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May, 2025

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Exercise ski muscles: run or bike?

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Gustenhoff
Posts: 109 - Karma: 112
Hey NS

Would you suggest running or biking as the most beneficial way to exercise the muscles that are used most heavily when skiing? (not talking specificly about park skiing, just in general)


Im only able to ski af few weeks every year and I wish to get as much skiing done as possible during those weeks.

cheers
9 years ago
25 1
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UilyJeff
Posts: 394 - Karma: 1,482
Both, along with squats, leg presses, leg extensions, and leg curls. Don't forget your core either!
9 years ago
9 0
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skebumw
Posts: 190 - Karma: 444
Both however Biking will target quads more running will target calf's more also biking really helps if you have bad knees where running can do more damage.

I bike.
9 years ago
13 0
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shotvet
Posts: 302 - Karma: 1,614
Check out this program. I have been doing it this season and feel pretty good on the mountain. quick but not easy

http://www.tetongravity.com/video/ski/leg-blasterstgr-ski-sb-training-camp-1
9 years ago
2 0
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~Gotama~
Posts: 821 - Karma: 3,160
Get yourself a mountain bike and exercise both your legs and your balls.
9 years ago
26 0
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Skibumsam521
Posts: 48 - Karma: 94
Lift legs and core and do intervals or lower cadence (high gear) rides on your bike to build strength
9 years ago
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callmeteo
Posts: 367 - Karma: 321
Personally, I'd argue that you don't need a workout plan or some shit to be comfortable on the mountain.. Just keep your legs in shape some way or another, ski, get tired, hit it the next day.
9 years ago
4 1
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
Of the two, biking. At least for me, running is too hard on the knees that it's beneficial. Biking, combined with leg workouts at the gym, will be the most beneficial. Also remember to work everything though; core is essential to skiing and doing arms/back/shoulders/etc is crucial in injury prevention. Go for less weight/more reps, because skiing is more endurance than strength
9 years ago
2 0
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bait
Posts: 1226 - Karma: 3,604
tramp works muscles and techninque plus it doesnt put as much strain as running and its way more fun
9 years ago
2 0
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Mingg
Posts: 14048 - Karma: 50,946
Jump squats, air squats and jumping lunges. A lot of the reason why you're sore from skiing is because skiing involves absorbing impact. When you do normal squats you don't train that much. Look up other eccentric exercises. They help way more than normal exercise.
9 years ago
6 0
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Loco-Deer-Slayer
Posts: 1401 - Karma: 701
I know it's not on your list but trampolines are one of the best tools to train. It works on balance, builds muscle from explosive movement, and it's cardio.

Out of running and biking, biking is way more low impact on the joints. It depends on the person but I can't run before a day I ski. One thing running does have over biking is you can choose to train at altitude. You can definitely do that biking but your options are more limited.

Running at 10,000 ft plus will whip your ass into shape real quick.
9 years ago
1 0
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kung_powpow
Posts: 1990 - Karma: 3,671
Mountain biking feels a lot like skiing to me on the downhill. I guess some of the mental processes are similar and its hell of a workout
9 years ago
0 0
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reBlocke
Posts: 762 - Karma: 1,502
Neither.

Unless skinning faster is your main goal, you're not going to be limited by your aerobic fitness.

In training, their is a general rule called the 'rule of specificity': the closer an exercise is to the movement you care about, the better improvements will transfer between them. This is the reason why squats (and variations of squats) are the basis of any decent skiing training program.

If you focus on other exercises at the expense of your squat strength, you're missing the big point. Granted, I like biking and running and do both frequently - but I do them because they're fun, not because they're going to make me a stronger skier.

Lots of people hate going to the gym, and if you get enough hard skiing days it probably isn't necessary (unless you're trying to make the world cup circuit). After all, skiing is the best way to get stronger at skiing.
9 years ago
1 1
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ReturnToMonkey
Posts: 6448 - Karma: 70,207
For those of you with injuries that make either hard, swimming is a really good way to keep up the cardio as well as working a lot of muscles. Sure it's not as much your ski muscles, but it's really easy on your body, like I said especially if you have injuries like ankle or knee
5 years ago
2 0
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PsychicMigration
Posts: 2099 - Karma: 10,552
Either will create a noticeable difference. My only suggestion is unless you doing sprints on a bike you should be upping millage 3 miles unless your 300lbs wont make a ton of difference.
5 years ago
0 0
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oldmanski
Posts: 3625 - Karma: 27,131
The referenced post has been removed.


