It's that time of year. You are thinking about your ski holiday, browsing the web and shops for the latest gear and grabbing moments of ski instruction clips on Youtube.
How’s your fitness? Do you need to get down to the gym? Dust off those running shoes? Lose a few pounds? How do you get really ski fit and reduce your risk of injury? A book out by David Murrie, an expert skier and lecturer in Biomechanics, makes a very interesting read.
David has coached many professional athletes at elite and Olympic level. His main point is that for exercise to be most effective it has to simulate the actual movements of the activity itself. You might be thinking you are getting fit but actually you are just getting better at whatever activity you are doing.
Dave focuses on the skier's knees and back, statistically the most vulnerable parts of the body, which can prevent skiers making the most of their ski holiday. He gives examples of exercises that should be done to enhance your ski experience and reduce injury risk. His key emphasis is on accuracy and the need to recognise when you are balanced whilst doing the exercises. Performing exercises just for exercise sake is far less effective than doing accurate well balanced sport-specific movements. Recognition of when you are balanced and how that feels is a vital part of that process.
Other chapters cover altitude, muscle soreness and recovery and are both educational and practical. Next time you are exercising for your ski holiday wouldn’t it be great to know you are doing it correctly and in the most accurate way possible?
Do not be put off that the book is published under the Ski Instructors Handbook series. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge a recreational skier can pick up, which if implemented will improve your ski fitness and allow you to have more fun on that mountain.
His book can be purchased on Amazon.
