Cardiovascular fitness is just a starting point as you prepare to enjoy your winter-sports vacation

So, you just booked the cabin up at Heavenly for a ski vacation and you think, "I've got to get myself ready for the slopes!" The earlier you begin to prepare your body for the slopes the better, so let's get to work!

As a ski instructor, I generally ask students what other sports they do and if they did anything specific to prepare for their ski trip. The answers run the full gamut from absolutely nothing to hiring a trainer to work with them months in advance. Most, however, say that they spend a month or so preparing by doing what they feel are the best exercises to get their legs and lungs ready for the trip of a lifetime sliding down the slopes. As a certified personal trainer, I am always tempted to delve further into their fitness routines and to preach to them the benefits of exercise, diet, etc. Since they are on vacation, though, I refrain from delivering a discourse on fitness during our ski lesson.

Let me highlight four areas that warrant a healthy dose of your time and energy to prepare you for the ultimate skiing or snowboarding experience.

Cardiovascular Fitness

You may consider yourself fairly fit, but then you get up to 10,000 feet and participate in a sport that you do not do regularly skiing or snowboarding and WHOAAA what happened to the lungs?! It can be humbling to feel short of breath and gasp for air on a moderately challenging run or even climbing a short flight of stairs at the resort. To train your body to deliver oxygen effectively and on demand you need to participate in activities that increase your heart rate.

Begin by spend two to three days per week training aerobically where you heart rate is elevated for at least 30 minutes. That doesn't include a five- to 10-minute warm up or cool down. It should be elevated enough so that you if you were telling a story at the same time as doing the activity, you would have to pause to catch your breath every now and again while talking. Examples include brisk walking or riding a bike at a moderate pace.

Add another day during the week of interval training where you elevate your heart rate substantially for 30 to 45 seconds and then bring it back down to a brisk level for 60 to 90 seconds of recovery. For example, vary the pace at which you walk. After warming up, jog or run for 30 to 45 seconds to increase your heart rate and then walk to recover for 60 to 90 seconds. A more advanced variation of interval training would be riding a stationary bike, and after warming up, put the resistance up high and stand up and pedal hard for 30 to 45 seconds and then lessen the resistance, sit back down and recover for 60 to 90 seconds.

Strength

It goes without saying you need to strengthen your legs for your ski/snowboard trip. But don't stop there. Squats, hamstring curls, lunges, leg presses, etc. are all fantastic ways of strengthening your legs, but add exercises that also strengthen your hips/butt, core and upper body, which all play a role in maintaining balance and stabilizing your body. Since skiing tends to be dominant with one leg at a time, incorporate exercises into your routine that are single legged.

My favorite single-leg exercises that really target butt muscles as well as the legs are split-legged squats. Stand about 2- to 2-1/2 feet in front of a bench. Put your back foot up on the bench. Lower your back knee to the ground until the front leg is parallel to the ground (If you are just starting out, don't lower your leg so much). Return to the standing position. As you lift and lower, the front leg should be aligned so that the ankle, knee, and hip are in a straight line. Be careful not to allow the front knee to move inside of the front hip. Be persnickety about your form think quality over quantity. This can be done with a barbell or with dumbbells in each hand or without weight.

Another super ski conditioning exercise is to put on a weight belt (or a regular belt) and wrap a sports cord around a stable post and then attach it to the belt. Move laterally away from the post in small steps and hold for four to five seconds. Slowly step back towards the post without letting the cords "snap" you back. Remember quality over quantity. Focus on moving from your core and try not to lead with your shoulders. Keep your hands out in front. The resistance you feel closely simulates how you may feel in a carved turn.

Balance/Coordination/Reaction

The strongest person in the world isn't necessarily the best athlete. Anything you can do to develop your balance is great! Talk on the phone standing on one foot, walk toe-to-heel on the curb along the edge of the sidewalk on the way to lunch, sit on a big stability ball at the gym and see if you can lift one or two feet off of the floor. Be creative and play and you'll find many ways to develop your balance.

As we age, coordination and reaction times need extra attention. This is particularly true while playing sports, especially a sport as dynamic as skiing. We never know when someone is going to cut out in front of us, or if a patch of ice is going to wreak havoc with our decent. The more coordinated our movements are and the quicker our reaction times, the better we'll be able to deal with unexpected occurrences.

A great activity to develop coordination and reaction times is a box drill. You'll need some space and a partner. Place four cones, plastic cups, pine cones, etc. in four corners about 10 feet apart to form a box. Stand in the center facing your partner, who is standing in front of the box. Identify which cup is number 1, 2, etc., etc. and have your partner yell out a number, eg. 1, 2, 3, or 4. Each time he/she yells, run to the corresponding cup, touch it and then return to center. As you return to center, your partner yells out another number. Face your partner the entire time so that you run forwards, backward, sideways, etc. This drill develops coordination, agility, balance, strength, cardiovascular fitness, and quick decision-making skills that will pay off in spades on the slopes.

Flexibility

I have seen more than a few students strive to make movements in skiing only to be limited by their lack of flexibility. Don't short-change yourself and skip stretching after your workout; you'll suffer later with stiff muscles, poor performance and aches and pains. If you have access to a Functional Movement Screen (oftentimes done with physical therapists), take advantage of it. The screen shows you where you have muscle imbalances that interfere with how you move. At a very minimum, stretch each muscle that you work after a given workout for at least 20 to 30 seconds. If you have a problem area, spend extra time on that.

Anything you do to get out, be active and get your muscles working will be rewarded when it comes time carve some turns on the slopes. Remember also when you stop to ogle the views of the lake to have a drink of water. The more you hydrate, the more your pre-ski trip conditioning will pay off.

See you out there!

Disclaimer: Always consult with a physician before beginning any fitness routine. If uncertain of any exercises consult with a professional trainer.

Robin Barnes is a Professional Ski Instructors of America National Alpine Team member, a ski instructor/trainer at Heavenly Mountain Resort, Ski School Director in Portillo, Chile, and a certified personal trainer. She can be reached at robinbarnesusa@netscape.net.