Heading To The Ski Fields? Here's How To Avoid Injury

Ski season has finally arrived, Australia. Skiing can be a fun activity for the whole family during the colder months, but it also has the potential to take quite a toll on your body if you do not prepare properly. 

Don’t worry, though, because your mates from The Man Shake are here to give you a rundown on the exercises you should be doing ahead of your ski trip - many of which, you can do from home. 

Having a good knee position is essential when skiing. If you don’t have a good knee position, you put yourself at risk of injuring your knees and developing knee pain.

To put your knee in the best position, stand up straight, put your feet hip-width apart and align your hips over your feet. Bend your knees and imagine a vertical line dropping from your hips to the floor. Aim to have this invisible line land between your second and third toes.

Without practice, it’s likely to land closer to your big toe. In order to fix this, start from the same position and turn your knees until they are facing forward. The next step is to practice bending and straightening your knees without losing the proper alignment. It is recommended that you aim for 30 repetitions a day before your trip. That will help you nail it. 

Amateur skiers are also renowned for putting their bottoms in the right place. Usually, it’s stuck out too far or tucked in too much — either way, it’s not great for your spine, hips and pelvis.

To get those parts of our body moving correctly while on the slopes, we need to find a healthy midpoint. Stand in front of a mirror in the ski position. Push your bum out as far as it can go and then try to tuck it in as much as possible. You want to hit a point between those two extremes, where your spine is straight — that will be your bum’s ideal position for skiing.

Practice this exercise 30 times per day in the lead-up to your trip until your perfect bum position is second nature. 

The muscles in your upper thigh are vital when skiing as they help you bend and straighten your knees as you attempt to go forward. If your quadriceps aren’t prepared before a ski trip, you’re likely to feel pain. To prepare them, try doing regular squats and split squats. If you want to further your preparation, add some weight with a kettlebell, or put some books in a backpack and put it on while squatting. 

We’ve already alluded to the importance of bum position when skiing. With that in mind, it should stand to reason that you need to exercise your glutes (i.e. butt muscles) before hitting the slopes.

Having strong glutes will greatly improve your form and thus reduce your risk of injury. One exercise you can use to strengthen your glutes is the clam exercise, which involves you lying on the floor, on your side with your knees and hips bent. With the bottom of your feet together, lift your top knee before slowly lowering it. The action will resemble a clam opening. 

If you are doing this properly, you will feel the muscles in your butt working. Repeat this move 30 times on both sides for a couple of days before skiing, and your bum should be in good shape. 

Being able to propel yourself is important when skiing. To improve your propulsion, grab a low step and place yourself in the ski position you’ve been working on. Then jump on and off the step sideways. Repeat this process 15 sides per side. 

Skiing is strenuous work and if you’re skiing at altitude, you’re going to be dealing with thinner air. With that in mind, prepare your heart and lungs for a little bit of extra work by doing 20 minutes of brisk cardio three times a week. Cycling is good cardio training for skiing, as it will work out your cardiovascular system as well as the muscles you need to prep. Walking and running are decent options too if you’re time-poor.