Exercises can help you get ready for ski season

What's a nice guy like Andrew Hooge doing in a place like Chapel Hill? Not that there's anything wrong with Chapel Hill. It's just that when you're one of the country's top experts on ski and snowboard fitness, you might be expected to live somewhere more ... alpine. Not a place that averages seven inches of snow a year, that touts a 767-foot mountain (Occoneechee, in Hillsborough) as its highest peak, and that's 180 miles from the nearest ski slope.

"I'm here because of the School of Public Health," Hooge says to clear up the mystery. He's earning a master's degree in public health while forging a snow-fitness mini-empire that includes a book ("FitSkiing: Your Guide for Peak Skiing Fitness"), consultation with the U.S. Ski Team, creating and teaching two snow-fit courses at UNC Wellness Centers' Meadowmont facility and a Web site that will include more than 100 recommended exercises for snow conditioning.

His presence in the Triangle seems less perplexing when you learn that he learned to ski in Ohio, on a mountain "with something like a 400-foot vertical drop." (That would be the elevation change from the top of the mountain to its base. By comparison, Colorado's Vail ski resort has a vertical drop of 3,150 feet.)

And it makes even more sense when you consider that despite its moderate climate, its vertical challenge and its dearth of snow, the Triangle actually has a healthy population of skiers and snowboarders.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly how many skiers and snowboarders are here. But the evidence suggests the number is sizable.

The Triangle represents the second-largest market for Virginia's Wintergreen ski resort and is the third-largest supplier of skiers to West Virginia's Snowshoe Mountain, the largest ski area in the South. The Triangle supports five ski shops, and from January into March, at least one bus of skiers and snowboarders runs daily from the Triangle to Wintergreen. The local downhill population is deemed sufficient to warrant an annual showing of Warren Miller's ski documentaries.

To those of you anticipating the coming ski season -- which typically begins in earnest in mid-December, Hooge says now is the time to start getting your body ready.

"If you get into shape now," he says, "you'll enjoy the slopes more. You'll also reduce your risk of injury." A significant number of ski- and snowboard-related injuries are the result of fatigue, not their perceived inherent dangers.

And now, he says, is the perfect time to launch a ski/snowboard-specific exercise regimen.

"If you're in relatively good shape, a minimum of four to six weeks of [targeted] exercise should be enough," Hooge says. Less active types who plan to hit the slopes may need about twice that long to whip themselves into shape.

And regardless of whether you prefer one board or two, fitness is key. "Both require good conditioning," says Hooge.

To that end Hooge shares seven of the exercises he uses in his classes. Do them at least three times a week, he says, and you'll hit the slopes in good form.

LATERAL HOPS (WARM-UP EXERCISE)

What you do: Slowly jump from side to side letting the outside foot hit first followed by the inside foot. Pick up speed as you develop a rhythm.

Props: Yardstick, broomstick or long piece of masking tape. (For extra effect, you can use a Bosu ball. But it isn't cheap.)

Reps: Three sets, 15-30 each side, with 15-30 seconds rest between sets.

Muscles worked: Quads, calves and, to some extent, the core. Especially good for getting your blood flowing.

FIT BALL PUSH-UP TO PIKE

What you do: Lie with your stomach on the ball, then "walk" with your hands until your knees and shins are the only areas touching the ball. Do a push-up. At the top of the push-up, bring your knees into your chest, then extend them back to the starting position. Repeat for the suggested number of repetitions. At the end, slowly roll backward off the ball.
Props: 55-65 centimeter fitness ball.
Reps: Three sets of 10-15.
Muscles worked: Builds core stability and endurance. It primarily works the abdominals, low back, hip flexors, chest and triceps.

LATERAL STEP-UP TO SQUAT (SKI SPECIFIC EXERCISE)

What you do: Step up sideways with left leg onto the bench or box. Bring the right leg up on to the box. Step down with the left leg, keeping right leg on the box or bench. Squat down with left leg and hold for a second. Bring left leg back to the bench or box and step down with right leg. Repeat the squat on the right side. Repeat both sides for suggested number of reps.
Muscles worked: "Assists in recruiting fast twitch fibers," says Hooge, "which help improve the quickness of skier's turns. It primarily works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips and core."
Props: Bench or box two to four feet high.
Reps: Three sets of 10-15 repetitions on both sides.

OVERHEAD STEP-UPS (SKI SPECIFIC EXERCISE)

What you do: Holding a dumbbell in one hand fully extended over your head, step up onto the box with the foot opposite the hand holding the dumbbell. Keeping the arm straight, step down and repeat for suggested repetitions. Switch sides and repeat.
Muscles worked: Quads, hamstrings, calves, hips and core. Holding the weight overhead forces the body to compensate, working the abs and midback, "two very important groups of muscles for skiing stability and endurance on the slopes."
Props: Dumbbell that you can comfortably hold over your head for 15 to 20 seconds, box two to four feet high.
Reps: Three sets of 10-15 reps on both sides.

FORWARD LUNGE STRETCH

What you do: A basic lunge, being sure to keep your knees in line with ankle on front leg and to extend the front leg and lean forward until you feel a stretch in the hamstring. Hold for 5 seconds, then repeat on other side.
Muscles worked: Quads, hamstrings and glutes. Warms the leg muscles, actively stretches hamstrings.
Props: None.
Reps: Eight, both sides.

SINGLE-LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT TO PRESS (SKI SPECIFIC EXERCISE)

What you do: Stand on one leg with a dumbbell in the opposing hand. With a very slight bend at the knee, slowly bend at the trunk and reach the dumbbell toward the opposing foot (crossing the body). Slowly extend the hips until you return to the starting position keeping your focus on the hamstrings muscles (back part of the thigh). When you reach the starting position, press the dumbbell over your head, making sure to keep your abs flexed. Lower the dumbbell to your shoulder, then to your side. Repeat for suggested number of reps and then switch sides.
Muscles worked: Helps with balance and builds shoulder muscles, which help in picking up ski gear. It works primarily the hamstrings, core and shoulder muscles.
Props: Dumbbell that you can comfortably push over your head.
Reps: 8-12

SIDE PIKE WITH LEG UP

What you do: Lie on your side with your elbow on the floor directly underneath the shoulder. Keeping body straight, lift the top leg into the air. With the top leg in the air, lift your hip off the ground and hold for two seconds. Repeat for the suggested repetitions on both sides
Muscles worked: Good for "overall structural integrity, both on and off the slopes." Improves overall core and hip strength, and endurance.
Props: None.
Reps: Two sets of 8-12 on both sides.

HAND WALK

What you do: Begin in the classic push-up position. Slowly inch feet up toward hands while keeping the legs straight as possible. When you can't walk any farther, "walk" your hands out and return to the starting push-up position.
Muscles worked: Just about every relevant muscle, says Hooge (try a couple and you'll agree. "Great before a day on the slopes!")
Props: None.
Reps: Five.

TORSO ROTATION

What you do: Tie or wrap an exercise band around something sturdy such as a doorknob. Grab both ends with both hands and step away until the band is taught. With legs set shoulder wide, extend your arms, keeping them as straight as possible. Twist at the waist while pulling with the arms to the opposite side of the body. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat for the suggested number of repetitions, then repeat on the other side.
Props: Exercise band.
Reps: Three sets of 10 to 15 each.
Muscles worked: primarily works the abdominal muscles and lower back. Improves rotational strength and flexibility.

Staff writer Joe Miller can be reached at 812-8450 or jmiller@newsobserver.com.