Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It’s not as fun sitting back in the cabin with an ice back on your knee.
You stand at the top of the slope. Your skis are on, you put your goggles into place, and you set off on the first run down the slope of your long-anticipated skiing vacation.
Fast forward a couple of hours: you’re sitting in the cabin with your leg bandaged, alone, while the other members of your party are out having fun in the snow.
Skiing is amazingly fun and can be great exercise as well, but it is also very strenuous on the body—especially the knees.
So if you want to avoid becoming part of the injury statistics, the good advice is to start training—preferably as early as possible.
Three exercises that can make a huge difference
We can’t promise you’ll stay clear of injuries by doing these exercises, but we can promise that they will reduce your risk of getting injured.
The focus should be on strengthening the stabilizing muscles around your knees—and that means a lot of leg exercises.
Squats
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees down to a comfortable level, then return to an upright standing position.
An easy way to get started with this exercise is to use a chair—sit down on the chair and stand up without using your arms for support.
Lunges
Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Then take a step forward with one leg so there is a staggered stance. The knee of the front leg should bend to a comfortable level. Push off from the ground using the front leg to return to the starting position.
Side lunges
Place your hands on the backrest of a chair and perform the exercise as you would with lunges, but to the side instead.
Bonus: Scaption raises for shoulders
The knees are under the most stress while skiing, but your shoulders do a lot of work as well.
So if you have the time and energy, add scaption raises to your pre-ski training.
Use two light dumbbells, or perhaps a couple of filled water bottles. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your arms hanging down at your sides, holding a dumbbell or bottle in each hand.
With your arms straight, raise the dumbbells or bottles in front of you, keeping your thumbs pointing up. Raise the weights to about shoulder height, then lower them slowly and in a controlled manner.
