How to prepare for skiing, between training and hi-tech

After autumn, winter is here, which is also synonymous with snow from the peaks to the slopes, a time when all can enjoy one of the most beloved and practiced winter sports; skiing. Of course, each athlete is different from the next: it is not only the age, but also the habit, the weight and the level of athletic training that changes. And skiing - it should be remembered - is a unique sport practice, which tests both the lower limbs and the back.

The athletic preparation for skiing

The reference is not only from the muscular point of view; the warning is not to neglect the incidence of stress on joints, such as those of the knees and ankles. It is essential to set up a correct athletic preparation for skiing under the supervision of an instructor, ranging from running (starting with a few kilometres) to set the joints in motion, and then focus on muscle strengthening, focusing on exercises to train all the muscles of the lower body. If you have a personalised training card, you need to strengthen your upper limbs and improve your physical fitness. In the various specialties of skiing, the most common athletic gesture is the curve with the skis, which is repeatedly performed in such conditions as to determine the total involvement of all muscle districts. Downhill skiing requires a moderate basic cardiovascular condition, and a high level of muscle component that must be combined with flexibility and mobility.

The first athletic component to focus on is the cardiovascular component with endurance work that includes shorter working times but with moderate levels of endurance. In this regard, physical exercise with a tool that allows you to work with arms and legs simultaneously, such as the elliptical, can be a solution because a cardiovascular work involving the lower limbs and trunk is important to simulate as much as possible the stresses that there are on the snow.

The Artis Synchro elliptical is Technogym's proposal that combines design, innovation and scientific research and combines ease of use and performance at high levels, allowing you to have a wide range of movements and exercises to train the whole body.

The great innovation of Artis Synchro is the trajectory of movement that is no longer placed on a fixed plane but on a variable plane to be able to offer a greater number of training routines. Thanks to the inclination of the movement plane ranging from 5 to 33 degrees, you can perform a wide variety of exercises that allow maximum activation of the buttocks and all the muscles of the legs and trunk which are very important for skiing.

Kinesis is another excellent solution for ski preparation as it allows you to perform the technical gestures present in the various disciplines (skiing, tennis, golf, swimming, soccer, etc..) Especially in sports where there are explosive movements, allowing you to perceive a load throughout the arc of movement of the gesture, allowing refinement of the technique of movement and preparation for the winter ski season, in order to strengthen the body giving stimuli related to stabilisation.

Technology in ski preparation

Technology also comes to the fore thanks to a series of useful ski apps for Android and iOS, free or for a fee, available on your device at any time, which - as part of the physical preparation of the ski, which increasingly winks at the digital universe - offer skiers a very rich menu: types of exercises to ski with a focus on the areas of the body to train, real timers for any exercise to be done and training cycles designed specifically to meet different needs. Is that all? Not really. The best apps for snow are characterised by additional features. So, what’s the best way to prepare for the season on the ski slopes, thinking about everything in between training and hi-tech?

The snow offers the opportunity to practice various activities and sports (skiing above all) that allow fans to move and relax the mind, perhaps escaping even for a weekend from everyday work and various commitments. So why not use your smartphone in anticipation of your skiing holidays?

Skiing starts before you arrive on the slopes. It is enough, in fact, to have a smartphone or a tablet and connect to the webcams not only to find out about the weather forecast (the snow report of the ski resorts), but also to know every single information related to the slopes (classified by difficulty) - exploring in advance both the curves and the slopes - the lifts, the opening of the shelters. And again, find out online to book ski passes, get discounts on ski tickets or equipment rental. Geolocalising, it can be useful to download and view 3D maps of the ski areas.

The fascination of snow technology also passes through the wrist, thanks to the comfort and functionality of wearable devices, such as smartwatches, able to calculate the slope of the slopes or calories burned during sports directly on the application - simple and intuitive - the clock that tracks the workouts. Thanks to these devices it is possible to monitor the maximum speed, the vertical, the distance, as well as the total time of ascent and travel. There is also the technological support offered by these applications, characterised by an interface with large keys, linear graphics that are readable - especially with the glare of the sun, which are able to operate offline, therefore in the absence of a connection to the network.