Fire Up the Core

Chances are that long after Bode Miller rides his skis off into the sunset, it won't be his medals that people remember. No, his lasting legacy will be the near-crash in the downhill of the 2002 Olympics combined that is still leaving his competitors cleaning their goggles. After losing an edge at 72 miles per hour, Bode wobbled, bobbled, and checked his hip on the snow, then instantly bounced back up like an inflatable punching doll. Most racers wouldn't have finished the turn; Bode finished the whole course in top-15 form. Bode's superhuman display of athleticism was, at least in part, a result of a well-developed trunk. "I keep my core strong, says Miller during a break from teaching at his family's summer tennis camp. "You have to train it—it won't get strong enough for skiing on its own. And he's not suggesting just extra ab-strengthening crunches. Your core is more than a six pack—it's a girdle of muscle layers encircling the spine and hips that connects the lower and upper body. It enables your upper body to withstand high-speed turns and also transmits those forces to your legs and skis. "Your core is the functional link between the lower body and the upper body, says Andy Walshe, the United States Ski Association's director of sports science. "It's directly related to the ability of the lower body to produce force. This month Bode and Walshe—the man behind our three month preseason training plan—will take you through the final—we promise—regimen. Month one prepped your lungs for top-to-bottom runs at your highest sustainable heart rate. Month two got you strong and powerful with swami-deep squats. This month Bode models 12 essential core exercises that will bolster any recovery. Stick with the plan for just four more weeks and, come Thanksgiving, you'll hit the snow with little more to do than learn some new moves and enjoy the rush. Sallying out after lunch won't even be a fleeting thought.November: Creating Core Stability The core is often the most neglected muscle group of the body. What's worse, building it up requires more than simply hopping on a fitness machine. Your torso muscles are most challenged in movements where they have to balance and keep the body upright—often while the upper and lower body are reacting independently of each other. Unlike bench presses or curls, which work one or two muscles in isolation, core-strengthening exercises recruit your legs, back, hips, and upper body all at once to simulate what your body is actually doing while skiing. Walshe's core prescription includes drills for skiing's three basic planes of motion: forward bending and straightening; sideways bending and straightening; and twisting combinations of the two. The thick necks in the gym might look at you funny, but these exercises will improve your skiing a lot faster than knocking out hundreds of single-planed crunches and plain-old sit ups. Once you've warmed up for at least 10—20 minutes, approach the core workout itself as a three-part assignment: sideways movements, twisting exercises, and fore and aft work. "If you only have the time to do three exercises, do one from each group, says Walshe. While performing each exercise, suck in and tighten your abs to bolster your spine. Be sure to bend from the hip rather than the gut when doing forward-bending movements and lead with your pelvis rather than with your shoulders in rotational movements. Because it's harder to overwork the core than it is, say, your quads, you can hammer the area more often with higher reps than you can other large muscle groups—three sets of 20, four days a week, all year long—if you feel strong enough. And since we all know core work can be somewhat—okay, completely—monotonous, Walshe recommends getting into the more diverse and interesting moves (i.e. move away from boring crunches) right off the bat. Bode, meanwhile, insists that any pain and monotony will pay off ripping turns on hardpack and in the chop. "You'll always be sore theirst few days back, he says. "But if your core is relatively strong, you'll get longer runs with less chance for injury, and more energy to make skiing fun.Sidebar:Unorthodox Bode Forget rocky. Five ways America's alpine prodigy spices up the drudgery of dryland training. This much we know: Any regimen inevitably gets stale, dull, and mind-numbing. Accepting this leaves you with two options—quit, or get creative like Bode. "Bode takes a more holistic approach to training, says Mike Kenney, Bode's uncle and the part-time coach who keeps him in shape in the off-season. "The ski team says to make sure he does certain things. But he gets bored just trying to put up high numbers of squats. The more complicated the task, the more willing he is to do it. To stay entertained during your preseason training, try some of Bode's unorthodox tactics.1. Single-legged tightrope squats: Bode has a 25—foot long tightrope—a.k.a. slackline, made out of two-inch-thick webbing—stretched four feet off the ground on which he does squats with one leg. These build stability and balance, and they're way harder than barbell squats.2. Uphill unicycle rides: Riding a unicycle builds pure core balance—and a career with the Cirque du Soleil—even for those of us without Bode's preternatural speed in the gates.3. Court-roller intervals: The camp where Bode trains has a 600-pound tennis court roller, which he puts in neutral and pushes up a strip of local blacktop. Kenney makes him do 40-second sprint bursts for lactic threshold training, and three sets of 50-second stints for muscular endurance training—a fine example of a multijoint workout and a power-generating form of grunt labor. (See photo, September, '03, p. 122)4. Uphill wheelbarrow intervals: Bode fills a one-wheeler with rocks and pushes it full bore uphill for 40—75 seconds. Sometimes his wheelchair-confined roommate fills in for the wheelbarrow. "Bode will throw up sometimes doing that one, admits Kenney. 5. Rock climbing: Kenney built a 40-foot-tall wall with hand cracks and overhangs, where Bode works his upper body. (He avoided training on the wall to give the competition a chance before last year's Superstars championships. He won anyway).Get Solid to the CoreWhen you hit the gym for the first time, trying to figure out which weight to start with can be the most indimidating factor. The key? Start with a light weight, and work up to where you burn out after each set of 20 reps. When the burn dissipates, notch it up in three- to five-pound intervals.Group 1: Rotational Plane Movements Rotational and Diagonal 1. High-Low Cable Pull: Start with a cable pull in the highest position (above). Stand in a squat stance with your body at a 90-degree angle to the cable. Grab the handle to your upper right with stiff arms and two hands, pulling it down like you're chopping wood toward your left knee. Your shoulders should end up pointing forward (right). Slowly release the cable to the starting position and repeat for three sets of 20 reps. Switch sides. 