Need to get in shape!

Ryan*

Ryan*

Active member
I need to get in much better shape for skiing. I'm 5'8", 135 lbs, not very concerned with losing weight (I'm about 12% body fat) but much more concerned with building and toning muscle. Anybody have any diet and exercise plans that have worked for them, or any suggestions in general?
 
OMG LOL. You arreee dumb. ANYWAY, I think one really epic thing you can do is bike. Biking works similar muscles and its fun. Eat stuff with lots of protein like fish. Its epic. Im trying to find a full on money plan for the summer, but I haven't a plan quite yet.
 
If you want to build and tone muscle then look into getting a good diet and then weight training.

Deadlifts

Squats

Bench Press

To build core muscle groups

For toning - free-weight exercises like dumbell fly's etc can be great - they still work a fwe different muscle groups, but can give you a good combination between muscle building and muscle toning

As a general rule, lower weight/high repetitions for toning..high weight, lower reps for building muscle.

It really depends what muscles you want to work on as to which exercises you should do. Start with a good diet, thats half the battle. Get some protein supplements too if you are going to be heavy weight training on a regular basis, will help with muscle synthesis/formation etc and recovery..
 
running, weightlifting, anything else you can do for fun besides drugs or alcohol will be good for you
 
there have been tons of threads like this. Search an old one. They invariably end up in a stupid argument about what is the best workout is cuz different things work for different people. The most important thing is just to pick a workout that is fun so you will stick to it.
 
I swim on a team through all of July, so I know what you're talking about. I love swimming, especially because our practices are in the morning. it makes me feel energized and totally ready for a long day. But I need to get in shape by the beginning of July because I'm going to Momentum and I don't want my experience to suck because my body can't take it, you know?
 
if you swim every morning you're in better shape than 90% of the people out there I guarantee that.

I swam some laps earlier tonight for the first time in as long as i can remember (i used to do swimming lessons back in the day, got pretty far too), and I could only do 10 laps of a full-size before i was totally dead, and I work out and stay active 5-6 days a week. I'm definitely going to be hitting the pool more often from now on.

But if you want to get your leg strength up so you don't feel it as much when you hit the slopes, I wouldn't suggest getting right into dead lifts and squats unless you know proper form.

maybe try doing some body weight squats, lunges, leg press and hamstring curls (with an exercise ball preferably) for your legs

for core/back do back extensions, and any variation of crunches / leg raises you can think of

for upper body, do some bench press, rows or lat pull downs, curls and tricep extensions

for shoulders, do various low-weight dumbell raises and shoulder press. some light weight shrugs wouldn't hurt either.

As i said before, you're definitely in good shape if you're swimming every day, and your upper body and core probably don't need much work (but don't neglect them, muscle balance is key)
 
if you're doing it to get better at skiing, just get creative and focus on the attributes you want for skiing.

heres some examples

jumping/landing: squats (only if you know exactly how to do them), deadlifts, box jumps, wall sits

spinning power: woodchoppers, theres a million different 'twisting' excercises you can do; matrix twist, superman twist, plate twists etc

balance: one legged squats, at the end of a hard work out try standing on one leg as long as possible, going up and down stairs on one leg, It sounds silly but standing flat footed and leaning way forward/backwards/side to side will also help get your stabilizer muscles firing after a good workout (keep your hands on or above your head).

grabs: leg liftfs: standing-sitting-or hanging, and work on your flexibility

Eat protein, shit loads of it. Take a multivitamin. Drink a lot of water, especially if you're working on flexibility.

 
squats

deadlifts

hang cleans/cleans

curls

tricep extensions

dumbell flys

bridges/planks

leg raises

crutches

v-up side touches

the list goes on and on.
 
Start with cutting out major sweets, sugars, candy and soda's/juices. Stick to A) either all natural juices or water. Also up your protein intake. The majority of people don't use their protein at all. Do cardio to up your metabolism and eat healthy and in moderation. For muscle building lift heavier weights but less reps. Don't over do it in the beginning. For toning, lift lighter weights with more reps.
 
I should have added that if your gym has one, the Hammer Jammer is a great machine to help build explosive power.
 
got to go with steven here... climbing is sick for the core and the stabalizer muscles, and generaly its a healthy lifestyle
 
this link has weekly workouts you can do for core strength and what not and a good eating plan that minimizes unhealthy shit if you want to go all out:

http://bellyoff.menshealth.com/SNC/ViewItem.aspx?itemGUID=c5f16a29-132d-423c-a9be-1145468903e1&pguid=f11af873-2ef5-4d59-802c-892406ffe605

this link has some good stuff in it too:

http://www.crossfit.com/

either way just stay active...do plyometrics and cardio each day. Work on strength building monday, wednesday, and friday and eat reasonable ammounts of healthy food... not all that hard
 
true, since i've started i have definitely noticed my body being way more toned. I think i'm gonna start a two a day program pretty soon.
 
Your body can only handle so much protein - once it has absorbed its limit any excess turns to fat

 
Oh of course - it's just funny when people hit the gym then have a protein shake followed by half a chicken..its sorta counter-productive
 
im going to the gym on the weekends and do MMA (mixed martial arts) in the week. i think mma is good, because it toughens you up and therefore protects a little against injuries, which would screw your winter shredding. and the gym is for impressin the ladies XD
 
This is the worst. Bad back + little injuries leads to two protruding/bulging lumbar disks, three months of no running, and very limited physical activity next to P.T. :(
 
i work out 4-6 days a week helps my skiing so much can go much longer and just in better shape in general but def helps a lto with injuries foudn that some huge falls i took i barely was feelin it at all plus it looks great for the ladies at the beach
 
During the summer and fall i do a lot of swimming biking skating and tramping. this alone not organized keeps me in pretty decent shape and during the winter i ski almost everyday. but the spring when everything is wet and the mountains start to shut down is when i start getting out of shape
 
climbing will get you more in shape that any other form of excercise. and it will do it faster thn them too.
 
climbing is great for you but I wouldent charecterize it as a healthy lifestyle. All my friends that are dedicated climbers have injuries. And when they hit 40 or 50 they will have arthritis in their hands. But i guess that like anything. When you get to the highest level its bad for your body.
 
Yeah i guess your right. I climbed with a dude in wv who was like 60 and still a beast. When i think about the people I was talking about overtrain and force it. They just do shit that the human body was never ment to do. They have that crazy drive and passion for climbing that makes them so good, but also not think.
 
hm it works for me though. ive been doing this since 4 years and before i did MMA i used to have pain from every little fall on a rail and injuries seemed worse. especially my knees and thighs have really been toughend up. most of the "hard" falls cause no problem anymore.
i think going to the gym is way worse for your joints especially. but ive had no propblems whatsoever till now
 
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