Andrew Hooge, CSCS It’s that time of year again! As I walked outside this morning, I felt the crisp morning air. My mind immediately began to race with excitement about making my first tracks! Unfortunately, this summer, my training was a little lackluster, but now I am excited to get fit to hit the slopes. Normally, I start pushing iron and running hills a little earlier than September, but building the new My SkiCoach fitness application (keep checking back to our blog for a release shortly) and life in general has slowed my progress this year. So, I have put together a quick, twice daily 15-minute program that you can perform three times per week, in case you are crunched for time too. Last year, I purchased a stepper"from Perform Better that, in my opinion, is smoother than some of the commercial grade machines at the local gym. Start with 15 minutes on the stepper or go for a quick 15-minute jog first thing in the morning. I tend to get up around 5 am, head downstairs, put a pot of coffee on (I tried the green tea thing and it just didn’t work out for me) and grab the stepper at a moderate pace (breathing hard, but still able to hold a conversation) for 15 minutes while watching the news. Afterwards, I grab my coffee and I am off to the studio. In the afternoon or evening, I take 15 more minutes and perform Lateral Hops on a BOSU followed by BOSU Crossovers. Perform this routine three times per week and you will be in better shape before you hit the snow this season. Here’s a detailed look at my 15-minute workout: 15-minutes in the Morning -Stepper or Jog at Moderate pace 15-minutes in the Afternoon or Evening -Lateral Hops on BOSU: 5 sets x 45-60 seconds followed by 30-45 seconds recovery (start with 2 or 3 sets and work your way up to 5) -BOSU Crossovers w/Push-Up: 5 sets x 8-10 repetitions each side followed by 30-45 seconds recovery (start with 3 or 4 repetitions or with just the crossover portion (no push-up) and work your way up to 10 repetitions on each side)