What do I do when I finish skiing or snowboarding? Honestly I will say this applies to a lot of various activities, but the routine is very similar after mountain biking, hiking, or any strenuous activities.
Almost the worst thing you could do after skiing or riding is get in your car and drive home and do nothing. This would allow all those muscles that you just used to get nice and tight. If you can give yourself just a couple minutes to stretch out before you get in the car, you will save yourself a world of hurt. It doesn’t have to be a full stretching routine, nor would I say that is necessary at this time. But if you can make it quick and easy you are more likely to do it every time.
After doing a leg dominate activity, make sure your stretch the legs. I would recommend at a minimum to do 20-30 seconds on each of these stretches on both side, but even 10 seconds would be good. This is important because your muscles are all warmed up after activity and will start to contract and tighten if they are not stretched out. The first stretch would be a quadriceps stretch. This would be the front part of the thigh. This can be performed by lifting the leg up behind you and grabbing the ankle. Next stretch is for hamstrings. I put my leg up on the bumper of the car, keeping a neutral back position and lean forward. You should feel this one in the back of the thigh. Next stretch would be leaning side to side. This would be stretching your adductors or inner thigh. Tilting your body side to side might still get the stretch you are looking for without having to do a big side lunge to get this area to stretch. Play around with angles as well with all of these to try and get the right muscle fibers that worked really hard on that day. The last stretch would be the hip flexors or front of the hip. This can be performed by putting the leg you want to stretch behind you and rotate those toes, the back leg, inward or toward the middle at about a 45 degree angle if you can. Then all you have to do is try and stand up really straight or tilt your hips under you, like a dance move, if you need a little more of a stretch. This one is the hardest stretch to get to without over stretching the back.
Honestly, there are a lot of other things you could stretch like calves, back, or neck, but that could be done at home where it is more comfortable. Also, these aren’t as big of a priority due to not predominately using them with skiing or riding in a lot of cases. I also like this routine because a lot of routines out there are having you get down on the ground and I know myself and won’t do that since most the time it is either wet, snow, or just dirty in the parking lot. Making a routine that is easy to remember, quick to do, and practical at the car makes it more likely that I will perform it every single time. Next time you are out on the mountain, try these 4 stretches and hold them for 20-30 seconds to start will only hold you back 3-4 minutes before you get in the car. Then go and do some more stretching that you didn’t include at home to get a full stretching routine in. Just make sure to get the legs stretched out since they did most of the work. Stretching within that first 15 minutes after exercise can be extremely beneficial and stop your muscles from tightening up as much.
If you are you new to Tahoe or a long time local, have you tried various mountains around the lake? Here is a guide by Local Freshies to get out there and keep doing what you love.
Tahoe’s Premiere Sports Chiropractor
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