One Of The Best Exercise For Skiing

Looking forward to the ski season but need to get into shape fast? Well a great general exercise that you can start doing in order to prepare yourself for the upcoming ski season is cycling. Jogging or running might be a good as well if it weren't for the fact that running puts great stresses on the knee and ankles, especially when done on hard surfaces such as concrete.

 Cycling, however, avoids those particular stresses and gives you most of the same benefits as running. Not only that, but often, if you don't live too far from work, you can easily include cycling to work as part of your regular exercise routine.

 If you plan on participating in winter sports such as skiing, getting into a good exercise routine before winter is especially important for older adults. Studies have shown that as we age, our muscles tend to shrink. This is especially true among adults who don't exercise.

 If you are an active teenager, you don't have as much to worry about. A lot of teenagers who are involved with sports are very active anyway. So, muscle shrinkage is usually not a problem for them. As an adult, however, you want to keep those muscles strong and flexible so that when you are making a sharp turn on the ski slopes or you take a fall, your muscles are in condition to handle the stress.

 Cycling is a good exercise for just about anyone. But it is specifically a good training exercise for those who ski because it exercises most of the primary muscles that are use in skiing. The leg muscles are a large muscle group and are the most important muscles used in skiing. Strong leg muscles allow you to make your turns easier, to stop faster, and to go for long distances without tiring.

 In addition, if you are brave enough to ski moguls, strong leg muscles are a must. Look at any serious cyclist and you will see that the common factor among them is strong legs. Cycling helps to build up those necessary leg muscles.

 Cycling also exercises some of the lesser used skiing muscles. As you pedal, you also are exercising the muscles in your abdomen and back. If you are not in shape, you will definitely feel a soreness in your lower stomach muscles after a long day of skiing. Cycling helps to tone up and strengthen both your stomach and lower back muscles so that they are used to strain once you put on the skis and take your first trip down the mountain.

 If you live in a cold weather environment, you may find it hard to bike outdoors as the fall season ends. Luckily, there are plenty of stationary bikes that can give you much of the same benefits.