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After working with some of the best ski racers in the world, former U.S. Ski Team trainer Chris knows that prepping the body for the demands of skiing requires intentional focus on specific kinds of training. Building strength in the lower body is important, but it’s only one part of the ski fitness equation. SKI’s Get Fit to Rip pre-season bootcamp includes it all in the form of a 6-day workout schedule, where you’ll alternate between building strength, developing aerobic endurance, increasing power, and improving your mobility.
Sneak Peek: SKI’s Get Fit to Rip online fitness course on Outside Learn
Each day in the training program includes multiple workout videos, so just follow along as Chris coaches you through each. Once you’ve made it through one week of the program, you can mix and match workouts to create your own customized ski fitness workout. We’ll even give you a downloadable schedule to use as your bootcamp cheat sheet if you choose to go your own way after following along with the videos during Week 1.
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Training Schedule
- Day 1: Power Endurance – A full-body workout that will challenge your ability to perform strength moves at speed; designed to improve your overall power output
- Day 2: Aerobic #1 – Start with a dynamic warm-up, select your aerobic activity of choice, then finish up with a hip mobility sequence
- Day 3: Strength – Build up the big muscles of the legs then hit the deep core
- Day 4: Aerobic #2 – A different take on the aerobic fitness routine you’ll learn earlier in the week, with more emphasis on improving hip mobility
- Day 5: Strength Endurance – A high-intensity strength workout that will challenge you to perform multiple full-body strength moves with little rest between exercises; designed to improve your ability to perform over extended periods of time
- Day 6: Aerobic #3 – A big cardio push, followed by a restorative hip mobility flow
- Day 7: Rest
While it may seem odd to only have one week’s worth of workouts in this program, don’t worry. It’s intentional. In order to maximize performance and realize your gains, it’s important to stay consistent with your workouts. And Chris would know. He’s trained some of the fastest skiers in the country.
We suggest sticking with the program for at least four weeks—ideally six to eight weeks. If you skip a day, do your best to get back on track ASAP, so your fitness level doesn’t decrease.
And there’s a reason we don’t specify how much weight to use. We assume you have some base level of fitness, but if the initial load feels like too much, then use lighter weights, do fewer reps, or incorporate more rest between sets. If the load feels too easy, then use heavier weights, do more reps, or incorporate less rest between sets. Make sure you tailor the program to your goals as well as your body. Only you know how you feel.
You won’t need much equipment (we’ll let you know what you need each day), so you can decide whether to hit the gym or pump jams in your garage, basement, or even annoy your downstairs neighbors.
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Pre- and Post-Test
In order to track your fitness from start to finish, we’ve designed a pre- and post-test that are exactly the same. You’ll want to complete the pre-test a few days before you start the program, so plan ahead (or suffer the consequences!) in order to bake that into your schedule. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through that shortly.
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Equipment Needs
If you don’t have access to some of the traditional gym equipment listed here, feel free to get creative (ie: a backpack of books could replace a sandbag; a gallon of water could replace a kettlebell or dumbbell, etc.). But here’s a list of the most ideal equipment that we suggest:
- Plyometric box
- Kettlebell (lightweight and heavy)
- Dumbbell (lightweight and heavy)
- Weight bench or chair
- Lightweight weight plate
- Resistance band
- Deck of cards
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Meet Your Team
Chris Miller
Chris Miller is a physical performance coach and a National Strength and Conditioning Association-certified strength and conditioning specialist. Chris coached top skiers during his time at U.S. Ski and Snowboard and he’s also worked with athletes at every level, including Olympians, professionals, collegians, and young people. Chris has worked at Saint Mary’s College of California, Stanford University, ALTIS (a professional sprints group), and for United States Ski and Snowboard. He’s now the physical performance coach for the Brooklyn Nets NBA team.
Angela Gargano
Angela Gargano is a three-time American Ninja Warrior competitor, fitness model, Fitness America Pageant competitor, certified personal trainer and former NCAA gymnast. So she knows her way around a gym. Gargano also founded Strong Feels Good, and put together a series of 30-day Quests for our sister-brand Oxygen. Plus, in the winter she hits the mountains on her snowboard.
Jordan Kahana
Jordan is an outdoor enthusiast and adventure seeker. Whether it’s summiting mountains at sunset with his dogs, or shredding mountains on skis, he’s always on board for a new adventure. And yes, it takes ample fitness to do it all without hurting the next day, so he’s no stranger to the gym.
Ready to get in shape for the best ski season of your life? Head over to SKI’s Get Fit to Rip course on Outside Learn to get the full training plan and dozens of workout videos.