How much exercise do you really get downhill skiing? We ski for about 3 hrs at a time. I don't think it's much (all that lift-riding), but my husband disagrees. My legs feel exercised, but I don't think I get much cardio benefit? Opinions?
2007-08-26 12:59:32 · 11 answers · asked by Kate 1 in Sports ➔ Winter Sports ➔ Snow Skiing
It's both aerobic (gets your heart going) and anaerobic (short bursts of exersion) . . . but it really does depend on how aggressively/intensely you ski. Cross country is the one that really gives you a workout!
http://www.winterfeelsgood.com/winterfeelsgood.php?section=news&page=fact_alpine
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0656/is_1993_August/ai_17246664/pg_7
2007-08-27 03:48:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Exercise For Skiing
2016-12-29 09:50:17 · answer #2 · answered by shortridge 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A 185lb man skiing moderately will burn about 500 calories an hour. (from a calorie counter website I use for lots of sports) But that is 1 hour of SKIING...not also riding the chair.
The average downhiller sticking to blue-square cruisers and making only small turns will get a good lower-body workout over a 3 hour period. It's basic resistance training. You'll gain a lot of muscle tone.
Ski harder stuff that requires more turning and also engages the abdominal area and you'll get a better workout. Adding faster and sharper turns will raise the heart rate.
Moguls, Trees, Powder, Slalom...more work=more workout.
Telemark...really good workout. Lungs will burn after longer runs. I usually have to take my helmet off on the lift ride back uphill because I'm overheated.
What shape you are in as well will have something to do with this. Someone in good shape will get less of a workout than a person in poor condition. My buddy and I are about the same height and weight. I ski about 30 days a year..he skis 10-12...I beat his butt everytime because I have more stamina and more muscle mass.
If you are lighter and/or in better shape than your hubby HE may be getting a workout and you may think it's not all that big of a deal.
2007-08-27 15:32:18 · answer #3 · answered by Willie D 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is Skiing Good Exercise
2016-11-07 07:02:38 · answer #4 · answered by ross 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You get virtually no cardio benefit... But the legs can take a real pounding, depending on how hard you ski. The way racers race, they could not ski much more than three hours, no matter how fit they are. Your legs really do get a lot of exercise from skiing, if you ski hard enough. But if you ski slowly and a little easier, your legs will get little to no exercise. Either way, you won't burn very many calories because the majority of the work done to move your body is done by gravity.
Skiing for me is not about exercise, it's about having fun. And I think that's okay. There are MUCh better ways to get exercise, like running.
2007-08-28 12:10:30 · answer #5 · answered by MLBfreek35 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, it is good exercise, as in your body is moving, your muscles are working, etc, but for a cardio workout you want a good 20-30 minutes at the minimum of elevated heart rate, and with downhill skiing, you don't get that. Cross-country skiing, yes...but not alpine.
I would say it's more of an anaerobic workout.
Really, you have to do a lot of cardio in the off-season to prepare for the ski season though, if you are doing it right!
2007-08-26 17:39:00 · answer #6 · answered by powhound 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Settle an argument about how much exercise you get skiing?
How much exercise do you really get downhill skiing? We ski for about 3 hrs at a time. I don't think it's much (all that lift-riding), but my husband disagrees. My legs feel exercised, but I don't think I get much cardio benefit? Opinions?
2015-08-06 10:25:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It really depends entirely on how you ski. A slalom professional skier is completely exhausted after 1 minute of race. An incredible cardio load. On the opposite extreme, if you stop every turn, enjoy the scenery, stand in line at the lifts, stop sunbathing or to eat something, you can ski the whole day and have a rather slow exercise.
You only know how much it is for youself.
2007-08-26 14:51:51 · answer #8 · answered by franz_himself 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It depends on how hard you ski. If you are just cruising greens there is a little leg work making turns and a little cardio as well. If a person steps it up and is out to get thousands of vertical feet in a day or is skiing alot of off piste terrain the workout increases accordingly
2007-08-27 15:21:30 · answer #9 · answered by Mark G 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on how good you are.
A begginer may work really hard (doing a wedge and all). I remember it was pretty tiring when I started, but it could have just been because I was younger.
Intermediate skiing wasn't as physical for me because I wasn't working that hard on the technique, it was more about getting nice, wide turns and not falling!
I think advanced skiing is defiently a good workout. You work really hard to carve and make controlled turns on even the hardest terrian.
To answer your question, I think that skiing is defiently good exersize. I would compare it to swimming as far as the level of workout.
2007-08-28 05:07:55 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Uhm..anyone who doesn't think skiing is good exercise, has never walked around in ski boots. Especially as a beginner, you will exhaust yourself walking back up hills in heavy ski boots to fetch your poles. Other than that, you pretty much use every core muscle in your body to stabilize yourself on a pair of skis. Go to a ski resort sometime and note how many fat folks you see there. Not many, usually NONE.
2014-01-14 13:01:10 · answer #11 · answered by jim l 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