Skaters: Plyometric exercises like box jumps and Ice Skaters will build explosive strength for quick movements, being ready for anything on snow!

Core Strength: Assisting with Balance, Posture and keeping us Upright

A strong core is essential for maintaining balance and proper posture when you’re on snow.
It helps keep your body upright, enabling you to stay centred and make quick adjustments without losing control. A strong core helps to keep better form and will decrease the risk of falls and injury.  The core muscles help you turn and rotate while skiing or snowboarding, making movements more fluid and effective.

Core Strengthening Exercises:

• Planks & Bridges: Are great static exercises for building overall core strength. You can play with so many variations of these, so have fun!
• Russian Twists: One of my absolute favourite core exercises, this rotational exercise engages your obliques, which are crucial for skiing and snowboarding.
• Leg Drops: These focus on targeting the lower abdominals for improved stability and really help to keep your lower back health in check.

Upper Body Strength:

Protecting Yourself in Falls and helping you move around the mountain
Skiing and snowboarding primarily relies on the lower body, your upper body also plays a major role in preventing injury. Your arms and shoulders help protect you when you fall, whether it’s pushing yourself up or absorbing the impact when you go down. Strong upper body muscles, including your shoulders, arms, and back are a must to get you around the mountain.

Upper Body Exercises:

• Push-Ups: A great all – round exercise for building strength in the shoulders, chest, and arms. There are so many variations, so have fun mixing them up.
• Rows: Strengthen your upper back and arms to ensure you can recover quickly if you fall.
• Shoulder specific exercises: Such as Shoulder Press’ and Shoulder Raises will improve your shoulder strength, giving you more control and stability.

The Importance of a Strong Body

A good, solid strength and fitness routine is key to ensuring you’re ready for the snow and will also allow you to stay on snow longer with reduced risk of injury. 

Skiing and snowboarding require dynamic movements with coordination, so training your entire body in different planes of movement and in different ways is a must.

As you approach this upcoming winter, focus on strengthening your legs, adding in core, and upper body as often as you can.

Be sure to add in cardiovascular training so you can ski and/or snowboard all day long … making the most of those lift tickets and season passes.

Bring on Winter !