Winter Conditioning: Get in Shape for Your Favorite Winter Sports

For those of you who love to participate in popular winter sports or thoroughly enjoy a brisk, snowshoe-clad hike, chilly air and sparkly snow can be quite exhilarating. But despite the beauty of the outdoors, winter sports can also cause extreme fatigue and injury without the proper preparation. If you’re an avid skier, snowboarder, cross-country skier, or participate in any winter sport, you are most likely familiar with the need for endurance, balance, strength, and more. To help you stay active and avoid injury, we’ve compiled a list of what to keep in mind when training for your favorite winter sports.

• Develop core strength. When it comes to the multi-directional nature of many winter sports like skiing or snowboarding, having a strong core is a must. Performing exercises that work the abdominal muscles from all angles is a great way to develop well-rounded core strength. Lauralee Beerman, a group fitness instructor and personal trainer at The Sports Club at Garden of the Gods Club, recommends trying the Club’s winter conditioning class. “I really try to target the core in this class. Having a stable core helps to prevent a lot of the lower back injuries that can be common with winter sports,” she said.

• Cultivate balance. Having a strong core is only one of aspect of mastering the multi-directional movement that comes with winter sports. Balance is one quality that helps you do things like move side to side down a mountain on skis or stay upright when ice-skating. Balance and agility are also key ingredients to moving with ease. “One exercise for balance and agility that we do in Winter Conditioning is called ‘King of the Mountain,’” Lauralee said. “I have one person stand on a BOSU® ball with a rope tied around [his/her] waist, while another person tries to pull [him/her] off,” she continued. “Though it may sound silly, the tug-of-war type movement is a great way to gain balance.” One article even suggests balancing on your toes and heels on a wobble board or skateboard. Expanding your balancing skills can be quite fun and challenging.

• Try plyometrics. Plyometrics is defined as a type of training designed to produce fast, powerful movements. It increases power by training with rapid stretching, contracting of muscles, and using multi-directional movements. Skips, shuffles, hops, squats, and jumps are all examples of moves that are found in plyometrics training. “I try to make plyometrics fun,” Lauralee said. “I generally structure my class in two to three minute-long stations to help keep my students engaged. And, weather-permitting, sometimes we will go outside and do exercises on the lawn.”

• Pump up the cardio. Although developing muscle strength, agility, and balance are important for winter sports, cardiovascular fitness is equally important. One article describes how many winter sports are done at high altitudes, meaning that there is less oxygen available to the body. As you train for greater cardio endurance, your body becomes more efficient at using the oxygen that is available. And with a variety of cardio exercises from which to choose, you never have to resort to boredom. Try running, dancing, sprinting, jump-roping, bicycling, hiking, or anything else that effectively raises your heart rate. “One of the primary benefits of my winter conditioning class is that it increases cardio for endurance,” Lauralee said. “Cardio really helps to improve your overall athletic performance.”

As another article describes, athletic movement is a symphony of different components working together. Joints, muscles, and mind work in tandem with each other to create a powerhouse of invigorating movement. Whether or not you would describe yourself as a winter athlete, training to develop skills like strength, balance, agility, and endurance will complement whichever activities you truly enjoy. Such training helps to prevent common injuries while helping you to enjoy your time on the slopes, ice, or anywhere else. If you are interested in what our Sports Club has to offer, or would like to find our more about the variety of memberships available at Garden of the Gods Club, we encourage you to contact Director of Membership Tracey Kalata at 719.520.4980 or tkalata@ggclub.com. Make this winter season an opportunity to get fit while enjoying your favorite winter sports.