Author: Andrew Hooge, CSCS

As a strength and conditioning coach I meet lots of great trainers and coaches.  Unfortunately even the best of us can get caught up in the latest and greatest "exercise myths".  I've listed a few of the most common myths to watch out for below.

1. Mixing balance and maximal strength

The Problem:
This is a big pet peeve of mine.  Yes, skiing requires considerable strength and balance, just not together.  Think about this, if you're trying to develop maximal strength and you set your body on an unstable surface you will not be able to produce as much force or power because you are in an unbalanced state.  Yes, you will stress your neuromuscular system and recruit smaller muscle groups to help you stabilize, but you are also defeating the purpose of the exercise which is to train the muscle to produce more force and power.  One caveat is if you are performing "energy" exercises like bounding, etc… and you want to add a balance component to it to mimic your time on the slopes.

The Solution:
Focus on either balance or strength not both.  Balance is essential to improving ski performance and preventing injuries so you need to improve it.  Exercises like the balance and reach and certain core exercises on a BOSU are great for incorporating your "core" muscles and improving your balance.  However, performing squats on a fit ball is not going to improve your force and power on the slopes and is more than likely going to cause more harm than good.  Try performing a regular barbell squat or dumbbell lunge and then supplement it with a few balancing exercises at the beginning or end of your workout instead.

2. Stretching Before Strength Training Can Decrease Performance

The Problem:
Many coaches and trainers tell their athletes or clients not to stretch until after their "main workout".  The theory behind this is that the muscles are tight and "pre-stretching" can lead to injury and may reduce strength and power.

The Solution:
Performing some self myofascial release and stretching after a short warm up (3-5 minutes on a stationary bike or a quick run)  can help lengthen the muscles and break down adhesions that prevent proper movement.  By performing a few simple exercises your "gait" will improve, reinforcing "positive" movement patterns during the rest of your workout.  Try a few exercises from our "Restoration" section before your next workout.

3. More is Better

The Problem:
Periodization is a key method of program planning for many trainer's and coach's .  It should be used with periods of "active recovery", however.  Many athletes and their coaches focus too much on constantly increasing total volume work (sets x repetitions x load) without focusing on how the athlete/client is feeling (energy, amount and quality of sleep, stress, etc...).

The Solution
When designing your periodized training plan, you or your coach should insert a "recovery" period about every 3-5 weeks depending on the intensity and volume of your training.  For high intensity, high volume training loads (which should occur only 6-8 weeks per year), insert a one week "active recovery" period every 4th week.  That means dropping your volume and intensity by 25%-50%.  For example lets say you were performing 10 exercises of 5 sets of 5 repetitions with heavy workloads (meaning that you have no repetitions left at the end of a set) 3 days per week for three weeks.  The following week you should decrease the number of exercises to 6 or 7,  and sets to 3 while using moderate to heavy loads instead (meaning you have 2 to 3 repetitions left at the end of a set).  This will give your neuromuscular system a break, help prevent injuries and allow you to recover properly.  You'll also come back on week 5 with more energy and strength.  For a customized training plan built around your needs try our training plans.

Stay Fit Skiing!
Andrew Hooge, CSCS
ahooge@fitskiing.com | www.fitskiing.com |
Twitter: http://twitter.com/andrewhooge

Get your customized skiing fitness plan @ www.fitskiing.com/myskicoach/home.aspx