Did you know that Pilates can help alpine skiing?

All muscles perform an action. All movements we perform throughout our day are made up of a combination of these individual actions performed by our muscles. As a result, more than one muscle is involved in any one movement. So it is reasonable to expect that training for a particular sport or activity involving many different and complex movements of the body would require training a group of muscles. Winter sports are no exceptiong. We’ll take a quick look at how Pilates can help alpine skiing.

For Alpine skiing the main group of muscles that are used to perform the movement are in the lower body. In particular the groups of muscles are hip muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and muscles in the feet. These muscle groups can be further broken down to the gluteus medius, peroneus longus, adductor longus, gluteus maximus, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, biceps femoris and semimembranosus. (refer to the links and pictures on the website for these muscles and actions.)

Muscles used in Alpine Skiing

Let’s have a look at the actions of the body that these muscles can perform.

Gluteus Medius – anterior fiber abducts (moves away) and internally rotates the thigh. The posterior fibers externally rotate the thigh

Peroneus Longus – dorsi and plantar flexes the foot (flexes and points the ankles, respectively)

Adductor Longus – adducts, flexes and internally rotates the thigh

Gluteus maximus – extends the hip, externally rotate the thigh, abducts the thigh and assists to stabilize the knee when fully extended

Rectus femoris – extends knee; flexes the hip Vastus intermedius – extends the knee

Biceps femoris – flexes (bends) the knee and extends (opens up) the hip

Semimembranosus – extends the hip, flexes the knee and pulls the medial meniscus posteriorly during knee flexion (when knee is bent)

While the lower body is working to perform the movement what is the upper body doing? Without good balance, you’ll fall over while skiing downhill. As a result the ‘core’ muscles need to be strong to maintain stability while skiing. These include the abdominal muscles, muscles of the spine and lower back and pelvic floor muscles.

When muscles are performing actions they are contracting in some way. Either concentrically (shortening) or eccentrically (lengthening). When skiing the muscles contract eccentrically. So the muscle is lengthening when it contracts to perform the movement. An example of this would be while you’re skiing you’re in a squatted position using your quadriceps in the same way you would when walking down stairs or in a lengthening or eccentric manner. The rate of the contraction of the muscle is slower compared to running and other activities. A reason for this is that the hip angle doesn’t change much while turning in skiing so the speed of the contraction is relatively slow. 

From all this information we can gather that training for skiing should focus on the lower body, eccentrically and at a fairly slow rate of contraction. Slow, controlled movements concentrating on technique will better maximize the benefits of the exercise for the purposes of alpine skiing.

How can Pilates help alpine skiing?

A combination of exercises on the mat and reformer can help you improve your physical condition for skiing. The resistance provided on the reformer allows for a larger variety of exercises for the lower body. All areas of the legs can be strengthened, lying down, sitting and standing. Balance can also be incorporated with these exercises giving the core muscles a chance to develop. All exercises in Pilates involve the ‘core’ muscles including the pelvic floor. Whether these muscles are used as stabilizers or as prime mover, the abdominals are always engaged in Pilates and while skiing.