Pilates Exercises For Alpine Skiers

If you’re hitting the slopes this year, do your body a favor and include some Pilates exercises that will keep your knees safe and your legs strong so you can tackle that bunny slope black diamond!

In the Pilates Protocols chapter of the Pilates Encyclopedia, you’ll find a list of exercises that improve lower body function for downhill skiing.

Here are a few to get you started:

Mat

• Single leg calf stretch
• Wall squat; to strengthen your quadriceps
• Wobbleboard Balance
• Balance on half roller
• Spine Twist; to improve spine rotation
• Side to Side; to improve spine rotation and abdominal strength
• Criss Cross; to improve spine rotation and abdominal strength 
• The Z

Reformer

• Footwork: single leg variation; use heavy springs to strengthen your quads
• Side Splits with Mini Squats
• Feet in Straps: single leg stretch with opposite strap (to improve knee tracking)
• Short Box: Twist (to improve spine rotation)
• Short Box: Oblique Flat Back (to improve trunk stability in rotation)
• Jumping (to improve ankle strength and mobility)
• The Z
• Short Spine Massage (to improve core strength in a flexed position and hip extensor strength)
• Long Spine Massage 

Trapeze Table / Cadillac / Tower / Springboard

• Footwork: single leg variation
• Squats
• Thigh Stretch
• Single Leg Squats on top of the table while holding on to the upper horizontal poles
• The Z Thigh Stretch

Chair

• Hip Hike: mini squats
• Prone Spine Rotation with split pedal
• Standing Leg Pump; to improve leg stretch and knee tracking
• Forward Lunges (to improve knee tracking and leg strength)
• Forward Step Down

Ladder Barrel

• Short Box: Twist (to improve spine rotation)
• Short Box: Oblique Flat Back
• Short Box: Around The World 

Spine Corrector

• Leg Series