JUMPS FOR BUMPS PLYOMETRICS, FUNCTIONAL TRAINING HELP SKIERS BUILD MUSCLES FOR THE MOGULS.

Byline: Story and photos by Bill Becher Special to the Daily News

Want to ski better and prevent injuries or just look like Ahh-nold? Now you have a choice of training methods.

Functional training and plyometrics are replacing traditional strength training as people focus more on health, fitness and injury prevention and less on simple muscle building. Functional training exercises build bio-motor skills needed in sports. If you want to ski better, then you need better balance and stronger legs. Traditional weight training builds muscle bulk but ignores the contribution the nervous system makes to sport-specific strength.

Tools like balance boards and stability balls are used in functional training. Also known as Swiss exercise balls, stability balls are the large, colorful balls you've seen at your local gym. ``Stability'' is a bit of a misnomer, as the purpose is to add instability to an exercise, challenging the nervous system to ``recruit'' all of your muscle fibers to perform the task. It's similar to doing push-ups while balanced like a circus seal.

Stability balls are sold in many fitness and sporting-goods stores under brand names like Thera-Band and Gymnic. Balance boards are also available at fitness stores and online.

Soviet coaches started using plyometrics in the 1960s to train Olympic triple-jump athletes. Its use has spread to other activities such as skiing that need explosive power. Power is strength with the element of time added. Jumping on or over a small platform such as those made by Reebok mimics the movements in skiing moguls and helps develop the power needed to ski the bumps.

Maralyn Countryman, a certified fitness trainer at the Spectrum Club in Thousand Oaks, recommends functional training and plyometrics as a great way to get in shape for ski season. Here is her quick workout for skiing. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.

Warm up by doing any aerobic activity for at least 10 minutes.

Back extension with a twist:

--Brace your feet against a wall or other stable structure and bend your body facedown over the stability ball.

--Extend your body up to a straight position and slowly twist to one side as you straighten up.

--Breathe out as you twist and lower on a two count, then extend up and twist to the other side.

--Start with two and work up to three sets of five on each side.

Stability ball push-ups:

--Put you body facedown on top of the ball and use your hands to roll out until your knees are on top of the ball.

--Place arms shoulder-width apart with hands facing forward.

--Draw your belly button in to activate your core muscles.

--Do push-ups starting with two sets of 10 and work up to three sets.

--Move ball out progressively farther down the legs to shins, feet, then toes to increase the difficulty.

Stability ball crunch:

--Sit on the ball and slowly roll down the ball until it's under your back.

--Start with the ball closer to your head; the exercise is more difficult if you position the ball farther down your spine.

--Place your hands on the side of your head. Do not hold or lift your head with your hands.

--Draw your belly button inward toward your spine to activate your core muscles.

--With belly button in, curl your entire spine up starting with the base of the neck.

--Keeping your belly button in, slowly lower yourself as far as you can control.

--Pause, then raise yourself back up so that your back is straight.

--Start with three sets of 15 and progress by adding more reps. Move the ball lower to increase difficulty.

Balance board squat with stability ball:

--Place the ball against a wall and behind your back before stepping onto the balance board with feet straight ahead.

--Keep your head up over your shoulders, which should be in line with your hips.

--Draw your belly button in to activate your core muscles and keep it in during the exercise.

--Descend slowly by bending at the knees and hips, weight between mid-foot and heels and balanced on the board.

--Don't allow your feet to shift in or outward.

--Start with two and work up to three sets of 10. Don't be frustrated if you have difficulty maintaining your balance at first.

Stability ball hamstring curl:

--Lie on your back with arms out and palms up.

--Place your heels on the ball with toes pointed up.

--Draw in your belly button and squeeze your glutes to raise your hips off the floor.

--Curl your heels toward your glutes by bending at the knees.

--Slowly return to the starting position while keeping your hips in the same position off the floor.

--Start with two sets of 15 and work up to three sets.

Stretching before and after exercise is a great way to help build flexibility and prevent injury. Here are a couple of ski-specific stretches. Don't stretch injured muscles and don't stretch so far you feel pain.

Prone kneeling stretch on stability ball.

--Kneel on the floor with one arm outstretched on the ball.

--Bend at the hips, keeping your torso parallel to the floor.

--Reach the opposite hand, palm up, across your body along the floor.

--Roll the ball forward as you bend at the hips.

--Slide one arm under the other arm as you rotate the spine.

--Keep your hips over the knees.

--Hold the stretch 20 to 30 seconds, then switch sides.

Hamstring track stretch:

--Start in a standing position with feet staggered and pointed straight ahead.

--Slowly squat down in a sprinter's starting stance.

--Draw your belly button in.

--Slowly rise up out of the squat position until a gentle stretch is felt on the forward leg.

--Hold the stretch 20 to 30 seconds, then switch sides.

OTHER EXERCISES

Plyometric jump down:

--Start standing on a step bench and step down and back up as quickly as possible for 30 seconds.

--Keep your knees soft, back neutral and swing your arms.

--Rest for 90 seconds and then repeat for two sets.

Plyometric lateral jump:

Start on one side of the step bench, keep your feet together, point your feet forward and jump sideways completely clearing the bench.

--Land in a tuck with your feet together.

--Keep your knees soft, back erect and glutes out while doing this exercise.

--Work up to 10 reps.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, 9 boxes

Photo:

(1) Back extension with a twist

(2) Stability ball push-ups

(3) Stability ball crunch

(4) Balance board squat with stability ball

(5) Stability ball hamstring curl

(6) Prone kneeling stretch on stability ball.

(7) Hamstring track stretch

Story and photos by Bill Becher

Box:

(1) Back extension with a twist (see text)

(2) Stability ball push-ups (see text)

(3) Stability ball crunch (see text)

(4) Balance board squat with stability ball (see text)

(5) Stability ball hamstring curl (see text)

(6) Prone kneeling stretch on stability ball. (see text)

(7) Hamstring track stretch (see text)

(8) Plyometric jump down (see text)

(9) Plyometric lateral jump (see text)