Welcome
Forget sitting on a stationary bike going nowhere or lying on your back waving your legs in the air, Skifitness.tv offers a step-by-step 3-5 month periodised conditioning programme. Designed for a first time skier or seasoned athlete to easily follow and achieve amazing results.
Your Programme
Professionalise your ski fitness training with the latest training techniques and theory.
Have fun, be time efficient and dramatically improve your performance on the slopes. This step-by-step 3-5 month periodised conditioning programme is designed for a first time skier or seasoned athlete to easily follow and achieve amazing results.
A periodised conditioning programme takes you much further than just trying to get fit doing ‘ski specific’ circuits, better still, it gets you much fitter for skiing than… just skiing. This is because it identifies weaknesses in your chain of movements and strengthens them. The programme starts by building a core base, strengthening key muscles, improving power and only them moving on to the ski specific endurance exercises you probably know.
There are six phases of the programme in the 6 Vimeos below. For extra details on sets and reps be sure to buy the book.
PHASE ONE
PHASE TWO
PHASE THREE
PHASE FOUR
PHASE FIVE
PHASE SIX
Ski Myths – True or False?
Blog
If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right
If fitness conditioning is fun you will know you are doing it right. You will be challenging yourself but not hurting or injuring yourself. Play ensures adherence and leads to mastery. Enjoy! Coolboard, slacklining, rocks, [...]
Supercompensation
You do not get the benefits of training from the training. You get the benefits of training from the recovery afterwards. Training is simply a stimulus for the body to respond to. Training actually breaks [...]
Stretching
Ski Specific Stretching Generally I would recommend a postural assessment to find out your long muscles and find out your short muscles before starting a ski fitness training programme. If you think of your body [...]
Core & Back Strength
“a bad back is a weak core” Rather than use the terms core stability or back care I’d rather talk about the strength of both. There is nothing wrong with caring for your back or [...]
Resources
Ski Fitness Book
The Ski Fitness book is an important accompaniment to the videos and vice versa. The book includes detailed schedules for programming and exercises details including sets, reps, rest, tempo, intensity, why you are doing the exercises, pictures and detailed technique descriptions. The book also includes a ‘success info’ chapter that gives you all the knowledge to help you get the most out of your training.
Biomechanical Assessment & Personalised Programme
2.5hrs at Skifitness.tv performance facility in Redhill, Surrey RH1 4QP
Assessment (1.5hrs): Heart rate variability analysis (HRV), CHEK Posture, Core & Back, Movement Screening, Body Composition, Nutritional Assessment, Physiological Load.
Programming: The in-depth assessments give a truly personalised programme that ensures you achieve the results you are looking for. It will include periodised progressions.
Coaching Session (1hr): technique is everything when implementing the programme. This hour will teach you how to perform the programme correctly with regressions and progressions to ensure optimum results.
Skifitness Presentations & Workshops
- Skifitness Presentation
- Conditioning for Snowsports Athletes Workshop
- Nutrition & Lifestyle for Snowsports Athletes Workshop
Ideal for ski instructors to understand the latest training theory behind high performance as well as debunking some common myths and training errors.
30 minute Facetime/Skype Consultation with Ollie Martin
Ideal if you’ve started following the programme from the videos and the book. The next stage is to make sure your are interpreting it correctly, your technique is perfect and you are personalising it to your needs and goals.
£50
Daily Exercise Readiness Questionnaire
Click here to download the Daily Exercise Readiness Questionnaire
About Us
Train smarter, not harder
Skifitness.tv was set up by performance coach and passionate skier, Ollie Martin:
‘After skiing with many people I realised that they were not achieving their full potential on the slopes because of a lack of coherent information on high-performance ski training and in particular lack of knowledge on periodisation, the training effect and recovery.’
Ollie is a sports scientist, a CHEK Practitioner and has 25 years of experience coaching athletes. He played semi-professional rugby union, is a Ski Club GB ‘Gold’ skier and spends much of his time ‘playing’ in the Alps. Author of ‘Uncommon Sense: A Practical Guide to Health, Weight Loss & Vitality’ and ‘Ski Fitness’, Ollie is based at his assessment and performance facility, in Surrey, UK.
Ski Fitness Book
SkiFitness: ski like a hero
Introduction
I wrote this book because I do not believe stationary cycling and Pilates will benefit your skiing as much as you hope it will. As far as I’m aware skiing, performed correctly, is neither sitting down or lying on your back and don’t even get me started on a squat with a ball behind your back!
Fitness is very specific – you get what you train for. The winner of the Tour de France may be the fittest man on the planet but, he could not win the London Marathon and probably could not even ski down the Hahnenkamm let alone win it.
I am a passionate skier and believe that a bit of smart training beforehand can dramatically improve your fun. I have put together a comprehensive ski specific training programme that you can follow easily whatever your level. Furthermore, the detailed instructions, progressions and enhancements will enable you to tailor it to your individual needs.
I have fine-tuned this over 20 years of training top athletes, obese couch-potatoes, children, septuagenarians and all those in-between. Yes, there might be some good ‘ski specific’ exercises left out of the programme but, trying do them all creates a poor programme. Rather than lots of exercises that try and replicate the skiing movements I have put together a periodised conditioning programme. A periodised conditioning programme takes you much further than just trying to get fit doing ‘ski specific’ circuits. Better still, it gets you much fitter for skiing than… just skiing. This is because it identifies weaknesses in your chain of movements and strengthens them. The programme starts by building a core base, strengthening key muscles, improving power and only them moving on to the ski specific endurance exercises you probably know.
Contents
Section 1 Introduction
The Holy Trinity of Ski Performance
The 3 secrets to Ski fitness success
The Periodised Programme
Exercise descriptions – The Why
Outdoor/home alternative
Ski Fitness Myths – True or False
Section 2 The Programme
How to use the programme
Ski Aspirations
Self Assessment
Phase Fun (1)
Warm-ups & Cool downs
Phase 2 – Core Rehabilitation
Phase 3 – Functional Strength
Phase 4 – Power & Single Leg Strength
Phase 5 – Power Endurance Circuits
Phase 6 – Advanced Power/Endurance Plyometrics
Recovery Programme
Stretching Programme
Glossary
Section 3 Exercise, Description & Pictures
Section 4 Success Information
Stimulus: Response
Training
Recovery
Athletes
We currently have a sponsorship opportunity for snow sports athletes to receive assessment, programming and conditioning support from the team at skifitness.tv – contact us if you would like to apply.
Bethany Widdup
British Alpine U21 Ski Team
Bethany is our model for the Skifitess book and videos. She started skiing at the age of 4 and took part in the occasional fun race. Gradually from the age of 13 she started to take part in competitions progressing through local, regional and international races. She won her age category in most of the key UK competitions and finished in the top 3 within all age categories. She races in Europe and has gradually reduced her World Ranking in both Slalom and Giant Slalom.