{"id":33816,"date":"2024-08-30T11:35:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T18:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=33816"},"modified":"2024-09-01T09:04:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01T16:04:53","slug":"pre-season-conditioning-for-winter-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/pre-season-conditioning-for-winter-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Season Conditioning for Winter Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a sports medicine physician, my job requires me to evaluate and treat injuries.\u00a0What I am passionate about, however, is injury prevention and sport maximization!\u00a0So, for those of you who don\u2019t want to be \u201csidelined\u201d for the ski season\u2026 read on and start training smarter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tens of thousands of skiers and snowboarders enjoy snow sports every year, however few prepare for the physical demands that these sports place on the body. Different sports use different muscles in different ways \u2013 if your muscles are prepared they will perform and injuries will be reduced.\u00a0If you have been exercising all year and are merely switching into your \u201cski\/snowboard\u201d mentality, you should anticipate that you will need about 6 weeks for the body to adapt to the new activity and\/or exercise before it\u2019s ready to take on the challenges of the mountain.\u00a0If, however, you have not been exercising, you will need a directed exercise program focused on the specific muscles required for at least 8 to 12 weeks prior to your first day on the slopes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on how aggressive a winter sport athlete you are, and how old you are, you should start with an assessment of where you\u2019re starting from.\u00a0I recommend having a baseline functional movement screening (FMS) done by a licensed physical therapist or certified strength and conditioning coach.\u00a0 This type of assessment can help to find your weaknesses and asymmetries to allow you to tailor your strength program to them.\u00a0 By doing this, you can minimize injuries and maximize your performance on the slopes! Starting your strength program early will allow you to enjoy the season to it\u2019s fullest!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warming up and stretching before hitting the slopes is another consideration. There are many schools of thought about warming up, however it is generally accepted that warming up muscles that will be used for a specific activity is a good way to avoid injuries such as muscle tears.\u00a0A good warm up routine to use is to perform the activity you\u2019ll be doing at about 1\/3 to 1\/2 the speed or intensity for 5 to 10 minutes.\u00a0 For example, start on an easy hill even if you\u2019re an intermediate or advanced skier\/snowboarder, remind yourself to keep form, look up, move your legs, engage your CORE, etc.\u00a0Skipping the warmup can result in painful muscle tears that may take as long as 8 to 12 weeks to heal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stretching (Pre- and Post-Workout): Stretching your muscles after your warmup increases your flexibility and may help to prevent injuries.\u00a0Additionally, if you incorporate a cool down into your workout you will increase your overall \u201cfitness\u201d and improve your cardiovascular health. Just 5 minutes of a brisk walk after your main workout can improve your cardiac tone and overall fitness.\u00a0Believe it or not, the research shows that a cool down is MORE important than a warm up for fitness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the secret to enjoying the slopes is easy\u2026 assess early, customize your strength training, and once the snow flies, start your warm up and stretching program on the hill.\u00a0 Happy winter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn More: Specialized Education for Fit Pros<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

MedFit Classroom\u2019s Sports Medicine Fitness Specialist<\/a><\/em> online course is designed to provide fitness professionals with a thorough understanding of common sports injuries and recovery post-medical\/surgical intervention with considerations in training, pre and post rehabilitation, nutrition and in some cases medication to support recovery in this population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advance your education and specialize with this 10-hour online course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Naomi L. Albertson M.D. is Board Certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians and specializes in the non-surgical management of musculoskeletal problems, sports injuries, concussions, and the treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a sports medicine physician, my job requires me to evaluate and treat injuries.\u00a0What I am passionate about, however, is injury prevention and sport maximization!\u00a0So, for those of you who don\u2019t want to be \u201csidelined\u201d for the ski season\u2026 read on and start training smarter! Tens of thousands of skiers and snowboarders enjoy snow sports every year, however few prepare for the physical demands that these sports place on the body. Different sports use different muscles in different ways \u2013 if your muscles are prepared they will perform and injuries will be reduced.\u00a0If you have been exercising all year and are merely switching into your \u201cski\/snowboard\u201d mentality, you should anticipate that you will need about 6 weeks for the body to adapt to the new activity and\/or exercise before it\u2019s ready to take on the challenges of the mountain.\u00a0If, however, you have not been exercising, you will need a directed exercise program focused on the specific muscles required for at least 8 to 12 weeks prior to your first day on the slopes! Depending on how aggressive a winter sport athlete you are, and how old you are, you should start with an assessment of where you\u2019re starting from.\u00a0I recommend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":394,"featured_media":33818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[198,165],"class_list":["post-33816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-mfn","tag-fitness-professionals","tag-injury-prevention"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/394"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33816"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33819,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33816\/revisions\/33819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}