Basketball As On Off-Season Ski Workout -- Ski Rex Says...
I know this is true because I didn't take care of my own body, hence my absence from the ski hills this past season. But that, like this past season, needs to come to an abrupt end. I have to make sure that I am working on my body as much as possible so that I might be ready for my grand return to the stage this summer.
Now, I should throw in here the disclaimer, which as you'll notice is kind of like stating the obvious, that I am not a trainer or a professional in any sport or of any type of exercise program. Anything that I say here is just something that I'm doing that I feel could maybe be used by any of you, but you don't have to and I could also be 100% wrong. That being said, if you agree with me and try something out and it does nothing for you, including isn't any fun, then that is on you. I'm fairly certain you knew that already and it won't be a problem, but I wanted to make sure that it was said.
So, basketball as an off-season ski workout. Is that really a thing? I'm sure that it isn't a thing because I have never heard anyone refer to it as such a thing. That's pros and not pros. Nobody has ever said that. But, could it be? I think there is something to the idea.
The most obvious "something" is that it's a sport. Like most sports, it requires movement and movement is always good for the body. In fact, all sports share the same basic fundamentals in training regiments...one has to be moving. For me, my outing to the basketball court this past evening did not have a lot of vigorous movement. Truth be told, and the Ski Rex Media super fans know this, I'm not is the best physical condition of my life and I'm still working to correct that. But, I do make attempts. In this case, I was moving around the court pretty well, though all by myself. Just shooting around and moving as much as I could or needed to. That's the key though, to keep moving. The muscles love to be kept moving. It's how they grow and get stronger. The lungs, heart, and the whole cardiovascular system love it, too. When it comes to the movement that keeps our bodies in shape so that we have the endurance, strength, and lung capacity, basketball will more than fit the bill during the off-season.
But, what about other similarities that would make it a viable workout? Well, as I said above, there is a lot of movement that helps with strengthening muscles, a good amount of that muscle being in the legs. We all know that skiing and snowboarding use a lot of leg muscle. So, any activity that can keep our legs strong would be welcome to keep working on the skier and snowboarder body. Actually, the jumping involved in basketball and the muscles that work in the legs come into play a lot in skiing and snowboarding, which goes double for the park riders who are likely to jump more than the rest of us. I mean, jumping is a technique we should all know. It's gotten me out of trouble more than once. But, I would say that I don't jump as much as my park rat brethren and sistren. In any case, jumping is in both sports, so it counts as part of the off-season workout.
Also, the work that one is doing with their legs does require some balance, so that is something that is being built up while shooting hoops, at least a little bit anyway. We all know that balance is a big part of skiing and snowboarding, so once again, it counts. Though, I'm sure there are ways to improve balance that are a bit more effective than a day on the basketball court.
Let's see, so far I have cardio, muscle building, and balance building. Is there anything else? Hmm...now that I think about it, I don't think that there is. That would make me wrong about using basketball as an off-season workout. Of course, it's not bad to play basketball as part of a full workout program geared towards skiing and riding. Then again, any kind of sport that requires movement would be good as a part of any kind of workout program for anything.
So, in closing, basketball is a fun game that I enjoy and does have some benefits when it comes to staying in shape. But, I have to be honest, there are other ways that are better to get or stay in the best skiing and snowboarding shape we can be in. It doesn't hurt to play other sports, as I said. Anything that keeps a person moving is good to do. But, in the context of skiing and being here on Ski Rex Media, basketball is mostly just a good time.
Thumbnail Credit: Aerial Shot Of A Basketball Court - PxHere
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