In order to ski well, we must comply with an exercise routine to improve our physical condition to successfully face the challenges we face in the snow. It’s all well and good to know the secrets to ski like a pro, but if the body can’t, it can’t.

That’s why, today, we’re going one step further. If you are one of those looking to not only dominate the slopes, but to do so with the power, agility and endurance of an elite athlete, this article is made for you.

Goal of specific training for advanced level skiers.

Ski specific training is not exclusively about going to the gym, participating in group classes or lifting weights. It is about preparing the body to respond with precision, power and agility to the specific demands of skiing and mountaineering. This battery of exercises that we offer is designed to improve strength and power, as well as optimize mobility, reactivity and endurance. Include some of these exercises in your training routine and you will see the huge transfer and improvement you will feel in the performance of each turn.

Our focus with this skier specific training is clear: increase the frequency of training different muscle groups, improve strength-endurance, power, core and, most importantly, vary the exercises to stay motivated and improve adherence while avoiding dropout. We want you to stay committed to the process, training efficiently and effectively, saving time while getting results that are directly reflected in your performance on the slopes.

Forget for a moment the workouts based on working one muscle group per day. This is different. We will incorporate a combination of strength, explosiveness and control exercises, which will allow you to improve both in the descents and in the most technical gestures. The goal is clear: to train hard, to ski like a beast.

Important To get the most out of this battery of specific exercises for skiing and ensure a safe and effective execution, it is advisable to perform them under the supervision of a professional in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences. A qualified trainer will not only adjust each exercise to your needs and level, but will also ensure that each movement is performed with proper technique, reducing the risk of injury. Having an expert will allow you to optimize the benefits of each exercise, improving your strength, stability and control on the slope.

Specific warm-up for well-trained skiers

Performing a proper warm-up not only reduces the risk of injury during the training session, but also activates the neuromuscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. This approach prepares the muscles, joints and mind to respond to the specific demands of the training session. Below, we propose a complete routine, starting with general activation exercises, followed by specific movements to strengthen and stabilize the joints, especially the knees, which carry a heavy load during skiing.

Generic warm-up routine

To activate the neuromuscular and cardiovascular system, start with a series of movements that raise body temperature and improve circulation. This should not last too long. Try to change exercises every three or four minutes so that it does not become tedious. Always start with joint mobility and light stretching. Then proceed with a general activation warm-up (including five minutes on a stationary bike, elliptical trainer or treadmill at a light intensity) and then move on to the specifics:

  • Light jogging in place or jumping rope: One minute of each to warm up the body and activate the cardiovascular system.
  • Dynamic hip and leg mobility: Perform forward and sideways leg swings to warm up the joints and muscle groups of the hips and legs.
  • Half squats and dynamic lunges: Don’t go too low on the half squats (we are in the warm-up phase) and on the dynamic lunges look for supports in front, behind and on the sides. Do 10-12 repetitions of each exercise to activate the quadriceps, glutes, abductors, adductors and hamstrings.
  • Trunk rotations and arm swings: With your legs semi-flexed, perform gentle trunk rotations and arm swings to activate your upper body and prepare your shoulder joints. You can use an elastic band to increase the difficulty of the exercise.

Specific exercises to strengthen knee joint function

For skiers, knee stability is critical. These exercises will not only activate the supporting muscles, but also improve balance and control:

  • Vary the center of mass with Kettlebell: Grab a kettlebell with both hands and, slowly move the kettlebell from side to side. Then do it with one leg supported in semi-flexion.
  • Unipodal balance with eyes closed: It may seem absurd but closing your eyes while doing this exercise has a lot of proprioceptive transfer. Balance on one foot and close your eyes, and hold the position for a few seconds. Without sight, the stabilizing muscles of the knee and core work even harder, improving proprioceptive control.
  • Slight hopping hip extension on the hopping leg: From a unipodal support, perform a small hop while extending the hip on landing, making sure to cushion the impact with control. This exercise improves the knee’s ability to withstand impact and quick changes.
  • Half squat on inclined plane: Place your feet on an inclined surface (step is a good choice) and perform a half squat, focusing on slow and steady control. This exercise “wakes up” the quads and stabilizes the knee in flexed positions.
  • Femoral curl with fitball: Lying on your back, place your heels on a fitball and lift your hips, then flex and extend your knees by sliding the ball towards you. This exercise activates the hamstrings and strengthens the back of the legs.
  • Unipodal hip flexion hinge: On one foot, lean your torso forward while bringing the opposite leg back and raising the opposite arm, forming a hinge at the hip. This movement works core stability and strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, bringing extra control to the knee.
  • One-legged glute bridge: Lying on the floor, with one leg raised and the other resting on the floor, raise your hips to align your body and slowly lower yourself down. This exercise strengthens the glutes and posterior chain, essential for stabilizing the pelvis and improving lower body strength.

Now that you’re done with the global and specific warm-up exercises, let’s get down to business. If you like to work out to music, choose some upbeat tunes and let’s get into action!

