Anastasis Tzanis
Reformer Pilates for Ski and Snowboard athletes: Boost your performance in the slopes
- ,
- , Sports
Ski for most people is a seasonal sport. Fun and exciting as it is, it offers a unique challenge to the body with most athletes exposing themselves to with limited preparation. Reformer Pilates provides 5 unique ways in which skiers and snowboarders can prepare themselves for a great performance in the slopes.
1 Core Strength Beyond 6-Pack
The muscles in our mid-section are responsible for keeping us upright as well as transferring force from the lower to the upper body (among other things). Both functions are critical when skiing. Our abs will meet our skiing demands however only to the extent they can. When our movement exceeds our muscles ability (due to force or load) we will be prone to injury.
In Pilates there are specific exercises that allow us to target different sections of the abdomen. Reformer Pilates has a big advantage in comparison to mat offering: a. A bigger selection of exercises, b. The ability to make a lot of the mat exercises easier / harder, c. The opportunity to execute movements that synchronise abdominal recruitment with other muscle groups.
It would be no exaggeration to say that the stimulus the reformer machine offers your core is impossible to substitute with other forms of exercise.
2 Hip & Ankle Stability For “Strong” Knees
Common as knee injuries may be among skiers there is a lot that can be done to reduce the risk of them occurring. Aside the obvious strength work in the muscles above and below the knee capsule: quads, hamstrings, tibialis anterior and calf muscles, there are 2 joints very important for knee health stability of which can also help keep the knees healthy: hips and ankles.
When hip and ankle joints are strong the skier will be able to absorb the impact from landings, adjust his position quick, acceleration and break with ease. Most importantly though as these joints will be more stable the knee capsule will be less subject to movements that can risk an injury.
3 Hip Flexibility
Similar to any sport that involves leg work, athletes need to keep their hips in check. While you don’t need a contortionist flexibility it is often the case that one of the 6 movements of the hips is restricted. The reformer machine allows for flexibility to be addressed with the help of the resistance which can be useful both for beginners that are not used to stretching or hyper-mobile individuals that have loose joints.
4 Balance: Muscle Coordination
Muscles don’t work independently. When we walk, jump, run we recruit many muscles at the same time. The Reformer machine allows skiers to perform a lot of regular movements with resistance and/or an unstable surface, developing muscle coordination, and thus balance, in a controlled environment. These exercises often involve the extremities and the midsection while the stabilising muscles of the hips and shoulders can also be targeted.
Poor coordination between muscles in the midsection is a bigger contributing factor for lower back pain than lack of flexibility.
5 Strong Legs: Quad / Glute Balance
Most people will be either be quad or hip dominant. Each pattern will predispose you to different injuries while you are more likely to execute certain movements with more ease. While your pattern is likely to stay for life, appropriate training can bring balance in the recruitment of opposing muscles.
Reformer exercises can isolate certain muscle groups and help you build strong balanced legs.
To sum up
Reformer Pilates can help skiers with their performance in the slopes by improving their strength in the core, quads, glutes, their flexibility in the hips and overall balance.
Depending on a skier’s strengths and weaknesses as well as other types of training he may be practicing it might be worth focusing on 1-2 of these areas more than the rest.