Despite the burn you feel in your quads after a long day in the mountains, skiing isn鈥檛 all in the legs.听鈥淔or anyone who鈥檚 inspired to get stronger and more aggressive on skis,听working on your core strength is the place to start,鈥 says professional big-mountain skier听.
When you ski, you want your legs to be able to work separately from your upper body, like when听mogul skiers dart听their skis around bumps while their torsos calmly float down the fall line. A strong core鈥攚hich is your whole trunk听(front, side, and back)鈥攊s the foundation of this movement, from initiating the turn to transitioning into the next. It provides a base to transfer power between the upper and lower body听and gives you the stability to move swiftly and stay upright in unpredictable terrain.
If you haven鈥檛 been following听, he鈥檚 a training fiend. The 28-year-old puts in four to five days per week, he says, and is active every single day. 鈥淪ometimes I鈥檒l do core as a standalone workout if I鈥檓 really trying to get the whole thing involved,鈥 he says.听鈥淏ut most of the time I鈥檒l incorporate it into my warmup and the end of strength workouts.鈥
Collinson sees core training as three-dimensional: 鈥淚 look at how I can hit the front, the sides, and the back, and I鈥檒l rotate through exercises for each area.鈥 This ten-move circuit, which can be done with little or no equipment, not only targets the core in its entirety听but also strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and hip adductors. And it听isn鈥檛 just for skiers. Anyone who plays in the mountains, from professional athletes to weekend warriors, can benefit from a stronger听core.
The Moves
Complete this workout as a circuit, ideally moving from one exercise to the next without rest in between. Take a short break between exercises if needed. Start with one round, and run through it again听if you鈥檙e feeling good. Begin with a quick warmup to get the blood flowing: a light jog or ten听minutes of jumping rope听(30 seconds on, 30 seconds off), followed by some听dynamic stretches.
Front Plank Progression
What It Does: Primarily strengthens the deep core muscles听and engages the other core muscles, glutes, quads, and shoulders for stability.
How to Do It: Start with a 60-second forearm plank for the first round to serve as a warmup. Then, if you鈥檙e able, increase the challenge with a harder variation the second time through.
Forearm Plank (Easiest):听Start in听a kneeling position, and place your forearms on the floor shoulder-width apart, with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Extend your legs backward, feet together and toes tucked under, so that your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. Keep your back flat鈥攏o sagging, arching, or rotating the hips鈥攁nd your head extended so that your neck is in line with your spine. Maintain this form for the duration of the hold.
Three-Point Plank:听Start in a听push-up position, with your arms straight and hands directly below your shoulders. Place your feet one to two feet apart. (The farther apart they are, the easier this will be.)听Maintain a rigid plank from your head to your heels. Then raise one arm, without rotating your shoulders or hips, and hold for ten seconds. Return to the starting position, and lift the other arm for ten听seconds, followed by a leg, then the other leg, and so on. Continue alternating between all four limbs, holding each in the air for ten seconds听for the duration of the plank.
Two-Point Plank (Most Difficult):听Start in a push-up position, as you would for the three-point plank, but this time raise your opposite arm and leg simultaneously. Hold steady, without rotating your shoulders or hips, for 30 seconds. Repeat with the opposite hand-leg combo lifted.
Volume: Hold for 60 seconds. Once you can hit a minute with perfect form, increase the challenge by progressing to a more difficult variation.
Glute Side Plank
What It Does: Primarily targets听the obliques and听the gluteus medius听(a stabilizer muscle at the back of the hip).
How to Do It: Start in a side plank position on your forearm, with your elbow bent and directly below your shoulder听and your bottom knee bent to 90 degrees. (This position generates better glute activation on both sides, Collinson says.)听Engage your core and lift your hips so that your torso forms a straight line. Keep your hips level and square. Then raise your upper leg as high as you can. Keep the upper leg straight and imagine driving your bottom knee into the floor. Hold this position for 60 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
Volume: 60听seconds each side.
Elevated Glute Bridge
What It Does: Primarily strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
How to Do It: Lie on your back with your heels elevated on a bench or chair. Raise your hips until you鈥檙e in full extension, squeeze your glutes, and engage your core. Imagine pulling your belly button toward your spine. Hold this position for 60 seconds. Keep your hips level, square, and in a straight line with your thighs and torso. If this variation听feels too difficult, keep your feet on the ground. If it feels too easy, lift one foot and hold the bridge on only one leg. Repeat on the other side.
Volume: 60 seconds (each leg, if applicable).
Six Inches
What It Does: Primarily targets the deep core muscles听and the hip flexors.
How to Do It: Lie flat on your back with your legs together and straight out in front of you. Place your arms alongside your body for balance and support. Start with your feet six inches off the floor. Raise your legs until they are vertical and directly over your hips. Then lift your hips off the floor. (It鈥檚 a subtle yet difficult motion.) Slowly lower your hips and reverse the movement until your feet are back to six inches above the floor鈥攄on鈥檛 let them touch. Repeat. Keep your legs straight, chin tucked, and lower back pressed firmly against the floor throughout the exercise.
