TPS Archives

Reprints From The Professional Skier

Spring 1994 - "Slide Training For Ski Fitness - A Slick Alternative To In-Line Skating" by Suzanne Nottingham

This article is reprinted from The Professional Skier. All copyrights apply. Please see our copyright and disclaimer notice page.

Want a winter sports workout that's non-impact, develops endurance, improves balance, yields cardiovascular anaerobic conditioning, and simulates sport skills? If you don't have a pair of in-line skates or you want a change of pace, try slide training your way to peak condition.

What Is It?

Slide training may sound like a new fitness trend, but it's been around for awhile. One hundred years ago some European speed skaters took a barn door, nailed slats of wood on either side, and waxed the surface so they could slide back and forth to train for their sport.

The principles of slide training (also called "lateral motion training") haven't changed much since then. While wearing a wool or nylon bootie over your workout shoes, you glide from side to side on a board with a slippery surface, using movements that simulate some of the lateral movements used in skiing.

The Benefits

Why is slide training so popular? Kathy Stevens, team captain for the Slide Reebok Demonstration Team, cites a few reasons. "First, you get on a board and realize there is no strain or stress to the joints because your feet don't leave the surface. Second, a lot of moves we do in sports involve moving laterally with speed, agility, and resistance, and slide training mimics that. Third, people are always looking for intense cross-training options to push their limits and get their heart rate up to sport-specific levels. Slide training will provide that as well."

Slide training can provide the same anaerobic energy demands as skiing. The next time you take a run, time it, and check your heart rate. Then, work up to matching those results on your slide board. If you are already able to slide as long as your longest run, it's time to beef up the intensity for anaerobic conditioning. Try sliding lower and faster.

Quick reactions enhance performance in every situation on the hill. The continuous motion of sliding challenges balance and your ability to react quickly to imbalance. Expert alpine and nordic skiers and snowboarders reap these benefits in gates, steeps, bumps, crud, and powder. Novice winter sports enthusiasts are able to learn sport skills quickly with less muscle burn.

Many physical therapists have used similar makeshift boards for knee rehabilitation, too. "For most common winter sports ligament injuries, slide training can simulate athletic natural movements like explosive lateral movements in a safe and controlled environment;' says Gary Myers of the U.S. Ski Team's physical therapy staff. "It's a great low-impact tool for aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, balance, and proprioception."

Sliding does not take the place of strength, flexibility, and agility training, but most people are eager to rehabilitate their injuries, Myers says. "My patients want to get moving and do things that are fun. Slide training is one of the more popular rehab activities."

Types Of Boards

The slide board itself has come a long way from the barn-door version used many years ago. Many types of boards with various design features are available.

Some companies sell a 5-foot-long board, but the most popular model is a 6-foot-long portable roll-up board made of durable plastic. Harder to find is the 8-foot-long formica board. Some slide trainers have custom-made, 12-foot-long boards. The longer the board, the more intense the workout. (I use the 6-foot portable board for a warm-up before skiing or snowboarding, and the 8-foot board for a true workout.)

Hard slide boards weigh at least 20 pounds; soft boards weigh about 5 pounds. Most boards come with booties that fit over all athletic shoes, but a pair of large wool socks works fine, too.

Slide boards can be found in almost every major sporting goods chain or department store and also through informercials. Expect to spend from $49.95 to $120 for a 6-foot-long portable board.

Tips For Buying A Board

Kathy Stevens says there are several features to look for when buying a high quality board.

- The board should be molded into one piece. Don't buy a board that consists of two pieces held together with screws and bolts. In slide training, when you push off of one end of the board to the other, you hit the end ramp with a lot of power. You'll want to buy a board that will hold up well under the stress.
- The end blocks on a portable board should have weight to them, so that when you roll the board out, it stays unrolled.
- The board should have a smooth, consistent sliding surface. (If you buy a hard board, you'll need to apply furniture polish to make it slick.)
- Look for a board that has angled end ramps. They'll accommodate your body biomechanically as it reaches the other side. Straight ramps place too much stress on the ligaments of the knee.
- Buy a product that comes with clear, comprehensive manufacturer's guidelines for use. You'll realize the benefits of slide training only when you do it properly. If you buy a product with no instruction, it will probably sit under your bed, or worse, you'll get injured.

Basic Slide Technique

Again, as with any other activity, proper technique on a slide board is essential to preventing injury. Here are some guidelines to ensuring proper posture and technique.

- Approach the board from the back. (Your balance is better stepping forward onto a slick surface than stepping backward onto a slick surface.) You'll know you're standing at the back of the board if the end ramps are angled outward.

- Stand at one end with one foot placed firmly against the end ramp.

- Keep your knees flexed and aligned over the middle of your feet. Your knees should never extend beyond your toes.

- As you push off, make sure your body position is low. Push with your foot first, and try to feel the muscles in your gluteals and outer thigh launching you to the other side.

- Keep your shoulders level throughout the movements. Just as in skiing, your shoulders should not tip from side to side.

- To increase the difficulty level of the exercises, lower your center of mass (hips). Do this by flexing your lower body muscles as though you were about to sit down in a chair. Keep your head and torso upright.

- If you are new to slide training, place your hands on your thighs for support. If you are an experienced slider, use your hands for momentum or keep them clasped behind your back.

- Try to avoid any delays or breaks in movement.

- Take a couple of heart rate checks during your slide workout to stay within your heart's training zone and to match your working heart rate on the hill.

The Exercises

Before jumping on the board, always remember to warm up. Do 10 minutes of continuous limbering movements for the upper body.

Then, stretch the muscles of the lower body: the quadriceps (front of thighs), hamstrings (back of thighs) abductors (outer thighs), adductors (inner thighs), and calves (back of lower legs). Next, stretch the upper body, including your arms, chest, and back After your slide workout, spend at least five minutes cooling down with some easy sliding, then more stretching.

Following are some exercises suitable for all fitness levels. These exercises condition your muscles for rotary, edging and pressuring movements.

1. Pivot - If you've never been on a slide board, this exercise will help you become used to the slick surface of the board. It also simulates some of the rotary movements required in skiing.

Stand on the board in your skiing stance. Pivoting will be easy from both balls of the feet and from both heels. But try pivoting both feet from the arches back to the ankles instead. Do not push one foot away from the natural line under your hip. Rather, pivot both feet simultaneously directly under your hips. Also try simulating snowboarding and nordic skiing stances and movements.

2. Basic Slide - This drill focuses on edging and pressuring movements.

Begin with your feet in a skiing stance at one end of the board. Keep your feet wider than shoulder's-width apart through the center of the board. Then end the slide in a skiing stance. As you push off laterally from side to side, try to visualize "edging" the outside foot and leg, and unweight the inside leg. If you are a first-time slider, as you approach one side, already be looking to the other. A more advanced option is to look straight ahead and work on balance. Depending on your level of fitness, time yourself for three sets of one- to five-minute bouts of anaerobic side-to-side movement.

3. Hip Flexor Run - This exercise develops core strength for abdominals, hip flexors, and back, chest and arm muscles.

Get into a push-up position, supporting yourself with both hands on the end ramp and on your toes or the balls of your feet. Alternate legs, sliding one foot forward (knee close to chest), then backward. Repeat three sets of 25 repetitions. For variety, add push-up sets in between.

The author would like to thank Kathy Stevens and Gary Myers for the information they provided for this article.

Suzanne Nottingham is a fully-certified ski instructor at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, California, and the contributing fitness editor for Skiing Magazine. In 1985, she developed Ski Energy, a series of fitness programs for recreational and professional skiers.