To be effective, strength training for skiing must involve elements of balance to some degree.
Good, simple examples are exercises in which you work one leg at a time. This will challenge your balance and get your glutes working as well.
As an added bonus when you work one leg at a time, you avoid that one leg contributes more than the other which would have the unfortunate consequence of that leg getting stronger while the other gets relatively weaker.
This is particularly important to have in mind if you have had an injury or even a minor trauma. You will then most likely be weaker on one side than the other whether you feel it or not. If you are not aware of this imbalance, you will automatically do more work with the stronger leg – and as a consequence, strengthen it even more while the weaker leg just gets weaker.
Another point to keep in mind is to balance the strength of your hamstrings with the strength of your quads. While strong quads are great for feeling invincible, strong hamstrings are great for protecting your ACLs. In fact, one of the many functions of the hamstrings is -just like the ACL’s –
to keep your shin from moving forward under the thigh bone. Strong hamstrings can thus take some of the workload of the ACL in a situation where this action is needed – such as a backseat landing or crash.
Finally, don’t forget that strength training for skiing is not just about the legs. Good core and hip strength will help alleviate strain and stress on the lower back, improve your balance and help you resist the external forces. A complete ski training program will make sure to bring all these elements of strength training for skiing together.
That’s why in all the Strong Skier training programs you will find core exercises and exercises that work the hips along with your leg strength – no matter what the method or what specific condition they cater to.
