Everyone has an opinion on how to get in top shape for skiing: Pilates is my friend’s exercise of choice. I find pre-season
lunges stave off “burning thigh syndrome." My brother cross-trains as prep—a little
biking, a little skating, a little raking leaves. One son swears by yoga (the other by tacos).
But an old article in Balanced
Body Pilates COREterly (fall, 2007) touts
“Skilates,” calling it the core of ski conditioning & injury prevention. This program was developed by a physical therapist and a certified ski
instructor after they observed that even though people tended to ramp up their strength
conditioning as ski season approached, improper workout techniques led to
injuries both as they prepared and after
they hit the slopes. They identified insufficient
core stabilization and other muscle imbalances as major problem areas
contributing to mishaps.
The article refers to parts of the body that I can neither identify
nor pronounce but basically suggests that strengthening hamstrings can help
balance overused quads which can prove beneficial when a skier tries to recover
from catching an edge or works to keep skis centered under the their body. The routines that this team recommends
combine Pilates based movements that are specific to how we move on snowboards
and skis. Their goal is to simulate
muscle recruitment and timing for certain ski and snowboard movements and to
teach exercises that help to build stable knee and hip joints. The Skilates
class also focuses on teaching athletes how to manage the quick trunk moves
required to careen downhill in control without incurring the back injuries that
can result from poor core stabilization and fatigue.
This 10 year old article and case study piqued more than just
my interest and has been followed by other articles and videos that date to
this fall. They all have me convinced—Skilates
is the way to train to avoid season-ending injuries.
Check out these sites for inspiration!
https://www.pilates.com/resources/newsletter/Fa07-Pilates-Skilates.pdf
http://www.composureactive.co.uk/?p=149
http://www.composureactive.co.uk/?p=149
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