Early season training can maximize your outdoor pursuits

By Jeff Hendrickson Lone Peak Performance Fitness

As Big Sky residents, we don’t want to spend all of our time in the gym. We want to be outdoors. But, if we want to be at our best on opening day and stay injury-free through the season, time in the gym is important.

What if, instead of dealing with “early season” legs, you could crush from day one? What if, when climbing season hits, you already have blacksmith forearms and 15 pull-ups in the bag? That’s exactly what we can prep you for at Lone Peak Performance Fitness.

We deliver optimal integration of physical therapy, performance testing and coaching, and personal training services, all under one roof. Our elite team of movement professionals helps athletes of all levels better understand how to boost performance, increase efficiency, and prevent injury.

At Lone Peak Performance, we focus on the most crucial components of mountain-specific training, and ones that are often neglected when getting ready for ski and snowboard season. Everyone knows that strong legs and a bulletproof core are important, but when was the last time you strengthened you knee and hip stabilizers?

For the past eight weeks, we’ve been working with our local ski teams to get them as prepared as possible for this season. We want to pass some of those techniques on to you.

If you have access to weights, focus on front squats and mix in back squats and isometric holds. Deadlifts with kettlebells, barbells or a trap bar, are crucial both for strength training and balancing the body. If you don’t have weightlifting experience, consult a professional trainer.

No weights? No problem. Follow this “leg blaster” series to get the gains you’re looking for:

Three to five sets each:
– 20 lateral jumps over a 6-inch box
– 10 air squats
– 20 alternating front lunges (10 each leg)
– 20 jump lunges (10 each leg)
– 10 jump squats
– Isometric squat for 60 seconds

To strengthen your core, focus on movements that bring your knees to your nose and/or involve rotation. Hanging knee raises, wood choppers and anti-rotation exercises are all staples.

Measurability in your training is key. Progress can be measured in many ways, but few ways actually provide you with concrete data. At LPP, we use our 1080 Quantum to measure your speed, force, acceleration, and power. The 1080 Quantum is a highly sophisticated, computerized pulley system used for performance testing, training and rehabilitation.

While you’re using this machine, our trainers can see real-time results that allow them to both cater your workouts specifically to you and your goals and measure the impact of your training throughout the season. This system has been tested at the professional sport training level and has been proven to be far more effective than more traditional training methods.

We hope this helps you get the most out of this amazing place we call home!