Continued from Skier Fitness Part I, forget Simon Says, try Sam Says.
That’s what I did over the weekend when I followed ex snowboard instructor Sam Feltham’s (Smash the Fat) advice for core and knee strength. I was lucky enough to get a full yet quick routine from this seasoned fitness coach, but I must confess to having substituted his warm-up for my own cardio methods. It’s always great to get new exercises to add to the repertoire, as variety is the key to keeping your body on it’s toes.
Overall, this was still a quick ski fitness routine, rounding up around 20-25 minutes. Here’s what I did:
1. I have four flights of stairs where I live. Running, jumping and hopping up stairs is a killer workout, not to mention perfect for skiing. I started off by running up and down a few times, then hopping up each step with joined feet, running back down (twice repeated). Heart rate should be through the roof at this point.
2. Next, I jumped right into Sam’s routine:
Squats, 30 seconds, then straight into;
Split Squats, 15 seconds each leg
30 second rest;
Superman Plank, alternating arms, 30 seconds
Then straight into;
Side Plank, 15 seconds each side
3. One minute break, a couple sips of water and it’s straight back to the stairs for two footed jumps, two steps at a time. I ran back down and did a second and third round. If you only have a couple flights of stairs, you can go up and down a few extra times. Know your limits!
4. Sam Says: do the squat and plank routine from 2 again.
5. The stairs beckon for a a third round, same as in 3.
6. Sam’s cool down routine:
Hamstring Stretch, 15 seconds each side;
Glute Stretch, 15 seconds each side;
Downward Dog, 15 seconds;
Towel Aided Shoulder Stretch, 15 seconds.
Boom.
A huge thanks to Sam Feltham for his photos and tips. I hope to post more from him soon!
Winter is coming,
K