Is Peloton behind this virus outbreak??
5 years ago
1 0
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NateDude
Posts: 186 - Karma: 1,287
I usually bike in the off-season and then start doing squats and core exercises when its almost ski season
5 years ago
0 0
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CHU-TANG_CLAN
Posts: 2103 - Karma: 2,911
not sure what your situation is like where you live, but check out thrift stores/good wills. they usually have exercise bikes for a really good price (older but still work fine)
The referenced post has been removed.
5 years ago
1 0
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SkierPT
Posts: 2209 - Karma: 4,926
Follow SkiiingPhysicalTherapy on IG for skiing exercises
5 years ago
4 0
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Lonely
Posts: 7125 - Karma: 69,203
Bad Knees. I bike. Still get a good workout, you get to see more, higher skill cap, go faster and less knee hurt.

bike.
5 years ago
4 0
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SuspiciousFish
Posts: 2794 - Karma: 16,914
Loco-Deer-SlayerI know it's not on your list but trampolines are one of the best tools to train. It works on balance, builds muscle from explosive movement, and it's cardio.

Out of running and biking, biking is way more low impact on the joints. It depends on the person but I can't run before a day I ski. One thing running does have over biking is you can choose to train at altitude. You can definitely do that biking but your options are more limited.

Running at 10,000 ft plus will whip your ass into shape real quick.


I second this. It also helps your air sense. A coach told me once, "Your body is really not used to floating in the air, you need to be up there as much as possible in the off season to get used to it."
5 years ago
3 0
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SuspiciousFish
Posts: 2794 - Karma: 16,914
ConesForBreakfastFor those of you with injuries that make either hard, swimming is a really good way to keep up the cardio as well as working a lot of muscles. Sure it's not as much your ski muscles, but it's really easy on your body, like I said especially if you have injuries like ankle or knee


I crashed my mountain bike years ago and really messed up my knee and wrist. I was getting pretty bummed because I couldn't run, bike or lift and was getting out of shape. Finally I moved into a different apartment with a pool and decided to swim laps every day. Literally after two weeks I was 100% recovered. Water really does amazing things to heal certain injuries. Its a good way to train your lungs for the thin mountain air as well.
5 years ago
2 0
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BigmoneyMatt
Posts: 1545 - Karma: 1,215
How skiers gunna look after reading this.
5 years ago
6 0
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nmwninjart
Posts: 3102 - Karma: 15,932
I do both but a lot more biking than running. I did enough of that running crap when I was younger thanks to the military. Ive always hated running. I'm built more like a pack mule, not a sprinter.
5 years ago
1 0
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iced
Posts: 3070 - Karma: 17,985
LonelyBad Knees. I bike. Still get a good workout, you get to see more, higher skill cap, go faster and less knee hurt.

bike.


swimming is nice on the joints too, and you get to chat with a load of older people which is actually quite nice
5 years ago
2 0
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OCoffey
Posts: 648 - Karma: 3,700
I run 30-40 mile weeks but I don’t think it helps with skiing that much
5 years ago
2 0
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GayWolf420
Posts: 38143 - Karma: 130,258
plenty of walking for me at work so fuck running, but biking is quite lovely. even stationary bikes rock, id love to have one in a mini home gym some day. Did a lot of stationary biking for PT last summer.

but yeah, injuries catch up with you and when you got bad feet/ankles/knees, its hard to get into getting shredded when you want to save as much of your body as you can for skiing and life in general. yoga is nice too.

**This post was edited on Aug 3rd 2020 at 5:13:22pm
5 years ago
1 0
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ReturnToMonkey
Posts: 6448 - Karma: 70,207
Fuck with yoga too
5 years ago
0 0
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dripdroptop
Posts: 584 - Karma: 3,422
Both are boring to me unless you are mountain biking
5 years ago
0 0
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skiguy04
Posts: 1640 - Karma: 1,275
ROLLERBLADE
5 years ago
1 0
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Young_patty
Posts: 3343 - Karma: 39,292
Skating, biking to get around, climbing and small bits of weight training is how I prepared last year and it helped way more than sitting on my ass smoking weed and watching TC
5 years ago
2 0
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Alexhaha
Posts: 26 - Karma: 123
Whatever strenghthens ur full range of motion
5 years ago
0 0
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skiguy04
Posts: 1640 - Karma: 1,275
Inline skates
9 months ago
0 0
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