This is an excerpt from an article published in the Spring 2026 Issue of 32 Degrees. Access the full issue here, and look for the expanded Fall 2026 issue in your mailbox soon.
By Delia Roberts, PhD
Whatever your discipline, moving on snow is all about managing force. Gravity and momentum provide energy that we can store in a ski or board and then use to generate speed and direction. And just as a stiffer boot or board transfers energy more efficiently, a strong and stable core can enhance control and boost performance by providing a platform for the legs to work against.1,2 Together with improved balance and appropriate muscle recruitment, core exercise has also been shown to be effective at reducing lower back pain in the short term3 and lowering the risk of sustaining further injury.4
Whether it’s lack of time or access to a suitable space, many snowsports instructors don’t train their core even though they know it’s important. So here are my five top do-anywhere core exercises, chosen to give you the biggest performance benefits in the least amount of time. They can all be done in your ski or snowboard boots without having to get down on the floor, so slide your daily reps into those small segments of time that we often waste, like waiting at the bus stop or riding the chair.
Step 1: Find Your Neutral Posture
Since the goal of core training is to increase stability of the spine and pelvis, it’s important to focus on maintaining a neutral posture. Always begin with this quick posture reset. Sit or stand tall so that there is only a small curve in your lower back. Drop your shoulders down and back, but don’t over correct – your ribs should not be lifted. Your face should be oriented forward, not tilted up or down. Hip bones, including the pubic bone, should be in the same plane, not tipped forward or back (see “At the Core of All Movement” 32 Degrees, Spring 2019).
Step 2: Activate Your Core
To activate your core muscles, pull your lower belly in and up slightly. It shouldn’t be hollowed; you just want to generate a little tension. Next, lift the pelvic floor (imagine that you need to pee and are holding it in). This is your neutral starting position.
Step 3: Do the Exercises
Start with 10 reps of each exercise, building up to 30 reps for two to three sets of each exercise. Complete the routine two to three times a week and reap the benefits!
Exercise 1: Seated Pelvic Stabilizer
Start in your neutral posture and activate your core by drawing in your lower belly and lifting your pelvic floor. Lift one foot at a time an inch off the floor, hold for a count of three, and then lower it back down. Alternate feet and complete between 10 and 30 reps on each side.
Check that you are doing the exercise correctly by placing two fingers over the front of your hip bones. You should not feel any twist or movement in your pelvis. If you can’t keep your pelvis from twisting, don’t lift your foot off the ground, start with just the activation and weight transfer. Once you can keep your pelvis stable, increase the load a little bit at a time, only moving the leg as much as you can without twisting.
Make it harder:
- Do the exercise with ski boots on or on the chairlift. The extra weight makes it much harder.
- Do the exercise standing. Again, adding weight to your feet makes it harder.
- Do the exercise while holding anything from your water bottle to your backpack to a pair of skis in one hand. The further the weight is from the center of the body the harder it will be, so try holding it straight out to the side or do an overhead press.
Science behind seated pelvic stabilizer: Core work can either focus more on strength (where you move a weight or load) or on stability (resistance to movement). In skiing and riding the legs must be able to move independently of the upper body to edge and absorb changing terrain, while the spine and pelvis provide a solid platform to position the center of mass (CM) and adjust pressure. The pelvic stabilizer exercise has been shown to activate the deep muscles of the abdomen, hip, and back to support these movements.
Exercise 2: Single-Leg Deadlift
The single-leg deadlift exercise is one of the best stability exercises for skiing and riding because it combines a very high level of recruitment of the gluteal muscles with stability of the spine and pelvis as you extend. It also requires a high level of balance, which adds to the load on the core musculature. It’s difficult to master but will improve your ability to keep your CM where you want it and control edge angulation.
To do the exercise extend one leg straight back, allowing your upper body to tilt forward from the hips as you lift the leg. Keep your shoulders and hips facing forward; there should not be any opening, twisting, or hiking of the hip. Try to reach the horizontal and then return to upright. If you can’t balance on one leg, start by either using a pole for balance or by keeping the back toe on the ground so that the movement is more like a staggered stance row. Once you build enough core strength and balance, lift the back foot off the ground.
Make it harder:
- Hold a ski boot or backpack in the opposite hand to the supporting leg.
- Hold a pair of skis in both hands, touch them to the floor, and raise them back up as you return to standing.
Science behind single-leg deadlift: Because there are different types of muscle contractions, training muscles in one way doesn’t necessarily translate to better function for a specific sport. Skiing and riding are all about controlling downhill momentum, so most of the muscles being used have to lengthen as they contract (as in the negative or eccentric phase of resistance training). Eccentric contractions result in a different level of nerve activation and more load on individual muscle fibers, which is why running downhill makes your legs sore if you aren’t used to it! For skiers and riders, it often shows up as a sore back or sore quads. The single-leg deadlift loads the muscles of the back and pelvis eccentrically to prepare them for the types of movements experienced when on snow.
Read the rest of the article here.