Train for freeride! Best physical performance for the ski season!

It's time to renew your glasses, your ski goggles Who's ready for ski season? You feel the freedom and spirit of adventure when we do freeride in the snow Going over virgin terrain with powder snow does get us closer to the action.

The freeride is demanding, there is no doubt about that. And the truth is that both the ascent and descent stages require the rider to have optimal physical conditions to be able to achieve their objectives in the snow, and have a great time at all times.

If the ascent is done on skis or on foot, and not by other means (such as helicopter/ice skiing, snowplows, chairlifts, ski lifts...) it will require that the rider have an aerobic metabolism ready for action since the journey is normally extensive, intense and inclined. In addition, for the approach phase, it is necessary to have muscular strength and endurance, especially in the lower body, as well as to carry the necessary material with you during the journey that will take you a few hours of kicking.

For its part, the descent in the freeride ends up being the most exciting and essential part of the activity. At this point, the muscles of the lower body are also the ones that are most involved during the exercise of the sport, as well as the abdominal muscles. In addition, it means making efforts of short to medium duration depending on the route, for example, after a complicated section of the route, and even to stop to look at the landscape or because the descent has already been completed in its entirety. In this way, we end up making a physical effort to then quickly relax the muscles of the body that we were using in the action.

This is an adventure sport that requires a lot of talent, a lot of spirit of freedom but also a lot of strength and preparation!

How do I prepare to do freeride?

The physical strengthening of the body (almost in its entirety) is one of the most necessary requirements when we practice freeride in the snow. Our body guides us on the way off the slopes and we must be as well prepared to assume all the obstacles that the virgin areas of the mountains offer us.

Do you want to know more about how to train your body for freeride? Read on and discover basic training tips and advice to strengthen your muscles for action in the snow!

*Please note that this information is not a substitute for the training or direction of a physical health professional. Works as a basic guide to action*

How do I prepare for freeride?: Promotion

AEROBIC METABOLISM

The ascent requires great resistance and strength on the part of the rider. The approach on foot is usually an intense activity and almost constant effort for which we have to be very well physically prepared. For this, it is important to work on aerobic metabolism when we train for freeride, that is, to be able to perform aerobic exercises for a long time, add weight and resistance to our lower body: for example, weight in the ankles, add inclination to the route or difficulty to the machine if we go to the gym.

What is aerobic metabolism?

It is the way in which our body generates energy through the combustion of carbohydrates, fats and amino acids, when they are in the presence of oxygen. It is a process that part of cellular respiration and includes the generation of energy by cells through a process known as glycolysis (citric acid cycle and electron transport/ oxidative phosphorylation).

The body uses aerobic metabolism for energy throughout the day to fuel and promote the regular activity of our cells, muscles, and organs. In prolonged exercise activities, the muscles require an operating system for energy production, this being the Aerobic system, which needs energy to function and when we perform aerobic exercises and are able to maintain them, we improve our metabolism in this regard. Aerobic metabolism is also the reason our lungs absorb oxygen to be transported by hemoglobin in the blood to all tissues in our body.

POSTURAL MUSCULATURE

Both for the ascent and for the descent in the freeride we also have to work and exercise our postural musculature, which includes the entire abdominal and lumbar section. We will have to properly reinforce them for the time we will spend transporting equipment on our backs, and for the duration of the journey and the effort it entails.

UPPER BODY MUSCLES

To train for ascent we must work the muscle groups of the upper and adjacent extremities including triceps, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, pectoralis, and biceps, which are the ones that are involved in our help action in driving with the poles.

Recommended:

• Planks (1-3 sets of 30' to 60') on hands and elbows.
• Push Pulldown (3-5 sets of 15-20 repetitions) with weight according to
• Weighted elbow flexion (3-5 sets of 15-20 repetitions) standing or sitting and using dumbbells, bars or pulleys.
• Elbow extension (3 series of 15-29 repetitions) extending the arm with the dumbbell behind the head, to finish completing the stretch of all the muscles of the trunk and arms.
• Flexo extension of the wrist (3 series of 15-20 repetitions) exercising the wrist and forearm.

