Sierra Samaritans - National Ski Patrol

photo 5
PHOTOS BY LLOYD MULLER
Quarter Hop, start
❚ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31
experience is an injury or your legs giving
out while you travel down the mountain.
Strength work is fundamental for injury
prevention. For example, it is very important
to keep the quadriceps strong so that
the knee stays in place.
Wall Sit
For this exercise you’ll need an exercise
ball like those found at most gyms and
training facilities. You can also purchase
them at fitness shops or retail outlets.
Place the ball between the small of your
back and a solid wall and place your feet
in front of you so you’re leaning back
slightly (photo 7). Begin to squat into a
seated position and allow the ball to travel
up your back. Sink down slowly until
you’re in a seated position with your knees
at a 90-degree angle. Be sure you don’t
bend so far that your knees are in front of
your toes. Hold the seated position for a
couple seconds and then rise slowly until
you’re standing upright, but do not take a
break at the top.
Initially do this up and down for 12
repetitions. When this exercise gets easier
as your strength improves, start holding
photo 6
Quarter Hop, hop
the seated position for longer periods: 5,
10, 15, 20, and 30 seconds. This exercise
builds strength in the glutes and the core
stabilizer muscles. As the knee flexes and
extends, the quads work to hold it in position.
This exercise helps you build
endurance for a day in the bumps, and the
use of the ball improves balance because
the exercise is then performed in a relatively
dynamic format.
Upper Body Strength and Balance
Do basic bicep curls or tricep presses
while standing on one leg. Not only will
this help you build upper body strength in
your arms, chest, and back, it will require
you to tighten your core muscles while
also working on stability. The movement
If you snowboard you’ll often need to rotate your upper body in order
to ride switch. Having a strong core and upper body
will keep you from over-rotating and losing your balance.
of the weight and your upper body will
challenge your lower body to stay balanced.
Your core muscles will tighten to
keep you from bending over at the waist
or losing your balance.
If you snowboard you’ll often need to
rotate your upper body in order to ride
switch. Having a strong core and upper
body will keep you from over-rotating and
losing your balance. When you’re ready for
a bigger challenge, try these exercises while
photo 7
Wall Sit
standing on a Bosu® (a popular balancetraining
device that’s essentially an inflated
dome on one side and a flat rubber platform
on the other.)
MACHINES
The following strength exercises call for
using weight machines. They are all performed
with one leg at a time to help condition
the legs for independent action on
the slopes. However, it’s important to
build both legs up to equal strength.
Everyone has a naturally dominant
side that will be a bit stronger than the
other, but if the ratio becomes too great,
the body will become unstable, making
balance even more difficult. Although
these exercises are performed in seated or
prone positions that don’t present balance
challenges, strengthening and toning
these muscles will improve overall muscular
stability in variable terrain, which can’t
help but aid balance.
Single-leg Press
This exercise can be done on almost any
leg press equipment and is particularly
well-suited to a seated leg-press machine,
as shown in photo 8. However, a proneposition
machine will also work. The benefit
of the seated machine is that it keeps
stress off the spine. This exercise is not
recommended for squat equipment, such
as the angled hack squat machine.
32 Ski Patrol Magazine | Winter 2005