For an easier variation, hold your legs straight and feet six inches off the floor, as described above, but bend your knees as you raise your legs to vertical. Slowly reverse the movement, and repeat.
Volume: 15 to 20 reps, or move at a steady pace for 60 seconds.
Bosu听Side Crunch
What It Does: Primarily targets the obliques听and the hip adductors.
How to Do It: For this, you鈥檒l need a , a pillow, or a rolled-up towel. Place the prop a leg鈥檚 length away from a wall. Lie on your side, with your hip on the prop and your feet planted against the wall. Stagger your feet heel to toe, with the top foot听in front of听the bottom foot. Press your feet into the wall for leverage and raise your torso into a side crunch, like you鈥檙e arcing a ski turn. Reverse the movement until your torso hovers just above the floor, and repeat. Do not lower to the ground between reps. Move slowly and in control through the full range of motion. Keep your body in the same plane, and keep your hips vertical throughout the movement. (Avoid twisting or leaning to one side.)听For a harder variation, hold your upper foot in the air, parallel to your lower leg and hip-width apart.
Volume: 15 to 20 reps, or move at a steady pace for 60 seconds听on听each side.
Bird Dog Variation
What It Does: Targets the deep core muscles to train strength and stability听and helps improve shoulder and hip mobility.
How to Do It: Start in a tabletop position, with your hands below your shoulders, knees below your hips, and back flat. Then simultaneously lift and extend the opposite arm and leg until they are level and in line with your body. This is the starting position. From here, bring in your raised elbow and knee to touch below your torso, and reverse the movement back to full extension. Now pivot your听arm and leg out to each side until they are perpendicular to your body. (Keep them parallel to the floor.)听Pause for a second or two, and reverse the movement to the starting position. This counts as one repetition. Repeat all reps on one side, then switch to the other. Move slowly and in control. Keep your back flat听and your hips level and square throughout the movement.
Volume: Eight to ten听reps.
Slow Straight-Leg Sit-Up
What It Does: Primarily targets the deep core muscles听and the hip flexors.
How to Do It: Lie on your back听with your legs straight and together. Place your hands alongside your body for support (easiest), on your chest, or interlocked behind your head (hardest). Then sit up slowly鈥攖ake about five seconds to complete the movement鈥攗ntil your torso is vertical. Lower slowly鈥攐ver another听five seconds鈥攗ntil your torso hovers just above听the floor.听Repeat the movement without lowering all the way to the floor between reps.
Volume: Eight to ten听reps.
Hollow Rock
What It Does: Primarily targets the听deep core muscles听and the hip flexors while training total core tension.
How to Do It: Lie flat on your back听with your legs straight and together听and your arms extended overhead. Engage your abs鈥攁gain,听imagine pulling your belly button toward your spine鈥攖o eliminate any gap between your lower back and the floor. Then raise your arms and legs so that your body forms a shallow U-shape. Hold this position and gently rock forward and backward for 60 seconds. If this is too hard, eliminate the rocking motion for a static hollow-body hold.
Volume: 60听seconds.
Copenhagen Plank
What It Does: Primarily strengthens听the obliques and听the hip adductors (inner thigh).
How to Do It: Lie on your side听with your upper foot on a bench, chair, or coffee table. Your lower foot should float freely below without touching or weighting anything. If the bench is short, place your forearm on the floor, with your elbow directly below your shoulder, bent to 90 degrees. If the bench is tall, place your hand on the floor below your shoulder听and keep your arm straight. The idea here is to choose the arm position that will keep your body horizontal听or as close as possible. Then lift your hips to enter a side plank. Your body should form a straight line from your feet through your hips and up to your shoulders. Hold this position for 60 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
This one is easy to overdo, which can听stress the hip adductors, Collinson says. If it feels too difficult, you can make it easier by positioning the bench closer to you. That way, the inside of your lower leg or thigh will rest on the support, rather than your foot, which reduces听the leverage.
Volume: 60听seconds each side.
Broomstick Pass-Through
What It Does: Strengthens the core through all three phases of muscle contraction鈥攃oncentric (raising, or shortening under load), eccentric (lowering, or elongating under load), and isometric (static hold).
How to Do It: Grasp a broomstick with your hands shoulder-width apart, and start in a hollow-body hold, described above, with your arms extended overhead. Sit up as you simultaneously bring your knees to your chest. Pass the broomstick over your feet, and slowly reverse the movement back into the hollow-body hold position, now with your arms extended forward and the broomstick beneath your legs, down by your butt.听Pause for a few seconds, then tuck up again, pass the broomstick back over your feet, and reverse the movement to the starting position. This counts as one rep鈥攄ouble whammy! Move slowly and in control. Keep your chin tucked, core engaged, and lower back pressed firmly against the floor throughout the movement.
Volume: 12听to 15 reps.