Strengthen your upper body and core

You’re probably surprised that we’re starting here, but you need to be clear that to be efficient at skiing, it’s not just your legs that need to be strong. A stable core and a well-trained upper body are essential to maintain control on every descent and to face those tight, fast turns with confidence. If there’s one thing skiers overlook in their training, it’s the power of a strong upper body and a solid core. In skiing, every turn, every impulse with the poles and every maneuver in challenging terrain depends on your ability to maintain control and stability. This is where the exercises we are going to propose come into play, where you will find, among others, pull-ups, parallel lunges and asymmetrical push-ups. These movements not only develop strength in the arms and shoulders, but also work the core in a functional way, creating a stability that will allow you to face any terrain with confidence.

Unilateral Kettlebell Lunge

This exercise is excellent for developing explosive power throughout the body, replicating the strength you need to perform quick jumps and maneuvers on snow. The unilateral kettlebell pulldown focuses primarily on the glutes, quads, hamstrings and core, while the difference in load between only one side activates the trunk stabilizers to maintain balance. By including unipodal support, stability and movement control are significantly increased, simulating skiing situations where you rely on one foot to generate explosive force during turns and changes of direction.

Kettlebell Jumps and Assisted Squats

These exercises are essential for developing explosive power in the legs, particularly in the quadriceps, glutes and calves, which are the main drivers in takeoffs. The kettlebell jump adds an additional load that requires greater effort to get off the ground, while the assisted squat allows for repeated jumps without losing technique. Both exercises enhance the ability to generate force in a short time, mimicking the quick movements needed for jumps and changes of pace on the track. By performing these variations with unipodal support, you improve your ability to jump and land with control, which is crucial when tackling uneven terrain.

Bicep curls on pulleys

To perform this exercise correctly, stand in front of the pulley machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grip the bar with your palms facing up (supine grip) and keep your elbows close to your body throughout the movement. The trick is to control the rise and avoid momentum, as the goal is to activate the biceps as much as possible. Bend your elbows as you pull the bar toward your shoulders, making sure to contract your biceps at the top of the movement. On the way down, slowly descend until your arms are almost extended, always keeping tension in the muscles. This controlled execution ensures that you work the biceps efficiently, without compromising posture or core control, which must be engaged at all times to avoid torso sway.

Pulley Lateral Raises

To perform pulley lateral raises effectively, place the pulley on the lowest setting and grasp the handle with the opposite hand, crossing your body. The key is to keep your arm slightly bent, avoiding locking your elbows. Raise your arm out to the side, until it is parallel to the ground, making sure to raise it slowly and in a controlled manner, without resorting to momentum. The deltoids should do all the work, and for this it is important to keep the torso firm and the core activated to avoid leaning to one side. The lowering should be equally controlled, descending slowly to maintain tension in the muscle. Be sure to keep the shoulder in a neutral position, without lifting it toward the ears, to avoid unnecessary tension in the neck. This control is essential to get the maximum benefits from this exercise and improve upper body stability.

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are the classic that never fails. It is a very complete exercise to develop upper body strength, with a main focus on the back muscles. The latissimus dorsi muscles, located on the sides of the back, are the protagonists in this movement, allowing the body to lift towards the bar. Alongside them, the trapezius and rhomboids work together to stabilize and retract the shoulder blades, ensuring an efficient and safe movement during the ascent. Not only is this exercise excellent for back strength, but it also improves postural control, which is key in skiing to maintain stability on descents and quick turns.

In addition, pull-ups activate the biceps, which assist in bending the elbows, and the forearm flexors, essential for maintaining a solid grip on the bar. We cannot forget the role of the posterior deltoids, which stabilize the shoulders, and the core muscles, such as the abdominals and obliques, which keep the torso firm and aligned throughout the movement.

The key is to control the movement, making sure each repetition counts. Breathe in on the ascent and breathe out on the descent. Control the speed of descent and do it slowly and progressively. Repetitions are not as important as the quality of execution of the movement.

Parallel dips

Parallel bottoms are an excellent exercise to strengthen the upper body, as they effectively activate the pectorals, triceps and anterior deltoids. When descending, the pectoralis major is the main muscle controlling the movement, while the triceps, located at the back of the arms, intervene to push the body back up, extending the elbows in the ascending phase. The anterior deltoids, located in the shoulders, also play an important role in stabilizing the shoulder joint during the exercise.

What differentiates parallel lunges from other exercises is the level of control and stabilization required of the core. The abdominal and lumbar muscles must remain active throughout the entire stroke to avoid swaying and keep the body aligned, resulting in greater engagement of the stabilizer muscles. As you descend, it is crucial to control the movement so as not to descend too quickly or lose muscle tension, ensuring that the pecs and triceps do the work rather than relying on momentum.

Asymmetrical push-ups

Adding instability to traditional push-ups, also called “bottoms,” with asymmetrical push-ups is a great idea. They are an advanced variation of traditional push-ups that activate the upper body and core in a much more challenging way. In this exercise, the pecs and triceps are the main muscle groups at work, with a greater load on the side where the arm is on the ground. The pectoralis major and triceps on that side work intensely to lift the body, while the anterior deltoids stabilize the shoulder joint in both arms. The difference in height between the hands forces the muscles to continually adapt, which improves both strength and muscle coordination.

