You can’t bike or run your way to ski season.

You can’t bike or run your way to ski season. Of course, you may be able to physically, and if you give it a try, make sure to have our number in your phone to put you back together.

When we bike and run, our muscles contract differently than when we ski. Our muscles primarily produce a concentric contraction when we run and bike. Think about what your bicep does when you do a bicep curl. It contracts and shortens. Our muscles produce an isometric contraction when we flex in the mirror while we’re sporting our new ski jacket and helmet. Think about what your bicep does when you just hold the dumbbell with your elbow bent. It contracts but doesn’t move. Our muscles primarily produce an eccentric contraction as we race down the slope, lower into a turn or carve, or cut through moguls. Think about what your bicep does when you lower the dumbbell after your bicep curl. It contracts and lengthens.

While knowing these different types of contractions won’t get you ready for ski season, it does help you know what type of exercises to focus on to make the most of the powder this year. There is plenty of benefit from strength training with our functional movements (squats, lunges, and hinges). After working on these functional movements with more emphasis on eccentric control, we’ve found that those sore knees that get louder at the end of a good ski day are usually quite a bit quieter. And the added bonus is that our body is more conditioned to the unique load and stress of skiing, which allows us to get in more runs. How about another bonus? You’ll feel better at the end of the day too!

Be sure to see if you’re ready for the ski season with our Powder READY Scorecard and to get ready for the ski season with our Powder READY Evals or our Powder READY Program.