dkw@homxa.UUCP (D.WOMBOUGH) (08/05/85)
Can anyone recommend exercises (Other than just general exercises .i.e jogging) to prepare for downhill skiing this winter???
kurtk@tektronix.UUCP (Kurt Krueger) (08/08/85)
Two excersizes that I have found to be very useful are: 1. Squats with weights. Doesn't have to be heavy weights, pick a weight that lets you do about 20. DON'T do full squats (bad for knees). 2. Do a dummy turn. Squat down, stand up to unweight, pivot on the balls of your feet. Repeat until the thighs burn. The thigh burn feels just like the real thing.
ken@turtlevax.UUCP (Ken Turkowski) (08/11/85)
In article <1080@homxa.UUCP> dkw@homxa.UUCP (D.WOMBOUGH) writes: >Can anyone recommend exercises (Other than just general exercises .i.e jogging) >to prepare for downhill skiing this winter??? The classic ski exercise is to "sit" against a wall without a chair for as long as you can (I think my max was 2 minutes). In other words, 1) stand with your back to the wall; 2) move your legs out from the wall; 3) bend your knees and hips so they both make right angles; 4) stay there 20 seconds after you start to tremble. -- Ken Turkowski @ CADLINC, Menlo Park, CA UUCP: {amd,decwrl,hplabs,nsc,seismo,spar}!turtlevax!ken ARPA: turtlevax!ken@DECWRL.ARPA
vch@rruxo.UUCP (V. Hatem) (08/13/85)
Try deep knee bends. Really! Stop laughing. Seriously, now, do about 30 a day (if you can... it's harder than you think.) and you'll keep your thighs in good shape. Roll up onto your toes and it'll help your calves also. Pointing your toes in different directions (toes out, toes in, toes straight) works on slightly different muscles. After not skiing in two years, totally out of shape, I had two weeks to get into shape for a week in Maine. I was hurting for the two weeks beforehand, but I skiied all week, and I wasn't sore at all. See ya on those black diamond slopes... Vince Hatem Bellcore ihnp4!rruxo!vch -- some various witty sayings... sdfgajksdfgjdafhg
zrm@prism.UUCP (08/14/85)
Would anyone out there who is informed about such things please
comment at greater length about what kinds of excercises are best for
skiing. Do exercises such as the chair-less sitting exercises that
imitate the kind of workout your legs get while skiing work best? How
about weight training? Are there exercises that will improve the
strength of the muscles that help in keeping one's knees from getting
mangled by moguls that insist on sending your ski off in some
unplanned direction?
"I won't (usually) ski it if snow doesn't stick to it."
Zigurd R. Mednieks
{mtxinu,mit-eddie,wjh12}!mirror!zrm
ZRM@MIT-MC (arpa)stanford@ssc-vax.UUCP (Stanford N Payzer) (08/15/85)
> Try deep knee bends. Really! Stop laughing. Seriously, now, do about 30 a > day (if you can... it's harder than you think.) and you'll keep your thighs > in good shape. Roll up onto your toes and it'll help your calves also. > Pointing your toes in different directions (toes out, toes in, toes straight) > works on slightly different muscles. > > After not skiing in two years, totally out of shape, I had two weeks to > get into shape for a week in Maine. I was hurting for the two weeks beforehand, > but I skiied all week, and I wasn't sore at all. Sorry I don't have a published source, but the ski instructors and aerobics instructors I have talked to do not recommend DEEP knee bends. My personal experience with a few months worth of them was that I could no longer hike down hill without knee pain. They now recommend a modified (not deep) knee bend. -- {allegra, cornell,decvax,ihnp4,tektronix,sdcvax,utcsrgv,largo,lento}! ==> uw-beaver!ssc-vax!stanford ARPA: ssc-vax!stanford@uw-beaver
mraspuzzi@kl2137.DEC (Michael Raspuzzi) (08/19/85)
----- Delivered by TOPS-20 Message Services --- Date: 19 Aug 1985 0830-EDT From: Michael Raspuzzi <MRASPUZZI at KL2137> To: """net.rec.ski""" at decwrl Loc/MS: "MRO1-2/H22 (Pole H2)" Phone: "DTN 231-4320 (617-467-4320)" Quote: The Human Adventure is just beginning..... Subject: Re: Exercises? Message-ID: <"MS11(2411)+GLXLIB5(0)" 12136355168.14.227.19013 at KL2137> >Try deep knee bends. Really! Stop laughing. Seriously, now, do about 30 a >day (if you can... it's harder than you think.) and you'll keep your thighs About 6 years ago I had a very bad accident during time trials for a downhill race. I needed major surgery on my knee. I was fortunate that most of the damage was to the cartilage and not the ligaments in my knee. Now to the point: during physical therapy, I asked the doctor if I should be doing deep knee bends to strengthen the muscles in my knees. He told me that deep knee bends are the WORSE things anyone can do for their knees. He said to try riding a bike, swimming or running in an open field (as running on asphalt or the like causes your knees to pound and absorb unnescessary shock). Injuries are no fun, that is why we all try to do exercise to prepare for skiing (hurray to everyone who is smart enough to realize they have to get in shape first) but lets do them right. Yes I still ski (14 years now) but I am no longer running in many downhill races (mostly slalom and GS) because the doc told me if I had another accident, walking might be tough to do....... Mike Raspuzzi DEC Software Specialist ARPA: mraspuzzi%kl2137.dec@decwrl.arpa UUCP: ...decwrl!rhea!kl2137!mraspuzzi --------
lowell@fluke.UUCP (Lowell Skoog) (08/20/85)
As several people have mentioned, a classic skier's exercise is to sit against the wall with the legs bent ninety degrees. This stengthens the thighs, and I think it also strengthens the knees, lessening the chance of injuries. The thing that bothers me about this exercise is that there are some variables, particularly the friction at the wall and floor surfaces, that greatly affect the difficulty of the exercise. Unless you always do the exercise under the same conditions, it is hard to tell if you're making any progress. As an alternative, I have tried crouching in a downhill racer's stance, away from the wall, and holding that position for a few minutes. About the only variable here is how much you bend your knees. I am not a physical trainer, so I don't know if this exercise is as valuable as the other one. It seems to work the seat and back muscles more, however. Another exercise that I hate (but do) are back arches. You need a bench or something similar that you can lay down on and hook your heels. Lay stomach down with your upper body hanging over the end of the bench. Put your hands behind your head. Bend at your waist, lowering your head and shoulders, then lift back up, arching your back. Start out very easy or you could get real sore. This exercise is miserable, but it keeps my lower back from getting hurt during early season mogul skiing. Lowell Skoog Seattle, Washington !fluke!lowell