Ski season is fast approaching, and whether you’ve been training all summer or just starting to ramp up, now is the time to get your body ready for the slopes. These exercises will help to build strength, power, endurance, and agility, all of which are crucial for ski performance. Incorporating these exercises into your training will challenge you and help you peak at the right time. Let’s break down some of the top ski-conditioning exercises that will ensure you’re ready for a killer ski season!
1. Single-Leg GS Squats
This is one of the best exercises to simulate the forces your lower legs experience when turning on skis. While traditional leg exercises help build strength, the unique angle of the Single-Leg GS Squat mimics the motion of carving through the snow. To perform it:
Set up a T-Bar Row platform or barbell landmine to elevate one foot while the other leg hovers in the air.
Hold a barbell in a "carrying wood" position, with your shoulder leaning slightly against the bar.
Do 4 sets of 6 reps per side.
Why it works: This exercise mimics the tipped position of your ski boots while turning, building the ankle stability needed for proper carving.
2. Sled Push
This is a fantastic power-building exercise that strengthens your lower body in a functional way. Sled pushes help develop the explosive leg drive needed for powerful ski turns.
Set up a sled with a few plates.
Focus on driving your legs forward and pushing explosively with a consistent stance.
Do 5 sets of 20-meter pushes.
Why it works: Sled pushes are great for building natural, functional power and improving leg drive, which translates well to skiing.
3. Barbell Chest Press
Although skiing is lower-body dominant, upper-body strength is also important, particularly for stability and core engagement. This exercise works both the chest and shoulders, while also requiring your core to stabilize.
Use a T-Bar Row platform or barbell landmine and perform single-arm overhead presses.
Do 10 reps per arm for 3 sets.
Why it works: It strengthens the upper body while forcing you to engage your core for stability, which is essential for skiing through varied terrain.
4. Single-Leg Sled Push
A variation of the standard sled push, this exercise isolates each leg, helping to build balance, strength, and stability—critical for skiing’s demanding side-to-side movements.
Push the sled with one leg, focusing on extending your ankle fully as you drive your foot forward.
Do this with reduced weight to start and aim for full extension with each step.
Why it works: This helps address muscle imbalances and improves strength and range of motion in each leg, particularly the calves.
5. Core Strength
A strong core is essential for maintaining stability and control on the slopes. These exercises will build endurance and strength in your core, which is crucial for holding powerful ski positions, especially during high-speed turns and rough terrain.
Do 4 sets of straight-legged sit-ups, side V-ups, planks, and Russian twists.
Why it works: These exercises target all areas of the core, improving balance, strength, and stability—all essential for efficient skiing.
6. Strength Training for Legs
Strong legs are the foundation of skiing. Incorporate exercises that target your quads, hamstrings, and glutes to build the power you need for explosive turns and speed.
Include squats (bodyweight or barbell), single-leg Romanian deadlifts, lunges (forward, backward, and lateral), and box step-ups.
Why it works: These exercises strengthen the major muscles needed for skiing, improving your ability to generate power and maintain technique on the slopes.
7. Power Training
Explosiveness is key when it comes to quick, aggressive skiing movements. Power exercises help you build the speed and force needed to initiate fast turns and jumps.
Incorporate 40-meter sprints, Olympic Weightlifting, medicine ball throws, broad jumps, split-squat jumps, and stair jumps (taking 3-4 stairs at a time).
Why it works: These exercises improve your fast-twitch muscle fibers, helping you generate speed quickly—a critical element for alpine skiing.
8. Endurance Workouts
While strength and power are important, endurance is what will allow you to maintain peak performance throughout long training sessions and full days on the slopes.
Engage in long, slow cardio sessions like hiking, biking, or running to build your aerobic base.
Target Zone 2 with long cardio sessions to specifically build aerobic capacity.
Why it works: Cardiovascular endurance allows you to ski longer without fatiguing, which is crucial for both performance and recovery.
9. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
To improve anaerobic capacity and power endurance, HIIT is a game-changer. The Echo Bike, commonly used in Crossfit, is a brutal but effective machine that tests your limits.
Example workout on the Echo Bike: 10 rounds of 10-15 seconds of max effort, followed by 120 seconds of rest.
Why it works: This kind of intense interval training improves maximal power output and your ability to recover quickly while pushing your body to the limit, mimicking the high-intensity bursts required in skiing.
10. Mid-Season Recovery Workout
When the ski season is in full swing, your body is under heavy stress. It’s important to maintain strength without overtaxing yourself. A quick 30-minute low intensity recovery workout can help you stay in shape during peak training.
Perform 6 rounds of the following movements EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) for 30 minutes total working for 20-30 seconds each round: jump rope, push-ups, med ball squats, and kettlebell goblet lunges.
Why it works: This EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) style workout keeps your body moving and your muscles engaged while allowing for recovery, preventing burnout during the season.
Final Thoughts
Prepping for ski season requires more than just hitting the slopes. It’s about building the right strength, power, and endurance to handle everything from explosive turns to long days of vertical. Including strength training, core work, and high-intensity intervals in your training will ensure that you’re physically prepared to take on whatever the season throws at you.
Start these exercises now, and by the time ski season rolls around, you’ll be stronger, faster, and more resilient on the snow—ready to ski bell to bell without missing a beat!
Not feeling ready to hit the slopes? Consult the experts at RISE to ensure you are ready to go when all the terrain opens!