So you wanna tear up the slopes of your local ski resort this winter? The snow starts decorating the mountains, signaling the end of Fall, commencing the Winter X Games (the Shaun White Show) …

Below, learn how to harness the physical prowess of alpine stars like Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn.

In an interview with askmen.com Shaun had the following to say about his workout regime:

The stuff that I do when I get to go to the gym is more like a maintenance thing. I’m not trying to build up muscle or bulk, or anything like that. In a lot of traditional sports you need to be big — you need to knock over someone who’s bigger than you. But it’s a different strength you’re looking for in snowboarding. It’s more like tennis. You gotta be quick and you’ve gotta be really mentally prepared. You gotta predict where you’re gonna go, where you’re going to land, what you’re going to see. When I do go to the gym, everything’s combined with balance. I’ll do a lot with those big, weighted medicine balls and those half moons. I’ll balance with one leg or squat on a half moon while getting the medicine ball thrown at me. When you’re losing balance on your snowboard — doing that arm waving thing –, what you’re doing is straining yourself, and your body is grabbing every single muscle around it in order to bring you back into balance. So, that’s what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to strengthen all those little muscles that help the big muscles, and build overall strength, not size.”

Skier Lindsey Vonn feels the same way. During an interview about her fitness regime she emphasized the focus of her workouts is to improve core strength, balance and stability in order to allow her body to successfully withstand the G-forces encountered while skiing at high speeds as well as preventing injuries. Whether skiing or snowboarding, many of the physical demands are similar: legs are under duress from maintaining the correct posture and absorbing shock, abdominals and lower back are working hard to stabilize the torso and upper body, muscles of the upper body constantly make corrections in positioning aiding in balance, ALL WHILE making high speed turns. These muscles all need to be strengthened for power and endurance. Thus, any workout regime designed to make one a better skier/snowboarder, as well as minimize injuries on the mountain should include the following elements:

• Core Strength
• Balance
• Leg Strength
• Stabilizers
• Endurance

Sample Workout Routine

Perform each pair of exercises as a Superset (A before B. Repeat A & B for a total of 3 times). Rest 1 minute between sets. Rest 3 minutes before proceeding to the next superset.

X A Core plank on BOSU ball – 60 seconds
X B Single leg squats on BOSU ball – 10-15 reps per leg

X A Med ball catch and throw standing on a BOSU ball – 15 reps to each side
X B Barbell deep squats – 8-10 reps

X A Swiss ball single leg cross crunch – 15 reps per side
X B Core plank to push up position – 20 reps alternating arms

X A Endurance static squat on BOSU ball – 60 seconds
X B Side to side push up on BOSU ball – 20 reps

X A Back extensions with twist on Swiss Ball – 10 reps per side
X B Side to side squat jumps on BOSU – 20 reps to each side

X A Overhead squat with elastic band under feet – 20 reps
X B Side crunches on Swiss ball – 15 reps per side

X A Prone opposite extensions on Swiss ball – 15 reps per side
X B Slide board endurance sets on slide board – 60 seconds