Skiing is incredibly strenuous just as a leisure activity, not to mention when undertaken like a competitive sporting discipline in any of its variations (i.e. acrobatic, cross-country/downhill/slalom racing etc.). That's the reason you must work hard to ensure that you hold the all-round bodily fitness necessary to be able to meet the differing yet simultaneous physical calls for agility, balance and speed - therefore, the need to undertake ski equipment!

The body needs to be physically prepared with toning & conditioning; ideally, your ski fitness training should commence not less than 8 weeks in advance of setting foot around the slopes the very first time in any season. The aim should be principally targeted towards building muscular strength and developing maximum endurance, especially in the biggest muscle group of the human body: the legs!

Most physical training instructors would rightly advise firstly undertaking warm-up activities before launching into the actual proper bulk exercise element of the ski fitness training. Performing gentle stretches within this warm-up prepares the body for what is to follow by slowly stimulating blood flow, thus avoiding any abrupt blood pressure level alteration & hence being kinder to muscles (including the heart!); they also initiate the internal secretion of body fluids used to help feed the muscles and lubricate bone-joints whilst working out for the duration of your ski fitness training session.

Stretching should start at the top of the body and work progressively downwards without rushing - less than 5 minutes rarely is in adequate... closer to 10-15 minutes would be much more preferable, before proceeding to invest 15-20 minutes on the treadmill at a pace equivalent to anywhere between a fast-walk & a gentle jog; this is basic cardio training which should always form part of any worthwhile regular basic ski fitness training course: as well as improving blood flow throughout the body, it can make the heart stronger whilst also working to lower levels of bad cholesterol (so the stronger heart can do it's job even more easily, still AND blood readily circulates more freely than ever before) & improve overall breathing (meaning the better circulating blood is much more richly oxygenated, allowing muscles to do more strongly for sustained longer periods on account of being better fed).

Good blood circulation throughout the body is very important when you are undertaking ski fitness training and it is even more vital during actual skiing in weeks in the future, the point being that the ski fitness training should simulate as closely as you possibly can the type & extent of demanding exercise to which the body will be subjected when you are performing the real skiing. For this reason, it's a good idea to consider incorporating skipping-rope jumping into your ski fitness training course since that doesn't just improve blood flow; it also conditions the knees into bending and develops thigh muscle strength & endurance. It's also faster than jogging and so begins to exercise the 'fast' muscle fibres; this is desirable since most forms of skiing are over uneven surfaces which demand the leg muscles respond quickly to the rapidly undulating conditions beneath: for the same reason, faster running after the earlier fast walk/slow jog can be beneficial.

Finally, consider weight lifting; however, by doing this, be sure to focus on lifting lighter weights (5-10 kg) more times (high repetitions) because the aim is to tone & condition, developing endurance strength rather than packing on bulk muscle growth (that is what will happen as a result of lifting heavy weights fewer times); also, use free weights rather than fixed (i.e. barbells & dumbells rather than multi-gyms and weight-lifting machines): this helps to ensure that you avoid potentially damaging/weakening artificial action and instead maintain a natural dynamic flow throughout the full range of bodily joint movement inside your ski fitness training routine - in so doing, you also simultaneously gain better balance & co-ordination as strength increases with what is referred to as your body core, which stabilises your trunk & spine.

By including some, all or any of these basic activities inside your ski fitness training course, you may well also improve your chances of avoiding injury. Of course, aside from physical facet of ski fitness training to build up agility, balance, endurance, strength & speed, good nutrition can also play a part. There is no recommended special diet for ski fitness training programs; nor does good nutrition necessarily mean lower carbohydrates, as numerous popular diets advocate nowadays - ski fitness & training activities need a lot of energy so you would be ill-advised to take too few carbohydrates: you are simply best advised to watch what you eat (as well as the amount of it & when) in order to be well nourished: a great, healthy,well-planned & sensible diet should include proportionally correct levels of all appropriate carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins & minerals to keep the body going during ski fitness training whilst later experiencing the actual real skiing itself.