Go easy on the mountain

I love to ski and snowboard, and I’m getting ready to hit the mountains for the first time this year. But every year, it’s harder and harder for me to get back on the slopes, and I get really sore the next day. Are there any exercises I can do to prepare myself and help reduce some of the soreness? I love hitting it hard right away, but I am afraid I won’t be able to walk for a week if I do.

Chris

Laguna Beach

The best physical training for skiing and snowboarding is actually done right on the slopes. There are no traditional exercises that can replace just spending more time on the mountain and giving yourself a chance to practice your skills. With that in mind, go easier the first few days of this season than you did on the last few days of last season. Choose simpler runs, take more breaks -- and remember that you’re a year older than last year so your body may need more time to get up to speed.

Warmup exercises before your first few runs will help get your body ready and your muscles warm. While waiting in the lift line, do some half squats, shoulder rolls, head turns and gentle trunk twists. Go extra slowly down your first run, and deliberately practice your maneuvers in slow motion before getting big air or speed. When you’re finished for the day, hit the lodge, sit in front of the fire and do some gentle stretches for the legs, the back, the chest and the arms. You can do this while you are enjoying some hot cocoa, and it may help reduce soreness the next day. Plus, it will be a good way to help you warm back up from the cold before heading home.

And, off the slopes, here are three great exercises you can do to get stronger so that your body is able to handle the tougher slopes and the longer runs sooner than in previous years. The exercises require no equipment and can be done almost anywhere you have the space.

* Wall squat: This is an old-school standard -- but it works. Put your back up against a wall, and slide down into a squat position while pressing against the wall with your back. The wall will hold you up, but your legs will have to work hard to keep you in place, and you will feel the burn after only a few seconds. The lower you go, the harder the exercise will be. The longer you hold the position, the better your body will get at handling the longer runs on the mountain. Breathe evenly throughout the entire exercise and do two to five sets with small rest breaks in between. Work your way up to holding each set for 30 seconds or more. If you have bad knees, keep your hips higher than your knees during this exercise. If your knees are strong, squat low enough that your thighs are parallel to the floor.

* One-leg squat: Stand sideways near a wall or the back of a chair. Lift one leg off the floor while holding onto the wall or chair with one hand for balance. Bend the standing knee and push the hips back as if you were going to sit in an imaginary chair. Go as low as you comfortably can without straining your knee or losing balance, and pause in the lowest position for a few seconds. Return to the one-leg standing position and pause for a few seconds. Repeat eight to 12 times on each leg. The lower you go and the longer you hold the paused positions, the harder the exercise will be. You can make it even more challenging by letting go of your balance anchor (wall or chair) for the entire exercise or for just a few seconds in either of the paused positions.

* Jump squat turn: Stand with your feet close together, bend your knees and hold a half squat position. In one movement, straighten your knees and jump a few inches off the ground while executing a one-quarter turn jump. Land the jump quietly by bending the knees to decelerate (use your legs like shock absorbers). Hold the bent-knee position for a few seconds, and do three more times until you are back to your original position. Then repeat in the other direction. Repeat until your legs are fatigued, then take a short break. Perform a few sets of this exercise in a row.

The lower you go and the higher you jump, the harder the exercise will be. The more you cushion your landing on each jump, the stronger you get at handling the bumps in the snow when you go down the mountain.

You probably won’t be able to eliminate all the soreness that you usually feel after your first few days back on the slopes, but these tips will help reduce the intensity of the soreness -- and improve your strength.

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Jay Blahnik, a Laguna Beach-based personal trainer and IDEA Health & Fitness Assn. spokesman, has appeared in more than 25 videos and is the author of “Full-Body Flexibility.” He can be reached at jay@jayblahnik.com or health@latimes.com.