⚡️ Freeride Star Designs Routine to Build Strength and Prevent Injury—No Gym Required
As the anticipation builds for the winter season, many skiers and riders face a common hurdle: accessing the necessary equipment for a high-level preseason training regimen. Professional skier and Queen of Corbet’s Couloir, Ana Eyssimont, has solved this problem by unveiling an intense limited-equipment HIIT workout that can be executed anywhere, making it the perfect solution for athletes on the road or those without a home gym setup.
This high-intensity, bodyweight-focused routine is a powerful alternative to traditional weight lifting, targeting the specific explosive power, stability, and muscular endurance required for navigating challenging terrain in freeskiing and snowboarding. Eyssimont’s program is structured for maximum efficiency: three complete sets of each exercise before moving to the next, adhering to a demanding 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of rest.
The Core and Stability Gauntlet
The workout is a comprehensive assault on the core and lower body stabilizers, both critical areas for injury prevention on the slopes. Skiers need deep core strength to maintain control against centrifugal forces and side-to-side stability to protect their knees and hips.
Key exercises that focus on stability and core integration include:
* Side Plank Resistance Band Pull Throughs: This utilizes minimal equipment (a resistance band) to intensely challenge the oblique muscles and hip stabilizers—crucial for edge control.
* Spider Crunches: A dynamic exercise that works core flexion and hip mobility simultaneously.
* Pilates March + Bench & Tricep Dips + Bench: Utilizing a simple bench or chair (or even a sturdy step) to work core control and upper body strength, ensuring total body preparedness.
Building Explosive Power and Endurance
To handle the variable speeds and unpredictable impacts of skiing and snowboarding, the lower body must be able to generate and absorb massive forces. Eyssimont’s program heavily features single-leg training and plyometrics to achieve this:
* Bulgarian Split Squats & Slow Eccentric Step Downs: These focus on single-leg strength and eccentric control, directly translating to the ability to resist gravity and force in a carved turn.
* Squat Jumps & Distance Squat Jumps: These explosive plyometric movements build the reactive power needed for quick direction changes and landing drops.
* Sprinter Low Split Lunge Switches to Explosive Split Jumps: A highly dynamic complex that trains fast twitch fibers and muscular endurance in a fatigued state—essential for late-day runs.
The workout also ensures the often-neglected calf muscles are targeted with variations like the Straight Leg S/L Calf Raise and the demanding ISO Bent Knee Calf Raise Hold, guaranteeing comprehensive strength from the ground up.
The Four-Week Dry Land Block
For those seeking a structured, long-term training plan, Ana Eyssimont has detailed a 4-week Dry Land Pre-Ski Season training block. This comprehensive program is specifically designed for skiers, snowboarders, and mountain athletes, moving beyond the single workout format to offer a sustained path toward peak physical readiness. Interested athletes can access this in-depth schedule on her Substack, offering a full pre-season calendar to maximize performance and minimize time lost to injury this winter.