Warming up the legs before skiing

[TheArchitect]

So I'm frustrated with how tired my thighs get around lunchtime and while I'm slowly working on dropping the extra pounds that are the main cause I'm also thinking of warm up and muscle activation before skiing. I've been googling and found this example at the link: https://www.skimag.com/performance/fitness/warm-up-moves-for-skiers/

Are they trying to say that I should be doing this every morning before skiing? I have to drive 3 hours to get to where ever I'm skiing so I can't imagine doing this at 4:30 am and then driving to the mountain. I KNOW that no one is doing these things in the lodge at the mountain so what gives?

What I want to know is what to my fellow SkiTalkers do to warm up and activate your leg muscles?

And I'm pretty sure I'm not in the back seat causing my thigh burn.

 

[wooglin]

Lots of quick, short, easy turns on the first run. With maybe a stop or two on the way down. Sometimes the second run too.

 

[Tom K.]

What I want to know is what to my fellow SkiTalkers do to warm up and activate your leg muscles?

Can you skate ski once a week? If you're in even modest skating shape, alpine skiing will seem so much easier than it does now.

Absent that, I'm a big fan of walking really briskly from the parking lot to the lift maze. If that's even 5 minutes, I'm good to go, and it's simple.

 

[cantunamunch]

What I want to know is what to my fellow SkiTalkers do to warm up and activate your leg muscles?

After a 3 hour drive (or even during stops)? Glute grab / bridge / asian toilet squat. Before even booting up.

The PERFECT Daily Posture Routine (UNDO SITTING!)

If you ever wondered what the perfect daily posture routine would be to get better posture then this is the video for you. Here I am going to show you a quic...

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And I play the 1 turn/10 feet vert game, which is basically what @wooglin said.

Absent that, I'm a big fan of walking really briskly from the parking lot to the lift maze. If that's even 5 minutes, I'm good to go, and it's simple.

When I saw you had posted, I actually had a picture of you (and OP) doing the sprinter/cyclocrosser thigh beating/banging.

OP can still do that at lunchtime (and stretch).

 

[Aquila]

Oh yeah, I'll be interested in the replies to this topic. I think a bit about warming up, because I'm sure it would be good for my skiing and better for my muscles, but in reality my first run of the day is my warmup. I have a 90+ minute drive to the mountain so there's not a huge amount of point in warming up at home, and at the mountain there's just no room. The parking lot is normally icy so I walk very s l o w l y across that, then there's the cafe area and an outdoor deck. I guess I could run back and forth along the snow in my ski boots...!

At least there's a small flight of stairs between the carpark and the lift area, so I get a few stairs in to warm up haha

 

[goaliedad]

I try to take the first 2 or 3 runs and make lots of short radius turns, keeping the speed relatively low. Even on steeper pitches, I try to make sure I make a ton of short, fully carved turns that are fully completed and fully edged. After that, I find my legs are generally good and warm, and my ankles are flexing correctly.

Related to the "skate ski" above, I referee high level ice hockey (high school and college level), and find that when I skate on the weekends before I ski mid-week (the joys of being retired!!!), my legs are in way better shape sooner. The muscles aren't identical, but what I use on the rink and the slopes are highly related.

 

[Johnny V.]

What's your first run? At my home mountain, the black slope under the main chair is where everyone heads to if it's open. We also have a long green with enough decent pitch to get going pretty well-that's where I usually head for my first couple of runs. Wakes up the body and gives a chance to get skiing movements down without a lot of stress. Bonus is there is usually little traffic.


Of course if it's a rare powder day, that advice goes out the window...........................

 

[KingGrump]

You are trying way too hard. You are working at this skiing thing like it is a job.

Look me up during the Taos gathering. I'll show you how short fat old guys like me warm up for skiing. We just go skiing. Very slowly at first. Then we slow it down some. I listen to my body. Gotta get a hearing aid. Haven't heard much lately. Sucks being old.
Come to think of it, the entire days of skiing for me is warm up. It gets me going enough to be able to lift that beer at the end of the day. Beats the hell out of drinking beer out of a straw. If that is not incentive to go skiing, I don't know what is.

 

[Seldomski]

Usually my warm up is just skiing a bit. If I am waiting for others I will sometimes do a bit to warm up legs and wake things up, but hardly a routine. I will warm up a bit before a ski lesson since there's so much waiting around and sometimes there's a ski off.

