By Jay Brogden, DAC Personal Trainer

For many of us, winter is when we tend to switch up our workouts – whether it’s to get slope-ready, because of the holidays, or that New Year desire to try something new. The following is a great and challenging workout that primarily uses your own bodyweight (with a few supplemental pieces of equipment) and that scales well to winter sports.

Cardio and Warm UP

I recommend hopping on a treadmill, stationary bike, or stair climber for 10-20 minutes. Adding in intervals of 30 seconds to 60 seconds of a higher intensity is a good way to keep it fresh and challenge yourself.

Dynamic Movement Warm Up

Before I pick up any weights, I like to run through a quick dynamic warm up to get my body moving in all directions. These movements should be done moving through each stretch for 10-20 reps, and not holding any stretch for a warm-up longer than 45-60 seconds. We want to keep our bodies moving through a full range of motion while keeping our heart rate elevated.

Strength Training Exercises

Wall Sits
Wall sits are a great exercise that translates well to skiing and snowboarding. While doing a wall sit, choose what depth of squat you want to hold, and try and consciously squeeze your leg muscles to create the contraction. Hold anywhere from 30-60 seconds for 3 to 4 rounds. A
dumbbell or weight plate on your thighs will add challenge. 

Side Stepping Lunge

With bodyweight or a dumbbell, take a wide step to your side, plant your foot, and lower yourself as low as comfortable, loading into that side of your hip. Once you're as low as you feel you can go, drive out of the lunge and put your feet back to center, and that is one rep. This exercise is great for working muscles of the groin and glutes and translates to balance and control on the mountain.

Medicine Ball Russian Twist

With bodyweight or a dumbbell, take a wide step to your side, plant your foot, and lower yourself as low as comfortable, loading into that side of your hip. Once you're as low as you feel you can go, drive out of the lunge and put your feet back to center, and that is one rep. This exercise is great for working muscles of the groin and glutes and translates to balance and control on the mountain.

Side Plank Leg Lifts

Start on your side with your elbow directly under your shoulder. Legs can either be straight, or bent as a modification: if bent, the side of your knee is the point of contact with the ground. To start, bridge your hip closest to the ground up into the air by squeezing your glutes and engaging your core. Once up and holding the side plank, begin to lift your top leg away from your body to the end point of where you can go. Lower your leg back to your body and repeat 15-20 reps. This exercise helps strengthen outer hip muscles as well as your core and will help increase muscular endurance while on the mountain.

Cable Straight Arm Pulldown
Grab a straight bar cable attachment and place it at the highest point of any cable machine. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows with arms flexed, pull the bar down without bending your arms all the way down to your hip. Control the bar back to the top while keeping your arms straight and feeling it stretch your back, once back at the top, pull through those same back muscles back to the bottom again. This exercise mimics using poles to push yourself while skiing.