Sun, The (Lowell, MA)
January 9, 2006
Section: Lifestyle
Winter Warriors, Take Heed
KATHLEEN DEELY, Sun Staff
A friend calls up and says, "Hey, I just scored a ski house for the weekend, let's hit the black diamonds." You pause the Warren Miller movie you're watching, wax up the skis and head north.
But once you slide off the chair lift, something happens. Your knees, thighs, calves don't seem to be working the way they were the last time you were Killington-bound.
Not only is this going to make for a long day, you may fall victim to injury syndrome.
"Going from couch potato to February vacation skiing trip is not the smart thing to do. Muscles need to get conditioned, you can also risk injury," said Karen Bell, who owns The Club in Lowell.
The time to get ready for winter sports may have been October, but personal trainers says there's still time to get your winter ski legs in gear.
For downhill skiing, you need to build strength, flexibility and endurance, said Bell.
"So often, we go on the slopes and think we are going downhill, so it's not going to take a lot of effort."
But with an activity that is a sustained squat, you need strong legs.
Bob Cosmo, regional director at Bally's Fitness, says the key is sport-specific training. That means mimicking the sport through repetitive moves in the gym. It's not as fun as tackling the glades, but necessary to stave off the St. Bernard and stretcher.
"Wake up the muscles in the manner which they are being used," said Cosmo, an avid snowshoer.
Since all parts of the body are called into play in endurance-heavy, adrenaline-charged winter sports, don't neglect your core. A simple way to keep it strong is through yoga.
"It helps people with balance. If you start to fall, you use your core to not fall," said Pat Harpell, a yoga practitioner who runs Acton Yoga.
Harpell, who runs Acton Yoga, says an après-ski yoga session will keep the muscles limber and ready for the next time you hit the slopes.
"A lot of people do yoga after the muscles have been tormented. It's a chance to relax, strengthen the quads and release the tension in the shoulders," she said.
Yoga builds strength in arms and also teaches you how to breath and that can come in handy when the temps are 0 and below.
"I'd practice the breath of fire; it's a way to breathe that uses your core heat to warm you up," said Harpell.
Taking the time to get in shape may sound like a pain, but these experts say it's the only way.
"When you are fit, you can relax and enjoy yourself, which is what you are going out there for," said Bell.
Kathleen Deely's e-mail address is kdeely@lowellsun.com.
Photo: Rob Werner gets instruction in exercises that will have him fit for
skiing from Karen Bell at Club Fitness on Middlesex Street in Lowell.
SUN/JON HILL
(c) 2006 The Sun ( Lowell, MA). All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
