MANY OF US ARE GEARING UP FOR AN ACTION-PACKED SKI HOLIDAY AT THIS TIME, BUT EVEN THE FITTEST GYM FANATICS MAY NOT BE WORKING THE RIGHT MUSCLES FOR THE SLOPES. SO FOLLOW THESE TIPS FOR LOTS OF FUN AND SAFETY ON THE PISTE.

It’s that time of the year when people start counting down the days to their adrenaline-filled ski holiday.  But people tend to forget that skiing is a sport, not merely a holiday, and broken wrists, collarbones and knee injuries are souvenirs that you don’t want to bring home.

Roy Keane used the motto “failure to prepare, prepare to fail”, and if you choose to embark on a skiing holiday without prior conditioning, you will put this to the test.  As weekend breaks to ski resorts have been heavily promoted, the number of injuries has escalated. This happens either because you do incorrect training or no training at all before heading to the slopes, so your body is not prepared for the sport’s demands.

Skiing hard works you at an intensity that can only be sustained for a couple of minutes before the build-up of lactic acid begins. Your body must be prepared as a day on the slopes can consist of four to six hours of sustained physical activity.

Untrained females are more predisposed to knee injuries from skiing than men. The angle of women’s hips to knees — known as the Q angle — to accommodate childbirth puts more strain on the knees.  This problem is exacerbated by the exercises and classes that women tend to do, which train the wrong muscles needed for skiing and cause muscle imbalances.

Women tend to perform exercises that train the front of the thighs and the quads, but these don’t create work for the back of the legs and the hamstrings.   This imbalance is one reason why every year, 20,000 secondary school girls suffer serious knee injuries, mostly involving the anterior cruciate ligament that holds the leg bones together.

On the ski slopes, collisions with trees, obstacles or human beings can only be prevented as you improve your skiing skills. But if you turn up at a Formula 1 track with a beaten-up Lada, you won’t be able to handle the track and you may end up in the pit lane long before the race climaxes.

So, if you feel the need for speed on the slopes, make sure you consider the following:

• Skiing is a predominantly lower-body sport, so you’ve got to address your muscle imbalances. A Poliquin level 2 coach could perform a lower body structural balance test, which can identify the weak muscles and design an exercise programme to target these muscles and prevent injury. Visit www.charlespoliquin.net for information on finding these coaches.

• Allow at least six weeks of training for preparation.

• Spinning, running and aerobics all work the muscles on the front of the thigh, so train the muscles at the back of the leg to help stabilise the knee.

• Hamstring muscles extend the hip and bend the knee. These muscles tend to be trained in the wrong rep schemes, or else they are not trained hard enough.

• Learn how to perform a front squat. Weak muscles on the inside of the knee — called the VMO — help stabilise the knee, but few people squat deep enough. Do front squats as they allow you to go deeper than back squats.

• Train hard, because the more experienced a skier you are, the bigger and longer your ski runs, which means you will produce more lactic acid.

• Prepare your body for lactate training. Perform three leg exercises in a row where you don’t get rest until you have performed all three. For example, six front squats, 12 lunges and 25 leg presses, taking two minute’s rest and repeating four times.

• Training the calf muscles will help prevent knee injuries, as these provide a cushion to prevent skiers’ knees from reaching too acute an angle as they jet down the mountain.

• If you are a beginner, book into ski-school.

• Be sensible. It’s a sporting holiday, so resist alcohol if you want enjoy this type of holiday.

• Remember: it’s not how many times you fall down on the slopes that counts, it’s how many times you get back on the piste. Enjoy the ride.