Warm up stuff:
Lunge to instep, then hamstring stretch.
A few air squats and/or baby squats.
Good mornings.
And of course, walking up and down stairs to the bathroom...

When I did momentum clinic, they actually did a warm up before the lesson started. Consisted of jumping jacks, running in place and some lunges. Might have even been some push-ups in there. It was really short, maybe 5 minutes and it was after riding the lift up. So quick transition directly into skiing.

For soreness over multiple days of skiing, I find some stretching in the evening and foam roller can help work out knots. Drink lots of water too. Usually takes me a few ski runs in the morning to work out soreness/stiffness from prior day. Then of course, better conditioning going into the season helps. Technique and tactics also change exertion levels...

 

[Noodler]

I've participated in a lot of sports during my life and I can't recall ever connecting "warming up" with "reducing fatigue". So I poked around on the Internet and found some relevant stuff that I thought was interesting.

Less is more: standard warm-up causes fatigue and less warm-up permits greater cycling power output​

The Warmup That Fights Fatigue​

What to Do to Not Get Tired When You Work Out​

 

[Rostapher]

After a 3 hour drive (or even during stops)? Glute grab / bridge / asian toilet squat. Before even booting up.

The PERFECT Daily Posture Routine (UNDO SITTING!)

If you ever wondered what the perfect daily posture routine would be to get better posture then this is the video for you. Here I am going to show you a quic...

www.youtube.com

Thread drift…I watched the Athlean X video about posture & sitting, and then another & another…. They are all so good with great explainations and actual movements to address specific problems I have, I hope they actually help! Thanks for sharing this @cantunamunch. I needed new workout motivation & knowledge and I think this is it.

Back on topic: I sometimes do leg swings to warm up, front to back & diagonal, w/ hands wide on tops of poles for stability. Then a bit of stretching with tail of the ski in the snow in front/grab the ski tip, then tip of the ski in snow behind with the tail at my back. These probably have actual names, but I don’t know them, I just copy what the instructors do!

 

[cantunamunch]

Then a bit of stretching with tail of the ski in the snow in front/grab the ski tip, then tip of the ski in snow behind with the tail at my back. These probably have actual names, but I don’t know them, I just copy what the instructors do!

You can do the ski tip grab on the chair too - great for hamstring release. If you do, pair it with a clocking move where you point the ski tip as far counterclockwise and clockwise as you can - feel it in the hip.

To @Noodler's point, I don't do stretches *before* a session start, but I definitely do them when I feel I'm tightening up near the end of day.

 

[TheArchitect]

Thanks for the replies! I'll be back when I have a few minutes to actually read them.

 

[AtleB]

I generally use the first few runs as warm up.
I ski dem as I usually ski, quite high intensity, but make a few stops along the way before I either get winded or feel any legburn.

 

[Lvovsky /Pasha/Pavel]

Do some of these:

WSSA - PRE SKI WARM UP EXERCISES

Before skiing (or any sport) it's essential to prepare your body for the sport it's about to do. This is particularly important with skiing as we generally g...

youtu.be

Some can be done in lift line. Some when you are waiting for someone. I like to take five minutes on top of first or second chair ride to stretch and move. First and second runs are also full of easy drills: side slips, pivot slips, hockey stops, falling leafs, garlands….

or i just rip it down fresh corduroy or powder and suffer consequences later.

don’t forget about cool down. One minute of very light jogging after changing boots does wonders to recovery and reducing soreness.

 

[anders_nor]

walking around with gear multiple stairs etc, getting it on, then a few calm runs before having fun. when you get old(er) you get good at warming up.

only spend about 10 minutes in the car though. We are kinda spoiled in this land of snow & mountains.

 

[bbinder]

My group always intends to ski the first couple of runs very slowly. We never seem to accomplish this simple goal.

 

[Tom K.]

Related to the "skate ski" above, I referee high level ice hockey (high school and college level), and find that when I skate on the weekends before I ski mid-week (the joys of being retired!!!), my legs are in way better shape sooner. The muscles aren't identical, but what I use on the rink and the slopes are highly related.

Yup, very similar, and hockey reffing sounds like a blast. Grew up playing hockey. Wonderful sport.

 

[TheArchitect]

Can you skate ski once a week? If you're in even modest skating shape, alpine skiing will seem so much easier than it does now.