The real challenge of asymmetrical push-ups lies in core control and stabilization of the entire body during the movement. The abdominals, obliques and lumbar muscles must be constantly engaged to prevent the torso from shifting to one side or losing alignment. Control is essential to lower and raise evenly while maintaining tension in the chest and triceps. This movement control not only improves stability and functional strength, but also develops greater body awareness, crucial for maintaining balance and precision in skiing.

Develops power, balance and explosiveness in the lower body.

In skiing, leg strength is critical, but what really sets you apart on the slopes is the explosive power you can generate in every turn, jump and descent. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, assisted jumps, and unipodal support variations not only strengthen your core leg muscles, but also develop the explosiveness and stability you need to move with speed and control on the snow. You will notice that in several exercises we include unipodal variations in the classic training, as it results in significant improvements in your stability and control in limit skiing situations, where you often rely on one foot to maneuver in difficult terrain. These exercises not only develop strength and power, but also the ability to adapt quickly to changes in support and balance. You can also incorporate unstable platforms or even an incline step to incorporate modifications to the exercises.

Hip trust or leg push

The participation of the gluteus in skiing is limited when we do “half throttle” descents, but if your intention is to ski like a beast, you must work it specifically. For this, there are few exercises that are more useful than the hip thrust as it is key to strengthen the glutes while involving the hamstrings and lower back, providing power and stability in the back of the lower body.

To do it right, align your feet hip-width apart. From there, push your hips up by squeezing your glutes until your torso is straight in relation to your shoulders at the knees. Keep your chin slightly toward your chest to protect your back, and control the descent. In gyms there are specific machines in which you can include load.

Squats with unipodal support

To perform this exercise correctly, start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Then, lift one leg off the floor, making sure you maintain your balance. The unsupported leg can be slightly bent forward to avoid interfering with the movement. Keep your torso upright and core engaged to ensure stability. Initiate the movement by slowly lowering the hip toward the floor, bending the knee of the supporting leg. The key is to keep the knee in line with the toes, preventing it from sliding in or out, which could put undue stress on the joint. Go as low as you can without losing control or balance, and then explosively push up through the heel to activate the glutes and quads. At first, it may be helpful to practice next to a wall or bar to keep your balance. Performing the squat with unipodal support significantly improves functional strength and balance control, which is crucial in sports such as skiing.

Traditional squats are a classic for working the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves, but the unipodal variant takes control and stability to another level. In this version, you only support one foot, which forces your stabilizer muscles to work much harder to maintain balance. The glutes and hamstrings not only propel the body upwards, but also ensure that you have perfect control in every movement. This variation is ideal for improving balance and responsiveness in asymmetrical support situations on the track.

Deadlift with unipodal support

This variation of the deadlift not only strengthens the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, but also challenges core stability and control. By performing the exercise with only one foot supported, the core is further activated to maintain balance and prevent the torso from twisting or shifting. This simulates the demands of skiing on uneven terrain, where you need strength and stability on one foot to stay in control during turns and terrain changes.

To perform this exercise correctly, stand with one leg slightly bent and the other leg raised behind you, keeping it straight and in line with your torso. Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell with both hands or one hand, depending on the level of difficulty you are looking for. Keep your core tight and your back straight as you lean your torso forward, lowering the kettlebell or dumbbell toward the floor. The goal is to keep the spine neutral and not to curve the back during the descent. As you descend, the supporting leg should be kept slightly bent, and the elevated leg should be kept in line with the torso. Descend until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings, and then, using the gluteus and hamstrings, return to standing in a controlled manner, pushing through the heel. This exercise improves not only the strength of the posterior muscles, but also stability and balance, fundamental to improving control on skis.

Assisted jumps with unipodal support

Incorporating unipodal support in assisted jumps improves not only explosiveness, but also control over a single foot, which is essential in skiing. By performing assisted jumps unipodally, the quads, calves and glutes work together to propel the body upward, while the core maintains stability. This variation is crucial for improving explosive strength on one foot, simulating the asymmetrical movements you perform in the mountains.

To perform this exercise correctly, you’ll need to place an elastic band around your waist, grab a strap or use an assistance machine to reduce some of your body weight during the jump. Start standing on one leg, with your core engaged and your torso leaning slightly forward. From this position, perform a squat on one foot, slowly lowering your hips while maintaining balance throughout. As you reach the bottom of the movement, explosively jump upward, using the strength of the supporting leg to propel you. The assistance will allow you to focus on explosiveness without compromising technique or generating excessive impact on the joints. When landing, land softly and in a controlled manner on the same foot, making sure to absorb the impact with a slight bend of the knee. Repeat the movement, always maintaining a stable and controlled posture. This exercise is ideal for improving the ability to take off and land on one foot, which is crucial for quick changes of direction and ski jumps.