The evenings are getting darker, the snow is getting thicker, winter for us in BC is just around the corner, and we could not be more excited.
Except for one thing: our legs aren’t ready yet. In fact, none of our body is ready yet. Lately we’ve spent way too much time watching snowboard movies and eating leftover chocolate from Halloween... Oops.
As soon as the mountain resorts open we want to be able to ski and ride all day – not be hobbling around in pain. So to get us ready for the season, we got our expert fitness guru (and an OG Nitty P founder) Zita Desmet to come up with a great workout for all of us to do.
Does it hurt? Yes.
Is it what we need? Yes.
It's perfect because it requires no equipment, you can do it from home, and it only takes 20 minutes. So get some tunes going and grab some sweat bands!
Squat to jump squat (x10)
"First up, we're going to do squats to get those legs warm. Start by doing a normal squat, and then bend your knees and jump into the next squat. That's one rep. Do ten."
Single leg deadlift (x20)
"Keep your back straight and engage your core. This helps a lot with balance which is super important for skiing and snowboarding. Do 10 on each side!"
Plank (one minute)
"Keep your elbows underneath your shoulders, squeeze your butt!"
Lunge (x 12)
"We're doing 12 lunges next (6 on each leg). Make sure your back is nice and straight.
Wanna really push yourself? Use weights if you have them! 6-packs of Cariboo make pretty good hand weights... Just saying."
Jump lunge (x 12)
"Exactly the same, 6 each side, but jump between the lunges. This one will burn the legs but keep going - you'll be thankful on that first powder day!"
Heeltap (x 20)
"This one's for the abs! Tighten your core and touch your heels with your fingers. Do 10 on each side - so 20 total. For maximum burn move your heels out further away.
Full body crunch (x 20)
"Another one for your abs and balance. This is the last exercise, keep it up!"
Whole workout
10 x squat to jump squat
10 x single leg deadlift
1 minute plank
24 x lunge
24 x jump lunge
20 x heeltap
20 x full body crunch
Do this 3 times through for maximum gains! Feeling sore yet? Us too...
It might be a tough 20 minutes but we PROMISE that if you follow this workout a few times a week you'll be in great shape once the lifts start spinning. Make sure you follow it up with a good stretch!
Need more fitness inspo? Go follow Zita for more workouts and exercise tips! Or let comment below with your favourite pre-season prep routines.
Written by Hannah Hurley - Official NITP Blog Writer.