I was at the gym today working with a trainer. We did 2 exercises which felt like good, fun approximations of mogul absorption motions/efforts.
1) Frontside/absorption start. For the frontside of the mogul, the absorption motion is a dynamic heel-pull (starts absorption). The gym training/physical strength buildup exercise we did is to lie on your back on an 18" or 24" box, with heels in TRX stirrups. Then do a hamstring curl (8-12 reps). Feels quite a lot like the dynamic feeling of the heelpull on the frontside.
<Another version of this is to put the heels up on a Swiss ball and do heelpulls. I found the feet in stirrups felt quite a lot more dynamic & more similar to real-life mogul motion than on the ball, prob cause more complete foot-to-foot isolation, and especially cause the heels are free in space like on skis, unlike on the ball..> In a real mogul run you are doing 20-100+ turns with 20-30 lbs. weight (pulling back the weight of yr skis+boots+bindings). In the gym exercise you are doing 8-12 reps (3-4 sets) with 100-200lbs weight (your bodyweight) so you are building strength/power for an approx comparable motion.
2) Backside/extension. for the backside of the mogul (extension), the quads always get tired on the extensions late in the ski day. Gym exercise is a power exercise. You set up a 24" box near a wall. You are gonna squat down putting your tail onto the box. You take a midweight medicine ball. You squat down holding the medicine ball. You stand up dynamically and throw the medicine ball up against the wall above you, as it comes down you catch it and squat down to the box. Repeat 8-12 reps, 3-4 sets. This builds strength & power in a way very similar to extension on the backside of the mogul.
< The medicine-ball throw is quite a lot like Heather McPhie's pre-season workout video, just a bit more focused cause it adds the squat which she doesn't have in the vid. >
Obviously the one huuuge thing that is missing is the incredible Woinngg between the frontside & the backside where the ski tip hits the frontside face and bends way up in front of you and you have to keep your balance until it snaps down on the backside. Not sure how to work on that part in the gym hahaha. But anyway that's more of a balance & technique thing than a strength thing with the big muscles which these 2 exercises are kindof working on.
It'll be fun to see how these help when we get out to PSI camp at Mt. Hood end of July a coupla months from now.
A couple of years ago before camp I was working on hamstrings with a ham curl liedown bench. That was lots of work & pure strength, but it was a much more simplified motion where you do the rigid range that the bench has, not the equipment helps you with the range-of-motion that You have. I liked the TRX stirrup version from today a lot better.
Jones Suxx
Peace All
1) Frontside/absorption start. For the frontside of the mogul, the absorption motion is a dynamic heel-pull (starts absorption). The gym training/physical strength buildup exercise we did is to lie on your back on an 18" or 24" box, with heels in TRX stirrups. Then do a hamstring curl (8-12 reps). Feels quite a lot like the dynamic feeling of the heelpull on the frontside.
<Another version of this is to put the heels up on a Swiss ball and do heelpulls. I found the feet in stirrups felt quite a lot more dynamic & more similar to real-life mogul motion than on the ball, prob cause more complete foot-to-foot isolation, and especially cause the heels are free in space like on skis, unlike on the ball..> In a real mogul run you are doing 20-100+ turns with 20-30 lbs. weight (pulling back the weight of yr skis+boots+bindings). In the gym exercise you are doing 8-12 reps (3-4 sets) with 100-200lbs weight (your bodyweight) so you are building strength/power for an approx comparable motion.
2) Backside/extension. for the backside of the mogul (extension), the quads always get tired on the extensions late in the ski day. Gym exercise is a power exercise. You set up a 24" box near a wall. You are gonna squat down putting your tail onto the box. You take a midweight medicine ball. You squat down holding the medicine ball. You stand up dynamically and throw the medicine ball up against the wall above you, as it comes down you catch it and squat down to the box. Repeat 8-12 reps, 3-4 sets. This builds strength & power in a way very similar to extension on the backside of the mogul.
< The medicine-ball throw is quite a lot like Heather McPhie's pre-season workout video, just a bit more focused cause it adds the squat which she doesn't have in the vid. >
Obviously the one huuuge thing that is missing is the incredible Woinngg between the frontside & the backside where the ski tip hits the frontside face and bends way up in front of you and you have to keep your balance until it snaps down on the backside. Not sure how to work on that part in the gym hahaha. But anyway that's more of a balance & technique thing than a strength thing with the big muscles which these 2 exercises are kindof working on.
It'll be fun to see how these help when we get out to PSI camp at Mt. Hood end of July a coupla months from now.
A couple of years ago before camp I was working on hamstrings with a ham curl liedown bench. That was lots of work & pure strength, but it was a much more simplified motion where you do the rigid range that the bench has, not the equipment helps you with the range-of-motion that You have. I liked the TRX stirrup version from today a lot better.
Jones Suxx
Peace All
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(It wouldn't be the worst.)
