Slope style

Get fit for that skiing or snowboarding holiday in four weeks

By Mohammed Junaid Azmuth

It´s that time of year again! You have booked a ski trip well in advance and you’re counting the days to when you can experience the fresh mountain air, the breathless landscapes and, of course, the thrill of bombing down white slopes. Thousands of people make their way to the Alps in Europe every December. It’s a beautiful experience and an addictive one, but most people don’t get the full enjoyment from the experience. In most cases this is due to injury while skiing. Some people remain injury free, but struggle to get out of bed the day after. Your body can feel like an elephant has used you for a trampoline.

In all cases, whether sustaining an injury, or just experiencing the day after body pain (delayed onset muscle soreness), the reason for this holiday turmoil is a lack of specific ski fitness.

Ski fitness can be simply defined as the body’s ability to cope with something you’re not doing everyday. This includes:

1. Design of Skis:

The design of the skis is specifically for the efficient movement of the skis over compacted snow. This means that the skis have to be designed in a linear fashion (straight) so that there is less friction between the skis and the snow. If the design were any different, it would result in more friction as well as the skis continually getting logged under the snow. The clips in which you have your feet follow the line of the board and as a result your feet are facing forward. Any other foot position would make it impossible to ski, but it’s biomechanically incorrect.

2. Body Positioning when Skiing:

When you start skiing, instructors teach you to “snow plough” by turning your toes towards each other. This allows beginners to turn slowly and most importantly, to stop. As you become more proficient your skis get more parallel. You are instructed to bend your knees and lean forward until you feel the resistance of the ski shoes. The back, if possible must remain straight whilst the knees and ankles are flexed. This is a biomechanically correct position, however if you do not have the proper conditioning this can be difficult and lead to muscle soreness the next day.

The position with the feet facing forward is not an efficient position and will always lead to knee problems in skiers. Normally the feet should face slightly outwards, at about 5 degrees. This position is known as the anatomically efficient position. This position allows for proper functioning of all the muscles and ligaments at the knee and ankle joint so as to prevent injury while still achieving proper movement.

When your feet are straight the muscles on the inside of your legs are automatically shortened and this causes them to relax while the muscles on the outside of the knee are stretched. When a muscle is stretched under tension it automatically wants to shorten to alleviate strain. With your feet straight and with the knee flexed at the same time, the knees become unstable and the muscles on the outside of the thighs become tight.

The outside muscles have to absorb all the pressure of impact during skiing whilst the inside thigh musculature remain relatively relaxed. As a result, the knee joint on the outside (lateral side) of the knee is constantly under stress whilst the kneecap is being forced to the outside. The result is that the knee cap rubs against the lateral condyle (a piece of the thigh bone at knee level) thus bringing about arthritic changes to the knee cap (patellar).

This is referred to as patello-femorall pain syndrome and is the common cause of knee pain in skiing. One can usually decrease the pain with proper stretching of the lateral muscles of the quadriceps as well as executing the proper strengthening exercises. If not treated, the long term effect is osteoarthritis, and that can result in constant pain and inflammation with rehabilitation being a slow process. If you have a weak lower body, the position of your back while skiing can also be affected and can therefore be more prone to lower back injury.

As bad as this might all sound, this technique is the only way we can ski efficiently. So all we can do is to decrease the risk and four weeks of proper training will help to at least develop a base.

The first step should be to improve flexibility, especially of your lower back, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds after your training and at least one time more thereafter. This is important to allow the muscles to better absorb the impact and the less than normal positions required from skiing.

* The next is the conditioning for skiing. Every exercise should be executed for seven sets of five reps with a 10 second rest between sets. This will increase your heart rate tremendously as well as allow you to achieve the muscle tone and strength you require:

Exercises:

1. CHAIR HOLD SIT UP

BENEFIT: Strengthens the abdominals and the adductor muscles in a sequence required for skiing.

EXECUTION: Lie on your back with your hips flexed to ninety degrees. Squeeze the sides of the chair with your feet constantly while lifting your shoulder from the mats in a crunch movement. Execute the movement in a slow and controlled.

2. SIDE OBLIQUE TWIST

BENEFIT: Strengthens the oblique and abductor muscles for the slalom type movement.

EXECUTION: Lie on your back and flex your knees to ninety degrees. Push your lower back flat onto the floor while taking both knees slowly to the right side. Do not let the legs touch the floor. Reverse the movement to the other side in a slow controlled fashion.

3. WALL SLIDE PULL

BENEFIT: Strengthens the hamstring and buttocks to allow for impact absorption.

EXECUTION: Lie on your back with your feet flat on a wall. Ensure that your knees and hips are flexed to ninety degrees. Cross your arms over your chest for comfort. Lift your bum off the floor while pushing the feet into the wall and downward at the same time. The feet must not move though. Do not let your bottom touch the ground until the end of the set.

4. STANDARD SQUAT

BENEFIT: Strengthens the lower body in the sequence required for skiing.

EXECUTION: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and a bar rest on your upper back. Turn your toes slightly outwards and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Do not let your knees move in front of yours during the downward movement. Ensure your back is kept in a natural alignment throughout the movement. Return to the normal position and then repeat.

These exercises seem simple enough, however when they are executed in the manner that is required and for the required sets and reps it becomes a tough routine that take 15 minutes four times a week. REMEMBER to stretch before and after and keep your head up and go at a pace you are comfortable with.

When you hit the slopes remember to warm up and stretch the muscle before you ski and always stretch down afterwards. This is vital if you want to avoid injury and/or stiffness the next day. And the best news is there has already been lots of snowfall already this season around the Alps – so go get some!