Ski Fitness at Wright Training
It was Thanksgiving break and I was heading to my first race camp in Copper Mountain, Colorado. I had recently made the switch from Nordic to Alpine and, consequently, missed the pre-season training. The team would be there for four days. I barely survived the first day. I woke up the second morning with tired, achy legs, low back pain, and a tube of Icy calling my name. While my stronger teammates were able to actually train, I merely survived. Ever since then I've focused on my pre-season training plan. We've all been there, exhausted after just a couple of runs the first day of the season while that obnoxious, stronger friend is lapping you, showing no signs of fatigue, and then she gets up the next day to do it again. Chances are, this friend spent some time in the gym before the season started, focusing on ski-specific exercises. Gyms across ski towns are revving up for their ski fitness programs, but what makes Wright Training's program different?
We train you like a pro. Ski Fit at Wright Training is coached and programmed by industry professionals. All the coaches have extensive competitive backgrounds in either skiing or snowboarding, which means they know from firsthand experience how and what you need to train to ensure you're ready.
Injury Prevention. ACL tears are the most common injury in skiing, but you can alleviate some risk by ensuring that your hamstrings are strong. Many people are quad dominant, which unfortunately worsens the more we run, hike, and mountain bike all summer. Focusing on posterior-strength exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges helps to rebalance your body.
Stamina. Injuries happen when we get tired. Ski Fit is designed to make you stronger, and also to increase your cardiac output. We train cardio through short interval sessions, density, and longer, sustained efforts. Increasing  your strength and cardiovascular fitness prior to ski fitness means that you'll be able to resist fatigue for longer.
Core strength. A strong core is crucial to your success in the mountains. At Wright Training, we train the core as a cylinder." This means that instead of focusing on just sit-ups or other flexion exercises we also include the back, obliques, and core stabilizing muscles.
Leg-Blasters. Coach Crystal Wright was first introduced to leg blasters when she raced for MSU and has since adapted them to fit her specific needs. Leg blasters are one of the best eccentric and concentric bodyweight exercises I've found, says Crystal. They mimic the fatigue that the legs feel during skiing, and as a result of training this way, I've been able to ski more top-to-bottom laps.
