Your skis are ready for the season. But are your legs ready too?
Skiing requires strength, muscular endurance, balance and control. And these abilities cannot be developed in just a few days. With around two and a half months to go before the ski season starts, now is a good time to start preparing.
New: Dr.E. Ski Preparation Program
To help you get ready for the slopes, Dr.E. is launching a new ski preparation program this autumn:
16 × 30-minute sessions + initial strength test
CHF 350.–
The initial test assesses your current strength and helps identify any muscular imbalances. The program then combines lower-body strengthening, balance and functional training, with progression adapted to your starting level.
The 16 sessions can be used over 3 months. However, we recommend completing them over approximately 2 months to maintain a regular training rhythm.
There are no fixed days or times: sessions are by appointment, so you can organize them around your schedule. And if you prefer to train with others, you can also form your own group and book the same time slot, provided you register early enough.
Interested in joining or would you like more information?
Why prepare your legs before the ski season?
Even if you stay active throughout the year, skiing places specific demands on your body. The quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves work repeatedly, while balance and coordination help you adapt to changes in terrain and direction.
As your muscles become tired, maintaining the same quality of movement and control becomes more difficult.
A good ski preparation program therefore combines:
- Leg strengthening, particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes
- Muscular endurance, to sustain repeated efforts throughout the day
- Balance and control, to respond more effectively to changes in terrain
- Functional training, with movements that progressively become closer to those required on the slopes
This approach, based on adapted and progressive exercise, is also at the heart of exertherapy, a rehabilitation method based on therapeutic exercise.
Why start two months before the ski season?
Because strength and endurance take time to develop.
Starting several weeks before your first ski day allows you to gradually increase the training load, work on your balance and give your body time to adapt.
The goal is not to become an athlete before winter, but simply to arrive on the slopes with a body that is better prepared for the demands of skiing.
The knee: particularly exposed in skiing
The knee is one of the areas particularly exposed to injury in alpine skiing. Common injuries include damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), as well as other knee ligaments and the meniscus.
These injuries can occur, for example, during a fall or when the knee twists. Other areas such as the shoulder, wrist, thumb and ankle can also be injured while skiing.
Physical preparation obviously cannot prevent every injury. It can, however, help you start the season with better strength, endurance, balance and control.
Strengthen your muscles – and give them what they need
Training is essential for building strength. But your body also needs the right nutrients to recover and adapt.
Protein plays an important role in maintaining and building muscle mass. When starting a strengthening program, it is therefore worth making sure you are getting enough protein, alongside a balanced diet, good hydration and adequate recovery.
There is no need to completely change the way you eat. The aim is simply to give your body the resources it needs to respond to training.
To find out more, read why protein plays an important role in muscle recovery and strengthening.
You can also discover which foods can help you easily increase your daily protein intake.
And once you are on the slopes?
Even if you are well prepared, it is worth easing back into skiing at the beginning of the season. Start gradually, take breaks when you begin to feel tired and remember to stay hydrated.
Your equipment matters too: properly fitted ski boots and correctly adjusted bindings are also part of good preparation.
And if you experience unusual pain, it is better to listen to your body than to try to “ski through it”.
For those who would like to continue strengthening beyond their ski preparation, Dr.E. also offers a 4-month targeted program. And if you would like to train with someone else, our Duo Offer gives each person a 10% discount when two people sign up at the same time.
This article is for information purposes only. Physical preparation cannot eliminate the risk of injury. If you have pain, a previous injury or a health condition, seek professional advice before starting a new training program.
