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PrintTips from Trainers
Relax, rehydrate, recover
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With the ski season here, we asked three local trainers how to prepare for the rigors of skiing or riding the famously rugged terrain of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort—what to do both at home before and after your trip (to prepare for the next one), and after arriving here. Each trainer has a little different approach; taken cumulatively, their advice should have you skiing as strong as JHMR ambassador and Olympic gold medalist Tommy Moe.
Well, then again …
Professional JHMR-sponsored big mountain skier and rodeo competitor Crystal Wright (www.crystalbwright.com) teaches ski fitness at Mountain Athlete in Jackson.
At Home
Leg blasters are terrific body-weight exercises that will have you doing non-stop Hoback runs in no time. This exercise is great for strengthening, injury prevention, and endurance. It includes 20 fast squats, 20 alternating lunges, 20 jump lunges, and 10 squat jumps. These can be progressed as you get stronger, starting with two sets and working all the way up to six. The other series of exercises I like is a strong core set, as strengthening the core is vital for skiing.
While You’re Here
The more confident you are on your skis, the more energy you will save. When people are nervous skiing, they’ll usually exhaust their legs a lot faster than if they relax and flow through the turn. Competing in rodeo taught me a lot about nerves. (And no, I’m not suggesting you start bull riding or team roping!) When I’m getting ready to run barrels, I think about skiing a fun line and then I don’t get as nervous. Same thing goes for when I’m skiing: I’ll think about rodeo and then somehow feel more confident on my run. In other words, thinking about something different when the nerves get going works for me.
Breathing correctly is also very important, so that the muscles are able to get oxygen and function properly. And the stronger your core and stabilizer muscles, the easier the turns and the greater your endurance will be.
The entire article can be read in the Winter 2012 issue of Jackson Hole Magazine.
