Train Like A Pro This Off Season with Tips From John Collinson

Featured Image: Tero Repo | Skier: John Collinson

It's the time of year when resorts start closing, the flowers start blooming and skiers start transitioning to their off-season activities. While biking, climbing, hiking and running are great options for staying fit throughout the summer, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned strength training. Whether you belong to a gym or sweat it out solo in your garage, strength training is something we should all be doing to stay happy and healthy—mentally and physically.

The internet can be a daunting place for workout tips, with so many influencers and opinions flying around, so we caught up with professional big-mountain skier and certified personal trainer, John Collinson, for all of his expert tricks to staying strong year-round.

At just four years old, Collinson summited Mt. Rainier and in 2010 became the youngest person at the time to summit the highest mountain on all seven continents. A brief stint on the Freeride World Tour eventually led Collinson to his main calling in skiing: filming in Alaska. For over a decade, Collinson honed his big-mountain skills to become one of the best Alaskan spine skiers on the planet—aside from his sister, Angel. But skiing (and falling) in that terrain takes a toll on the body.

Throughout his ski career, Collinson underwent seven knee surgeries and rehabbed a plethora of other injuries. His extended time at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center introduced him to a knowledgeable team of strength coaches and physiotherapists. Seeing the effects that proper strength training can have not just for an injury, but maintaining a healthy body, he knew he wanted to share all of this knowledge with the masses.

After multiple years of studying exercise science, Collinson pivoted to earn certifications in personal training and nutrition and has since developed multiple training programs for casual recreators, professional mountain athletes and everyone in between.

"I’ve taken my athlete experience, what I like to do, what I think works well and then applied my education to that to build programs that hopefully work for people and are fun to do," Collinson tells me. While his programs get into the specific workouts and exercises every skier should be incorporating, Collinson lays out in this article his five general rules to success in the gym.

Keep reading for the secret sauce, below.

Photo: Nate Cahoon | Skier: John Collinson

Consistency is Key

"One of the key points for me, for overall health and wellness, is consistency," says Collinson. He goes on to explain that if you keep a gym regimen throughout the year, it's much easier to stick to that schedule than if you were to take months off at a time. This means maintaining a gym regimen throughout the ski season so that as soon as it's summer, you're already building from a solid base rather than starting from zero. "The more habitual you become with your training and your eating, the easier it is," he says.

Keep It Simple

While the internet can be a great resource, it can also quickly overcomplicate things. Collinson is a big advocate for keeping workouts and exercises simple. "The simpler the better," says Collinson. "You can have a really simple workout be really effective and same goes for in the kitchen. Just whole foods, I stay in the periphery of the grocery store and rarely do I venture down the isles—all the good stuff is on the edges."

Make it Fun

"I hear a lot of great coaches say to gamify the gym experience, to create a fun atmosphere that makes you want to come back," says Collinson. Once a skier, always a skier, Collinson says he likes to look at unlocking a new gym move like landing a new trick on skis. "It feels so good to land your first 360 or a new trick—that applies in the gym, too. It feels like you unlocked a new level," Collinson confesses. He's also quick to add that there's really no wrong way to workout in the gym, so long as you're not hurting yourself. "If you enjoy it, it keeps you going to the gym and you feel good, there’s not really a wrong way to do it, generally speaking."

Photo: Nate Cahoon

Prioritize Your Goals

We can't do everything all the time, all at once. Our bodies have physical limits, so it's important to prioritize what your goals are, depending on the season. "It’s mostly a capacity issue," says Collinson. "You have to figure out what you want to prioritize and then put that first. If you want to get stronger legs but also want to work on endurance, weigh which is more important and then put that activity first."

He continues, "In terms of building strength, you just have to hit that muscle group twice a week. That’s fairly easy and then gives you quite a few days to get out on your bike, or whatever. Then it really comes down to how much time and energy you have to put into the other little aspects."

"Throughout the year, I’ll cycle through different styles of exercising with different focal points," says Collinson. "In the ski season, when I go to the gym it’s mostly a maintenance load. I’m not trying to get stronger or faster, I’m just trying to maintain the strength I’ve built so I have enough energy to apply when I’m out skiing. When it comes to off-season training, it really becomes a question of what I want to work on."

Crosstrain

There's no one activity that perfectly mimics skiing, although many could argue that mountain biking comes incredibly close. Collinson says he enjoys hiking and running most days as his crosstraining acitivity because it's a way to spend time outside with his dog. But you'll also find him cycling on the road and on the trails.

While crosstraining activities generally have a physical benefit, other activities that challenge the brain can also be really great tools for staying sharp in the off season. "I’ve also weirdly gotten into golf recently," Collinson laughs. "I don’t look at it as cross training necessarily but it’s a good mental practice for me."