In Season Training

FitnessTrainingSkiing
Written By Ben Van Treese
Snowboarder rides powder directly towards camera, with plumes of snow rising like smoke behind him.

If you are a North American Snow Enthusiast, you should be well into an off season training block by now. During the off season it is time to dial in and work on GPP (General Physical Preparedness). It’s a time to focus on building strength, adding lean mass, and building a general athletic base before the season arrives. As I have said before, trying to build strength during season is like changing a tire while the car is moving...

Off Season training is much more fatiguing than in season training. That is on purpose. Right now there is not a lot to do outside so it doesn’t matter if you are sore and a bit tired from your gym work.

In season training is all about maintaining strength and keep your joints healthy.

The biggest mistake people make during ski season is not training at all. The second biggest mistake people make is continuing to train in a fatiguing way during the season. Both strategies have a lot of holes in them.

In Season training  the focus switches from:
Building --> Maintaining

General Training --> Specific Training

Fatiguing --> Non Fatiguing

That doesn’t mean in season training is easy, it’s just different. The workouts are designed to be very low volume, with relatively heavy loads. This helps you maintain your strength without creating fatigue. Your fatigue should come from getting out and playing in the powder.

Remember - use it or lose it is real. If you do no strength work for 3-4 months you will become significantly weaker. This causes a drop in performance and increases your injury risk. 

You can stay strong in season without feeling beat up and tired. You just need a good program.

In Season we focus more on joint health, mobility, and recovery. With a bit of strength and plyometrics built in. If you typically take the winter off from the gym I encourage you to reach out and learn more about how in season training can help you have the best ski season possible.

Cheers,
Ben

P.S. Holler at me if you want to learn more about in season training!

Ben Van Treese

Ben Van Treese

FOUNDER

Ben is the Founder of OTM and an expert on injury prevention and training for longevity in mountain sports. His approach starts with the joint health and mobility athletes need to perform their sport with technical precision and safety. He has worked with Olympic athletes and X Games competitors as well as professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. He is the author of A Cyclists Guide To Back Pain: Why Stretching Won't Work And What To Do Instead.

Ben earned a BS in Human Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Ohio State University. He has 15 years of experience in the field and is interested in the balance between performance and staying power in the mountains. These days, Ben is an accomplished rock climber (for a big dude) and chases fresh powder all over the Wasatch.

Born in Ohio, Ben grew up in a family of professional water skiers. His mother, a national champion several times over, raised Ben around elite coaches who fueled his interest in the power of training. By the end of college, though, Ben’s spine was fried from too many water skiing wrecks. That’s when he discovered Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), which not only enabled him to return to sport but motivated him to train people for longevity, not just short-term performance.

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