Hi!
I’m still alive!! But I’ve been busy. Abs and I are visiting Whistler, Revelstoke and Big White this month so most of my spare time has been devoted to training for it. The options at home are limited because we do not live in a mountainous region so I’ve been doing what I can to prepare. Here is my current routine:
Gym
At the gym I primarily do weights as a means of exhausting my glycogen stores. I don’t focus on one particular area, instead trying to max everything out. I’ve adjusted this to be about 60-70% lower body and 30% upper for the purposes of being ski-ready though. My current leg/glute routine includes:
- Sleds (pictured above) – they’re so fun! It’s fairly forgiving and it’s a good way to feel a burn really quickly. I usually do maybe 5-6 rounds of this running down and back. More if I start with these. After that I’m exhausted.
- Deadlifts – I’m really dreadful at traditional deadlifts so I use a Hex bar so as not to put as much strain on my back. I find it also helps me isolate my glutes a little better. This is my favourite all around exercise.
- Hip Adductor/Abductor machines – I find these become really easy when I’m skiing a lot because they target the muscles I use in making turns. Still I do them because I find they help round out my workout.
- Leg Curls – I don’t like overworking one side and not the other. I like these because they balance out my leg and work out the opposing muscles so I don’t get as cramped in my quads.
- Leg Press – If I’m not already completely exhausted by sleds & deadlifts.
Frequency: Twice a week
Skiing
I’ve been trying to ski every weekend to practice for the trip. It’s really hard to get any practice in requiring endurance but I’ve been trying. I’ve been doing lots of moguls and extra turns where possible to condition my body for it. Here is a sample of the hills we typically practice on, on our Youtube Channel.
Frequency: Once a week
Yoga/Stretching
Not from a recent yoga session at all but I never have a device with me so instead you get this. 😛
This has been really helpful in recovering from the heavy lifting days. I have a tendency to work myself to a point where I can barely move cos I’ve pulled everything. Doing yoga on my rest days has been super helpful. I’m fairly inflexible so I’m hoping it’s also increasing my flexibility, bit by bit.
Frequency: Twice a week
Cardio
I’ve been trying to get cardio in wherever I can whether it’s running up all the flights of stairs in my office during my breaks or running/cycling after a weight workout. If it counts, I also hike and dance a lot but those are not particularly aerobic to me. It’s been more infrequent than I’d like to admit but hopefully it will be enough.
Frequency: 2-3 times a week.
Hopefully this will be enough. We’re planning to ski/board for 7 out of the 9 days we’ll be in Whistler and we’ve only skiied things as big as Mont Tremblant in Quebec. I’m so pumped for real powder!! 😀
Brat
Abs and Brat 