2. Low-High Cable Pull: (Not pictured) Start with a cable pull in the lowest position (at the floor). Stand in a squat stance with your body at a 90-degree angle to the cable. Grab the handle to your lower right with stiff arms and two hands, pulling it up like you're starting a golf swing. Bring the cable down slowly and repeat for three sets of 20 reps. Switch sides.3. Hanging Hip Rotations: Hang from a chin-up bar or use a dip station. Bring thighs up to parallel, rotate legs to the right with body facing forward, slowly twist to the other side then drop slowly. Repeat for three sets of 20. 4. Lateral Cable Pulls: (Not pictured) With a cable pull at your right side at waist height, turn your upper body to face the cable while keeping your feet planted and knees slightly bent. Grab the cable pull with your left arm, keeping it slightly bent at the elbow. Pull the cable across your lower chest, twisting 180 degrees to the left. Bring the cable back to the right slowly and repeat for three sets of 20 reps. Switch sides.Group 2: Lateral (Side-to-Side) Plane movements 1. Dumbbell Side Bends on Balance Board:Standing on a balance or Bongo board, hold a single dumbbell (start with 10 pounds) in your right hand. While balancing in the middle of the board, lean down the right side to mid-thigh and return slowly upward. Repeat for three sets of 20, then switch to the left side. 2. Side Raises on Swiss Ball: (Not pictured) Starting with your right hip on a Swiss ball, feet laying sideways on the ground, and arms folded over chest. Bend at the side, slowly lowering your ear to the ground in a controlled fashion, then bring yourself back up so your body is straight. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps, then switch to the left side.Group 3: Sagittal (Front-to-Back) Plane Movements1. Good Mornings: Keeping a flat lower back and using an unweighted bar resting on your shoulders, bend forward at the hip to 90 degrees with knees slightly bent. Return to a standing position. Can be done kneeling or standing on a Swiss ball for a more advanced workout. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps, then switch to the left side.2. Swiss Ball Back Extensions: With the front of your hips resting on a Swiss ball, keep your feet close together on the ground with a slight bend in your knees. Slowly raise your upper body from a relaxed position (face down close to the floor) to where your lower body and torso form a straight line. Slowly release and come back to the starting position. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps.3. Medicine Ball Sit Up: Lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet against a wall, hold a three- to five-pound medicine ball over your head with both hands. Do a basic sit up, and while in the upright position, throw the ball against the wall and catch it on the rebound. Slowly lower to starting position. For extra credit, hold the medicine ball above your head and hinge sideways at your waist while you sit up. Keep your lower back straight, drop the ball down to the ground beside you, and catch it. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps.Now What?You've endured six weeks of interval lactic-threshold training to build your endurance base and six weeks of serious gym time for raw strength and power. Now, with a core workout that will hone your reflexes and make you cheetah-quick, you can move into the beginning of the ski season with confidence that you'll squash your buds on those bell-to-bell days. Maintenance is the key to success. Keep up your form by doing three cardio workouts a week for your lungs and hit the gym in between for core work and strength lifts.o the right slowly and repeat for three sets of 20 reps. Switch sides.Group 2: Lateral (Side-to-Side) Plane movements 1. Dumbbell Side Bends on Balance Board:Standing on a balance or Bongo board, hold a single dumbbell (start with 10 pounds) in your right hand. While balancing in the middle of the board, lean down the right side to mid-thigh and return slowly upward. Repeat for three sets of 20, then switch to the left side. 2. Side Raises on Swiss Ball: (Not pictured) Starting with your right hip on a Swiss ball, feet laying sideways on the ground, and arms folded over chest. Bend at the side, slowly lowering your ear to the ground in a controlled fashion, then bring yourself back up so your body is straight. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps, then switch to the left side.Group 3: Sagittal (Front-to-Back) Plane Movements1. Good Mornings: Keeping a flat lower back and using an unweighted bar resting on your shoulders, bend forward at the hip to 90 degrees with knees slightly bent. Return to a standing position. Can be done kneeling or standing on a Swiss ball for a more advanced workout. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps, then switch to the left side.2. Swiss Ball Back Extensions: With the front of your hips resting on a Swiss ball, keep your feet close together on the ground with a slight bend in your knees. Slowly raise your upper body from a relaxed position (face down close to the floor) to where your lower body and torso form a straight line. Slowly release and come back to the starting position. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps.3. Medicine Ball Sit Up: Lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet against a wall, hold a three- to five-pound medicine ball over your head with both hands. Do a basic sit up, and while in the upright position, throw the ball against the wall and catch it on the rebound. Slowly lower to starting position. For extra credit, hold the medicine ball above your head and hinge sideways at your waist while you sit up. Keep your lower back straight, drop the ball down to the ground beside you, and catch it. Repeat for three sets of 20 reps.Now What?You've endured six weeks of interval lactic-threshold training to build your endurance base and six weeks of serious gym time for raw strength and power. Now, with a core workout that will hone your reflexes and make you cheetah-quick, you can move into the beginning of the ski season with confidence that you'll squash your buds on those bell-to-bell days. Maintenance is the key to success. Keep up your form by doing three cardio workouts a week for your lungs and hit the gym in between for core work and strength lifts.