It is my favorite time of year, snow season. After all, we have the “Greatest Snow on Earth.” With a handful of ski resorts open before Thanksgiving, now is the time to get ready to hit the slopes. Before you strap on those skis, snowboard or snowshoes, we are providing you with tips and a great workout to get your muscles in shape (and prevent injury.)

Cardiovascular conditioning and strength training is vital. Strengthening your legs and lungs will help you get the most out of that expensive lift ticket, a good day on the trails or designated backcountry areas.

Keeping your leg muscles in top shape will prevent injury. Skiers use their quad muscles more than their hamstrings, which is a big cause of knee injuries. Therefore, it is important to keep the quad and hamstring muscles balanced.

Here is an example of an advance workout for ski training. Before starting an intense workout such as the one below make sure you warm up on a treadmill or bike for at least five minutes and stretch well. This workout program involves super setting, where you jump from one exercise to the next without taking a break. Super sets keep the heart rate elevated and increases cardiovascular endurance. Remember, before you start a workout program you should consult your doctor.

Super Set Workout: (Do three sets of 15 repetitions with a one minute rest in between.)

Sleds with squat box jumps

Sleds — Use a sled weight machine at the gym, standing squats or wall sits (leaning against the wall with legs 90 degrees.)

Squat box jumps —Jump on a stair, box or step squat and jump off.

Lunges with regular box jumps

Walking lunges — Squat with one leg in front of the other keeping a knee at 90 degrees without your knee going over you toe.

Regular box jumps — Jump on and off a small box, stair or bleacher and jump off from the same side.

Leg extensions with jumping jacks

Leg extensions — Use a weight machine at the gym or strap on ankle weights. Lift legs as high as you can in front of you.

Do 30 jumping jacks. Keep the rest period the same as the other exercises.

Leg curls with lateral box jumps

Using a leg curl machine at the gym or lay down on your stomach and curl your leg toward the buttocks toes flexed extending parallel to the floor.

Lateral box jumps — use a step or a box and jump on the box from one side and jump off to the other side.

This workout should take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to complete. If you are not finishing before one hour you are taking too much rest in between exercises. Make sure to finish with some core exercises such as crunches or sit ups and stretching. As with most resistance training programs, this program could be repeated two – three days a week depending on how fast your body recovers.