8 essential exercises to prepare for skiing
Hit one run and ready to call it a day? Wish could roll back the clock to boost your pre-season workout game? We’ve got you! Banish screaming thighs and sore legs with our 8 exercises to prepare for skiing.
How do skiers put down endless laps without getting tired? Pre-season workouts, baby! Yep, put in the work before winter, and your quads, hamstrings, and glutes will thank you once on the hill. Skiing also tests your core, calves, and hip flexors, so it’s always handy to prepare your body before throwing it into the deep end (and deeper pow).
Luckily, we’ve compiled eight essential exercises to strengthen your muscles, improve your balance, and get ready for those mountains. Oh, and a strong body needs a strong look. So, drop in to our fresh collection today.
How to get ready for ski season
How to train for skiing
Skiing-focused exercises have incredible benefits. These include building muscle power and endurance so you can shred longer without becoming fatigued. Working key areas — such as your legs and core — also makes you more stable, reducing your risk of injury. Trust us — a snapped ACL is not the vibe! Taken out by a sneaky snow snake? A well-prepped body can recover more quickly from tomahawks, too.
And you don’t need a gym membership to train for skiing! We’ve compiled eight exercises that you can easily do at home. Of course, please check with your doctor or a certified trainer before beginning a new workout. Once you have the green light, it’s time to begin the first set…
1. Walking lunges
Walking lunges are awesome for skiing — they target your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core, while also challenging your balance. The movement mimics carving (or even telemarking, if that’s your thing). If you’re short on space, alternate legs in place and try adding a torso twist to up the balance challenge. Reverse lunges are also awesome for strengthening muscles around your ACL and meniscus. As you level up, grab a pair of dumbbells to build upper-body strength for poling through flat sections. Here's how to do it:
- 1For a walking lunge, stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- 2Step your right foot forward into a lunge and let your left knee drop to a 90-degree angle toward the floor. Your right knee should also be at a 90-degree angle.
- 3Using your right leg, drive up and take the next lunge step. Your left leg should now be forward, and your right leg behind you.
2. Squats
Squats mimic the low stance you’ll hold for most of your time on skis. They work your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, building strength and resilience for steeper terrain—and even dreaded bump runs! Just keep your chest up as you squat, avoiding that forward scrunch and rounded shoulders. To level up, add a barbell across your back, hold dumbbells, or try a goblet squat with a kettlebell. And when you're ready, single-leg squats are insane for improving balance. Here's how to do it:
- 1To squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- 1Bend your knees and hips to lower your body. Our top tip? Pretend you’re sitting on an invisible chair behind you.
- 3Make sure your weight is in your heels and your chest is lifted.
- 4Hold the squat position for five seconds.
- 5Push back up to the starting position, keeping your knees aligned with your toes.
3. Planks
Nope, not that kind of plank — as in ski. This one's the core-buster kind. And yep, you need a solid core for riding. It’s what keeps you steady and balanced as you cruise ’n’ charge the slopes—and absorb those surprise bumps and dips without going off-kilter or yard-saling. As you progress, give side planks a shot: plant one palm, twist to the side, balance on one leg, and raise the other arm up. Then take it up a notch with side plank leg raises — either lifting your top leg straight up or crunching it toward your waist. Just a heads up: one minute in any plank feels like forever. Here's how to do it:
- 1To plank, start in a push-up position with your palms on the ground and your heels off the floor. For an easier option, start with your forearms on the ground.
- 2Make sure you’re in a straight line from your head to your heels — i.e., don’t let your bum drop too low or rise too high. Our top tip? Plank next to a mirror to check your form.
- 3Push back into your heels and hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute.
- 4Increase the time as you become stronger.
4. Wall sits
Just when you thought you couldn’t target your quads anymore, here come wall sits. Like squats, wall sits mimic the tension your legs are under when skiing. Wall sits help build endurance, giving you what you need to power through thigh-burning trails without feeling fatigued. Like planking, one minute doing a wall sit seems like an eternity. You might also experience thigh burning and shaking. But hey, you know what they say — no pain, no gain! Here's how to do it:
- 1Stand with your back against a wall and your feet hip-width apart.
- 2Bend your knees and lower your body into a sitting position against the wall. Don’t cheat by sitting too high — sit into a 90-degree squat as if you’re on the toilet.
- 3Keep your back flat against the wall and your thighs parallel to the floor.
- 4Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute.
- 5Increase the time as you become stronger.
5. Russian twists
Skiing involves twisting (especially if you’re carving). So, what’s the best way to prep for this? Russian twists! Yep, these help build rotational strength to achieve controlled, smooth movements on the hill. They target the obliques — and with rock-strong obliques, you can control twists and turns when shredding and stay stable when charging at speed. For beginners, we recommend starting without weights. As you progress, twist with dumbbells, kettlebells, or weight plates. Here's how to do it:
- 1Sit on the floor with bent knees and your feet flat on the floor.
- 2Lean back slightly and brace your core.
- 3With your elbows bent, clasp your hands together in front of you.
- 4Lift your toes off the floor.
- 5Rotate your torso in one direction, bringing your hands or weight to the same side, and lower your arms toward the floor.
