Sore after skiing? Try these 5 stretches to speed up recovery.

THIS IS NOT A REAL WEBSITE. IT IS BUILT FOR DEMO PURPOSES ONLY. 

We’ve all been there: wake up to a few fresh inches, ski hard, hit après, head home, go to bed with the hopes of waking up to more powder or some nice corduroy turns. Instead, you wake up to your legs screaming at you and begging for a rest day. Who has time for that?!  Instead of diving right into bed after you get home, spend some time stretching out the major muscles you used. It only takes a few minutes but will make the next day significantly better.

Before you get started, spend about 5 minutes warming up to increase blood flow to your muscles. You can do jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, burpees, jump rope... anything to get your heart pumping. Once you're warmed up, go through the following stretching routine, completing 2 rounds of each:

• Lying down pretzel stretch (rotator muscles, glutes, chest):
  1. Lie on your back with both legs elongated in front of you, arms stretched to either side
  2. Bend your right leg, placing the sole of your foot on the floor 
  3. Cross your right leg over your left side, keeping a right angle in your knee
  4. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side

• Internal hip rotator stretch (hip rotators):
  1. Lie on your back with your arms out to the side
  2. Bend your knees, planting your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart
  3. Rotate your right hip inward, bringing your knee to the floor; the rest of your body should be still
  4. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side

• Pigeon (where my yogis at?!) (glutes, groin, hamstrings, quadriceps): 
  1. Kneel with your buttocks resting lightly on your heels
  2. Extend your left leg straight behind you; your right knee should still be facing forward
  3. Rest your palms shoulder-width apart slightly in front of your right knee
  4. Keeping the rest of your body in alignment, move your right heel a few inches to the left so it crosses the core of your body
  5. Hold for 30 seconds, come out of the pose the same way you came in, and repeat on the other side

• Toe touch (hamstrings, upper back, lower back, calves):
  1. Stand with your feet parallel, feet shoulder-width apart; bend your knees slightly
  2. Slowly round your spine downward, bringing your arms down toward your feet
  3. Continue to lower down as your bend at the waist, weight slightly forward
  4. Hold for 30 seconds
• Standing knee bend (quads):
  1. Stand with your feet hips-width distance apart. Stand close to a wall or chair (or buddy!) if balance is not your friend today
  2. Bring your right foot toward your buttocks by bending your knee, catching your foot with your right hand
  3. Use your hand to pull your heel toward your buttocks
  4. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side

Drink plenty of water (always, but especially after intense stretching!). Recovery is your only friend on a powder day. Take time to nurture your body - it will reward you with many more ski days to come.

In addition to spending some time recovering, strengthening your most-used muscles will also elevate your ski performance. Check out our top recommended training exercises below. See you on the slopes!