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Skiing Preparation Checklist for First-Timers
The thick snowfall and freezing temperatures during winter don’t stop us from looking forward to something: skiing. It’s one of the reasons we’re excited about the season. Skiing is a great, exhilarating sport that we can enjoy with our families and friends.
If you’re skiing for the first time on the next winter, then you’ve stumbled upon this blog just in time. Your body needs plenty of time to be conditioned for the experience, and since skiing can only be done a few times a year, first-timers may find it hard to prepare if they don’t have a lot of time allowance.
Aside from wearing the right high-quality clothing like Descente men’s ski jackets, you need to exercise and eat the right food to train your endurance and strength and to protect yourself from getting injured. Here’s your first skiing preparation checklist to get you all set next winter.
Whether you’re a novice or an experienced skier, getting the right amount of cardio endurance exercises is required before you ski. For 3 to 5 days a week, do running, stairclimber, elliptical trainer, or any other exercise routine that puts your whole body in motion and your heart rate up.
You can also do 20-45 minutes of different exercises of varying intensities, or just one long, slow workout every week for an hour or more. These cardio endurance exercises should condition your lungs and legs for long skiing sessions.
2. Strength Training
The most used muscles in skiing are the quads, hamstrings, glutes, thighs, calves, abs, back, and arms; almost your entire body. Perform squats and lunges to condition your quads, and do deadlifts, one-legged deadlifts, step-ups, hamstring rolls, and pull-throughs to strengthen your hamstrings and glutes.
To train your thighs, lunges and squats, specifically side lunges and side-step squats, are also effective, as well as leg lifts. For your calves, do standing calf raises. Abs and back exercises include cycling, wood chops, back extensions, and dumbbell rows. To condition your arms, perform bicep and tricep exercises.
3. Make a Meal Plan
Skiing burns thousands of calories, so we need to be well-fed before hitting the snow. But your meals need a bit of careful selection. Sweets aren’t recommended, even if they’re usually good kickstarters. Load up on protein-rich food instead to keep your energy levels at their peak while you engage in the sport.
Here’s a hearty meal plan before and during the ski day, as recommended by experienced skiers:
Breakfast – oatmeal, whole grains, porridge with honey, granola and fruit, bagels or toast (with avocado), eggs (boiled or poached)
Lunch – a sandwich with lean meat or nut butter, with a salad on the side. Burgers and fries are also good meals but only consume them sparingly.
Snack – sandwich with lean meat, eggs or low-fat cheese, yogurt-based smoothie, cereal bars, nuts and seeds, dried fruit
And of course, don’t forget your water. You need to stay hydrated to perform well on the ice. Steer clear of caffeine and alcohol for the meantime, because they cause dehydration and reduce concentration, respectively. Save the daily caffeine fixes and booze-fueled nights after the ski!
With your body conditioned and fed right, your first skiing experience will be better than you anticipated. Remember this mantra while you prepare: no pain, no gain. Your sacrifices will pay off, and you’d be much healthier, too.