Absent that, I'm a big fan of walking really briskly from the parking lot to the lift maze. If that's even 5 minutes, I'm good to go, and it's simple.

Not really but I could rollerblade when the pavement is clear and dry. Close enough?

After a 3 hour drive (or even during stops)? Glute grab / bridge / asian toilet squat. Before even booting up.

The PERFECT Daily Posture Routine (UNDO SITTING!)

If you ever wondered what the perfect daily posture routine would be to get better posture then this is the video for you. Here I am going to show you a quic...

www.youtube.com

Thanks! I can see a glute grab and squat as being easy to incorporate.

What's your first run? At my home mountain, the black slope under the main chair is where everyone heads to if it's open. We also have a long green with enough decent pitch to get going pretty well-that's where I usually head for my first couple of runs. Wakes up the body and gives a chance to get skiing movements down without a lot of stress. Bonus is there is usually little traffic.


Of course if it's a rare powder day, that advice goes out the window...........................

It's never the same but usually a green or blue. Warming up on a black is less common these days. That said, I'm looking for something to do before the first run to warm up the muscles and THEN do the warm up ski run.

You are trying way too hard. You are working at this skiing thing like it is a job.

Look me up during the Taos gathering. I'll show you how short fat old guys like me warm up for skiing. We just go skiing. Very slowly at first. Then we slow it down some. I listen to my body. Gotta get a hearing aid. Haven't heard much lately. Sucks being old.
Come to think of it, the entire days of skiing for me is warm up. It gets me going enough to be able to lift that beer at the end of the day. Beats the hell out of drinking beer out of a straw. If that is not incentive to go skiing, I don't know what is.

Mostly I'm trying to extend the number of hours I can ski in a day but I do get your point. Work is keeping me from going to Taos this year but if you're at the Aspen Gathering we should definitely talk.

I've participated in a lot of sports during my life and I can't recall ever connecting "warming up" with "reducing fatigue". So I poked around on the Internet and found some relevant stuff that I thought was interesting.

Less is more: standard warm-up causes fatigue and less warm-up permits greater cycling power output​

The Warmup That Fights Fatigue​

What to Do to Not Get Tired When You Work Out​

I've never really needed to warm up before doing any sport. Alas, old age and large meals have taken their toll and I'm not in the same condition I used to be. I guess I have to pay attention to what my body is saying now.

Usually my warm up is just skiing a bit. If I am waiting for others I will sometimes do a bit to warm up legs and wake things up, but hardly a routine. I will warm up a bit before a ski lesson since there's so much waiting around and sometimes there's a ski off.

Warm up stuff:
Lunge to instep, then hamstring stretch.
A few air squats and/or baby squats.
Good mornings.
And of course, walking up and down stairs to the bathroom...

When I did momentum clinic, they actually did a warm up before the lesson started. Consisted of jumping jacks, running in place and some lunges. Might have even been some push-ups in there. It was really short, maybe 5 minutes and it was after riding the lift up. So quick transition directly into skiing.

For soreness over multiple days of skiing, I find some stretching in the evening and foam roller can help work out knots. Drink lots of water too. Usually takes me a few ski runs in the morning to work out soreness/stiffness from prior day. Then of course, better conditioning going into the season helps. Technique and tactics also change exertion levels...

I'm going to start the leg blasters program tonight and blow the dust off my Skier's Edge as well. I definitely need to work on this more. I've always been able to ski myself into decent skiing condition but it's not working anymore.

Do some of these:

WSSA - PRE SKI WARM UP EXERCISES

Before skiing (or any sport) it's essential to prepare your body for the sport it's about to do. This is particularly important with skiing as we generally g...

youtu.be

Some can be done in lift line. Some when you are waiting for someone. I like to take five minutes on top of first or second chair ride to stretch and move. First and second runs are also full of easy drills: side slips, pivot slips, hockey stops, falling leafs, garlands….

or i just rip it down fresh corduroy or powder and suffer consequences later.

don’t forget about cool down. One minute of very light jogging after changing boots does wonders to recovery and reducing soreness.

Thanks! I'll look at that link.

 

[Seldomski]

I sometimes do leg swings to warm up, front to back & diagonal, w/ hands wide on tops of poles for stability.

I do these too during workouts, sometimes end of day after skiing or before. Really good after a run to loosen up the hips. I have heard them called "fence drills," presumably because it is handy to lean against a fence while doing them?