Stretching

[Greg]

Do you stretch before skiing? If so, what stretches do you do?

 

[Grassi21]

The first thing I do when I get out of bed on ski and non-ski days is stretch. From my experience/reading, stretching in the lodge right before you hit the lift isn't the best thing for your body (there is an article in Ski Mag that talks about this topic, I'll dig it up and post some quotes this weekend). And for me, its Yoga not stretching. Many people lump Yoga into stretching but its so much more.

If you know the Americanized names (I'll skip the sandskrit), this is what I do:
Upward and downward facing dog (shoulders, hammies, back)
Back bends (back)
Forward bends (back)
Tree pose (for balance)
Warrior poses (quads, hips, and creates length and space in the spine)
Full locust (back)
Boat pose (back)
4 or 5 hip opening exercises (1/2 lotus, log stacking pose, king pigeon)
Supported head stand (this one has little application to skiing, but its fun to do)
And a wee bit of meditation to get me focused (I do this riding the lift on solo days too)

Sorry for the jargon, but after all of the ski jargon I learned from you all this season I figured I can float some of mine out there.

For instructions on many of the above postures check out http://www.yogajournal.com/

 

[Marc]

I stretch across the bar to grab the Jameson for my coffee....

 

[Grassi21]

I stretch across the bar to grab the Jameson for my coffee....

Don't get me wrong, its not all peace and love out of me. But I prefer Jack. ;-)

 

[Talisman]

Don't get me wrong, its not all peace and love out of me. But I prefer Jack. ;-)

I have never met anyone that could kick Jack's ass, but he has kicked mine a few times and so has that evil Mr. Jameson.

 

[Grassi21]

I have never met anyone that could kick Jack's ass, but he has kicked mine a few times and so has that evil Mr. Jameson.

Its a love/hate thing. Love the taste, hate the morning after....

 

[bvibert]

Back on topic...

I stretch sometimes, but not often enough. I almost never get in any stretching in the lodge before hand because I'm too busy rushing around to get on the slopes...

I've been trying to get in the habit of stretching at home regularly..

 

[Grassi21]

Ski Mag hasn't posted links for their March issue (it contains the article I was thinking of). But here is a related one:

http://www.skimag.com/skimag/fitness/article/0,12795,325515,00.html

 

[YardSaleDad]

Do you stretch before skiing? If so, what stretches do you do?

I never stretch. That's how I injure myself.

 

[riverc0il]

no offense, but i wouldn't exactly turn to ski mag for fitness suggestions.

i try to always stretch before skiing. in addition to loosening up muscles that i am about to heavily rely on for powerful and preceise motions, it also activates the body and connects me better feeling out how the muscles are doing. i go for as much of the body as i can, even upper body/arms/etc. a brief 5-10 minute strech usually gets me ready. i almost never see other people in the lodge stretching. i can't remember the last time i saw it actually. i think it is the difference in perception of looking at skiing as a hobby or something fun versus looking at skiing as an extremely demanding sport. then again, i am sure a lot of pro ball players don't stretch much either given the amount of pulls that happen over the course of a baseball season!

 

[Grassi21]

no offense, but i wouldn't exactly turn to ski mag for fitness suggestions.

i try to always stretch before skiing. in addition to loosening up muscles that i am about to heavily rely on for powerful and preceise motions, it also activates the body and connects me better feeling out how the muscles are doing. i go for as much of the body as i can, even upper body/arms/etc. a brief 5-10 minute strech usually gets me ready. i almost never see other people in the lodge stretching. i can't remember the last time i saw it actually. i think it is the difference in perception of looking at skiing as a hobby or something fun versus looking at skiing as an extremely demanding sport. then again, i am sure a lot of pro ball players don't stretch much either given the amount of pulls that happen over the course of a baseball season!

No offense taken. In the words of Ron Burgandy "Let's agree to disagree." I love that movie.

Everyone's body is different and we should all do what makes us feel "right" before we take some turns. As I said, for me, I stretch when I roll out of bed. Once I'm all strapped in I usually stretch/warm-up by taking a run or two down a beginner trail to remind my body how its supposed to move.

But I do agree with you on the source of the information. Mags like this try to come off as the definitive source for information. But they never site a study or body of research to back up their findings (being a psychology major I know the importance of controlled experiments). My wife was an exercise science major and she puts some stock in not stretching before hand.

But I promised some quotes from the article, take it with a grain of salt:

"Perhaps the most radical finding is that pre-activity passive stretching might actually lower your performance and increase your chance of injury. That's because it can temporarily squelch nerve signals, slowing reaction times and reducing how much strength you can generate. Most experts now agree that passive stretching should be done either at the end of a workout or at a separate time entirely, such as when you get up each morning."

 

[riverc0il]

technically, you should warm up the muscles before you stretch. a short jog is often helpful, and then stretch the muscles once they are warmed up instead of "cold."

 

[Grassi21]

technically, you should warm up the muscles before you stretch. a short jog is often helpful, and then stretch the muscles once they are warmed up instead of "cold."

true. we would do a lap before stretching at lacrosse practice.

 

[andyzee]

I've run a couple of marathons and ridden plenty of centuries+ on my bike, never stretched, don't stretch before skiing either. Probably wrong, but just don't do it.


(The marathons and bike rides were many moons ago )

 

[YardSaleDad]

I always warm up, but I never stretch. It has to do with my body type. Crossing my feet and palming the floor is no big deal even at 43. If I actually position my body to where my muscles are stretching, then I am likely to cause an injury. Everyone should to listen to what their own body is telling them. Some people need stretching, others avoid it.

 

[hammer]

If I have a chance, I'll try to do a couple of stretches after I've done a few runs...

Unlike YardSaleDad, I'm not all that flexible (even after doing martial arts for 6+ years), but so far I haven't been in situations while skiing where flexibility is an issue.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

, but so far I haven't been in situations while skiing where flexibility is an issue.

I don't want to start another defination thing, but how could flexibility not be an issue every time you ski? When I first read that the only thing that came to mind was a skiing robot.

 

[JimG.]

I try to take a warm up run or two, then stretch my leg and back muscles briefly.
For me a solid muscle stretching session is key after I'm done skiing, especially if I'm going to then get in a car for and hour or two.

 

[hammer]

I don't want to start another defination thing, but how could flexibility not be an issue every time you ski? When I first read that the only thing that came to mind was a skiing robot.

It could be because my skiing to date has been down easy to intermediate groomers, but I haven't yet run into situations where I've come close to pulling something...

Maybe some of the more experienced skiers can chime in on this -- which motions in skiing require a lot of flexibility? Not that it's not a good idea to stretch in any case...

 

[hammer]

For me a solid muscle stretching session is key after I'm done skiing, especially if I'm going to then get in a car for and hour or two.

I've paid the price for not doing that...getting out of the car after the drive home is one of the more difficult parts of the day.