How do I prepare for freeride?: Relegation

freeride is one of the most complete adventure sports. And a fundamental part of the preparation for freeride is to correctly train our body for action with exercises that strengthen our metabolism, our respiratory and cardiovascular systems, our agility in maneuvers, and the strengthening of arms, legs and torso.

ANAEROBIC ALACTIC METABOLISM

When the muscle begins to contract, it begins to feel the need for energy, and the cells of our body tend to store the necessary energy for their reactions in certain molecules. The main one has been adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The process where Phosphocreatine (a molecule that stores energy in skeletal muscle) is used to resynthesize ATP is called alactic anaerobic (Anaerobic since it does not need Oxygen for its operation and Alactic because Lactic Acid is not produced).

It is an energy production system that has a very large flow and will be very useful for training freeride, downhill on skis or snowboard. It is achieved with those efforts of very short duration and maximum intensity, for example, jumping, throwing, practicing elasticity and strength exercises of the lower body, speed sprints... because they will be carried out by this energetic medium.

We start our anaerobic metabolism during exercise mainly with:

• Very fast aerobic exercise, for example, by cycling or running fast.
• Intense efforts of short duration to strengthen the cardiovascular system and muscles, for example, sprints or sprints of 30 seconds.
• Strength exercises such as weight lifting (strenuous efforts in a short period of time)

ABDOMINAL MUSCULATURE

Working our abdominal muscles will be very important since it is essential to have a strengthened torso that allows us to move on the board or skis, and move with greater agility and dexterity on the descent. We will need to be able to constantly balance ourselves and lean forward and to the sides, and we will only be able to do this by doing abdominal exercises standing up and on the floor, and series of planks that strengthen our abdominal muscles.

LOWER BODY MUSCLES

During the practice of freeride we see all our weight and effort positioned on our lower body, so it is a maxim that we have strengthened to be able to deal with the descent. These are the 2 limbs attached to the trunk through the pelvis and the hip joint. Its function is to support the weight of the body when we are on both feet, and it makes movement possible thanks to the contraction of its muscles. With this it is important to work, buttocks, legs, twins and hamstrings.

Recommended:

• Squats with barbell (3-5 series of 6-8 repetitions) with weight according to our possibilities, and in gradual mode to guarantee greater progress. Vary with the bar in front of and behind the head.
• Romanian deadlift (2-4 series of 8-10 repetitions) Add weight and difficulty progressively according to the possibilities.
• Bulgarian squats with dumbbells (2-5 sets of 6-8 repetitions) Add weight and difficulty progressively according to possibilities.
• “Glute ham raise” or hip extensions in Roman chair (3-5 series of 8-15 repetitions)
• Traditional dumbbell squats (3-6 sets of 3-5 reps) Add weight and difficulty progressively as possible.

To this we can add balance exercises on specialized gym equipment such as a Bosu, or on a sports foam rubber roll.

*Please note that this information is not a substitute for the training or direction of a physical health professional. Works as a basic guide to action*

INFOGRAPHIC

Preparing ourselves physically for action in the snow is of the utmost importance and also key to meeting the objectives in freeride. This is the case for all extreme and risk disciplines. Adventure calls out to us, but we must be very willing to do so, physically and mentally.

Never forget that safety and crisis management is very important, even if you do these exercises on the snow itself to train. Keep in mind that low temperatures are also an important factor that we must consider. Our technical level must be optimal in every way. The mountains are unpredictable and we must be really ready for action!

We recommend that you always have the best adventurous energy and be very willing to mess up. It is always good to remember the correct use of sports equipment, good wide skis, carry your Arva in hand, and good ski gogglesí, but In addition, be very well prepared physically and mentally for this sport. Train specifically for freeride and improve your technique for your next adventure!