Chris Andreano demonstrates the stationary squat hold, the fourth video in our skiing and snowboarding series.
Full Video Transcript
Okay guys, with regard to our skiing exercises, we wanted to introduce to you what we call a stationary squat hold. And the reason why this is relevant is because, if you’re skiing or snowboarding, you’re actually in a sustained sort of squat pattern as you go down the mountain. It’s particularly relevant for when you’re skiing on things like moguls, more steeper hills, and it’s really relevant.
And we’re looking at trying to build up more endurance in the muscles associated with that position, all right, guys? Now, the first thing I wanna show you is actually what we call a wall sit, okay? So, this is with a FitBALL. You can use just a normal wall at home. And you’re gonna pop that ball just above your belt line, in the small of your back. And you’re actually just gonna sit yourself down, keeping a neutral posture through your lower back, and you’re just gonna maintain that position. Now, the best thing to start with is probably just a 10-second hold, okay? So, maintain that position, 10 seconds to begin with, and then you’re just gonna ease yourself back up after 10. To begin with, you might try for a set of, say, five of these 10-second holds. And as you get better and as your endurance improves, you can increase your sets and you can increase the duration of your hold. All right, guys?
Now, a couple of little progressions. I’m going to show you a bit of a weight shift, a single leg component of this exercise. Now, what we’re gonna do here, is you sit yourself down and you can actually shift to one side slightly. So, I’m shifting to my right, just lifting up the left heel, puts a bit more weight on one leg. So, if you can sustain that hold, firstly. Another variation, which is a touch higher again, is you can brace quite firmly through one leg, and try and lift one leg off the floor, which makes it quite challenging. So, if you feel ready for it, you can give that one a go. Finally, you can try and extend this leg out a little bit, which really puts a lot of load into this thigh and this hip. All right, guys? So, that’s a couple of good progressions for you.
Now, finally, we can change the surface we’re standing on. And again, I’ve got the foam pad here for this video. But at home, you could try a cushion or a pillow to stand on. But again, I’m just doing a bit of a sit and hold, all right? Getting down to that nice sort of 90 degree or deeper squat dip, and sustain that position. All right, guys? 10-second hold, to begin with. Okay, going back up, brief rest. Thanks, guys.