- 6Rotate to the opposite side, bringing your hands or weight with you.
6. Box jumps
It’s always handy to incorporate plyometric exercises—short, sharp bursts of activity that boost speed, power, and strength. One solid example: box jumps. These are rad for building explosive leg power and agility—perfect for launching off booters, stomping landings, and dropping cliffs. Box jumps hit your legs (especially knees and ankles), core, and upper body. As you get stronger and more confident, try jumping up with one leg, landing with both, and switching legs on the next go. You can also face the box sideways and jump laterally with both feet — aka sides-to-sides. Here's how to do it:
- 1Find a sturdy box, bench, or platform.
- 2Stand within six inches of the box.
- 3Jump onto it with both feet.
- 4Step or jump down.
7. Lateral skater jumps
Lateral skater jumps are another explosive move, getting you primed ’n’ prepped for the slopes. They work your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, and mimic that precise, fast, side-to-side motion of shredding. With skater jumps, you’ll build leg power and sharpen your balance and coordination — what a combo! If they start to feel too easy, touch your hand to the floor as you land (use the opposite arm to the leg you’re landing on). The deeper the movement, the more activation you’ll feel in your hips. Plus, you’re gearing up for some serious (but hella fun) descents. Here's how to do it:
- 1Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- 2Slightly bend your knees and balance on one leg.
- 3Jump to the side, softly landing on the opposite leg with a slightly bent knee.
- 4Jump to the other side, landing on the original leg.
- 5Swing your arms across your body and to the sides like a speed skater, using them to help balance yourself.
8. Cardio
When training for the slopes, it’s important to get your heart rate up and feel that burn in your lungs. Our top tip? Cardio! It’s any workout that makes you sweat and keeps your pulse up for a sustained period (think longer than just one set of lateral skater jumps). Building aerobic fitness strengthens your cardiovascular system, helping you handle long days at altitude where the air’s thinner. Cardio’s especially key if you’re planning to earn your turns — those uphill climbs can be savage on the lungs, so anything you do now to prep them is a total win. Here's how to do it:
- 1Choose an activity you enjoy, such as cycling, spinning, running/jogging, swimming, hiking, jumping jacks, or HIIT (high-intensity interval training).
- 2Try to do 30–60 minutes of cardio per session.
Pre-season workout plan
So, now that you know the exercises, it’s time to put them together into a 7-day full-body workout plan. Ideally, over the week, you’ll switch between strength and mobility training and cardio sessions.
7-day ski fitness program
We recommend starting this plan around six to eight weeks before you jump on your first lift of the season. That way, your body has enough time to reap the benefits and improve your on-mountain performance.
| Day 1: | Strength and mobility workout |
| Day 2: | Cardio |
| Day 3: | Rest |
| Day 4: | Strength and mobility workout |
| Day 5: | Cardio |
| Day 6: | Rest |
| Day 7: | Rest or strength and mobility workout |
Adjust our workout program to your level of fitness and experience. For example, simply increase or decrease the exercise intensity or the number of rest days. Wondering what each session will look like? Take a look at our full workouts below.
Strength and mobility workout routine
Warmup (5–10 minutes)
Start with 5–10 minutes of mellow cardio on the stair machine, rowing machine, or treadmill. Then, stretch with child’s pose, quad stretch, hip flexor stretch, and more to help warm up the muscles. Include arm rotations and shoulder shrugs to get the blood flowing to the upper body.
Exercise 1: The leg blaster (3 sets)
10 x squats
10 x walking lunges
10 x box jumps
10 x lateral skater jumps
Rest for 30 seconds between sets. Add weights to make each exercise more challenging
Exercise 2: Wall sit (3 sets)
Hold for 30-60 seconds
Increase the time as you get stronger
Exercise 3: Russian twists (3 sets)
20 twists (10 on each side)
Exercise 4: Plank (3 sets)
Hold for 30-60 seconds
Increase the time as you get stronger
Cooldown (10 minutes)
Spend 10 minutes cooling down. This helps lower your heart rate, maintain flexibility, and ease your body into a healthy recovery zone. Include a kneeling hip flexor stretch, child’s pose, cat-cow, spinal twist, and downward-facing dog. This combo massively helps reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) later.
Cardio training
Warmup:
Similar to your strength and mobility training, start with 5–10 minutes of mellow cardio to warm up. Then, add lower and upper body stretches.
Aerobic activity:
If you’re choosing a cardio day, we recommend 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity, such as running, cycling, swimming, HIIT, and more. Don’t forget to choose a cardio exercise you enjoy doing.
Cooldown:
If you’ve had a tough cardio session, incorporate a light jog or walk into your 10-minute cooldown. Don’t forget to stretch, too – your muscles will love you for it!
Wrapping up
Voilà — this blend of aerobic fitness with mobility and strength will have you ski-ready in no time! Upload your workouts to Strava, too — and watch the crew Kudos fly in!
Want to get pumped for the upcoming season with like-minded riders? Join our Dope Snow Community Facebook Group. Share your fitness progress, ski tips, destination advice, and more. We might throw in some exclusive comps and giveaways, too!
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