The Best Exercises For Balance During Skiing
Balance is a key skiing skill. In fact, the British Alpine Ski School states that balance is “your number one priority” as a skier. Balance helps a skier stay upright on their skis and is also involved in every skier's movements and tricks. Developing balance is essential not only for beginner skiers but balance also needs to be maintained by seasoned skiers so they can continue to improve and ski as well as possible.
Finding exercises for balance doesn’t have to be stressful. From simple stretches to fun activities like yoga or Aeroski workouts, there are a variety of options available, so you’re sure to be able to find one that’s right for you.
Aeroski knows this is an essential part of overall skiing fitness, so here are some exercises that can help any skier achieve a better balance for skiing.
Choose Stretching Exercises
If you’re hoping to incorporate exercises for balance into your regular fitness routine, it doesn’t have to take up a lot of time or involve complicated workouts that require special equipment or are challenging to learn. Selecting the best exercises for balance that help improve flexibility and achieve better balance for skiing can be as simple as trying out some new stretches that you can quickly learn how to do at home.
Here are a few key stretching exercises for balance to give a try:
- Quad Stretch
- Lunges
- Hamstring Stretch
Quad Stretch
A basic quad stretch is simple to perform. This stretch can be done near a wall or chair so you have something to hold onto if you need to. Start this stretch by standing straight up. Then, keep one foot on the ground, pick up the other with your hand, and pull it up behind you. Hold this position and repeat it several times, making sure to alternate which foot you lift up, so you stretch out both legs.
There are also variations of the basic quad stretch, such as the lying quad stretch (performed while lying face-down or on your side) and the kneeling quad stretch (done from a lunge position). You can try out these variations if you’re looking to mix up your workout when focusing on exercises for balance and working on better balance for skiing.
Lunges
Lunges can be useful exercises for balance and are easy to learn how to do. For a basic lunge, begin by standing up. Then as you take a step forward with one foot (the foot of the leading leg) and move your body downwards, bend the top leg, so it’s almost at a right angle and your other knee almost touches or does touch the floor. As you make the lunge, make sure to keep your upper body straight.
Lunges can help develop skills that are important for skiing, including staying balanced and having good stability. To be truly effective exercises for balance, lunges should focus on both sides of the body, so don’t forget to switch between your two legs when performing lunges.
Hamstring Stretch
Hamstring stretches can also improve overall stability and help with better balance for skiing. A basic hamstring stretch starts by sitting on the floor with your legs straight in front of you, pressed together. Then stretch forward with your arms out, stretching from the waist and moving forward as far as you can. This stretch can be held and then repeated.
Consider Simple Exercises
Beyond performing stretches, there are other simple exercises for balance that are just as easy to learn and to work into a daily workout routine. A few of these basic exercises that can help you work towards better balance for skiing include:
- Plank — The basic plank position and the side plank can both be used to help improve core strength and balance. Even better, planks don’t require any special workout equipment to do.
- Heel-toe walk — Walking while placing the heel of one foot against the other foot's toes in a straight line is another simple balance-improving exercise that can easily be done at home.
- Exercises with a stability ball — Many stretches and basic exercises such as squats and lunges can be done using a stability ball to help work on better balance for skiing.
Try Balance-Improving Activities
Exercises for balance are not limited to stretches and basic exercises. Activities like yoga provide stress relief and offer a more enjoyable workout that gives you balance-improving benefits. If you are looking for a more exciting or entertaining way to achieve a better balance for skiing, consider one of these activities that benefits balance:
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Pilates
Yoga
Practicing yoga comes with many benefits that would be useful to a skier, including the strengthening and toning of muscles, a lessened chance of developing injuries and improvements in flexibility, energy level and balance. The stress-relief and relaxation that yoga can provide is an additional plus. There are even certain yoga positions that specifically draw on and improve balance, ensuring you will develop better balance for skiing. Examples of yoga exercises for balance include the tree pose, the standing pigeon, the balancing mountain pose, the dancer pose and the vertical twist pose.
Tai Chi
When searching for balance-improving activities, tai chi is an excellent low-impact option. Whether you are hoping to get back on the slopes after an injury or are just starting as a skier and need a gentle way to achieve better balance for skiing, tai chi is a great choice.
Tai chi focuses on making specific body movements that are exact and deliberate but done slowly while also incorporating breathing techniques to relax. Tai chi is one of the easiest exercises for balance to get started with, no matter your fitness level.
Pilates
Adding Pilates to your fitness routine can benefit your overall balance and stability, vital for staying upright on your skis and being an effective all-around skier. Pilates is also beneficial for helping tone many different leg muscles. Strong leg muscles are also crucial for maintaining a skiing stance and performing various skiing skills. Some Pilates exercises that can be effective for skiing, in particular, are the spine twist, the bird dog exercise, the bridge pose and various Pilates exercises that involve footwork.
Train with Aeroski to Achieve Better Balance for Skiing
When it comes to choosing exercises for balance and achieving better balance for skiing, the Aeroski fitness machine is a great way to train skiing-specific skills from the comfort of your own home. Aeroski’s workout machine mimics the movements of downhill skiing and works out all of the body’s major muscle groups.
Improved balance is just one of the many benefits of Aeroski workouts. Aeroski was designed specifically to be a skiing workout, so you can rest assured that the improvements in muscle strength, endurance and balance that you achieve while doing exercises for balance with Aeroski will transfer over to your efforts on the slopes.
Choose Aeroski to perform exercises for balance with an at-home workout machine that expertly improves skiing fitness specifically!