My Review Of The Peloton Strength For Skiers Program

With a ski vacation coming up in February, I decided to buckle down and do the full Peloton Strength for Skiers program this week. I’ve done many of the classes as stand-alones, but this week I added the warm-ups, stretches, and mobility classes, and did them all in order to get the badge.

All classes are taught by both Andy Speer and Matt Wilpers

The Peloton Strength For Skiers Program

The Peloton Strength for Skiers program is a 5 day program meant to be repeated for a few weeks to get you in shape for skiing. The warm-up, mobility, and body weight strength classes can be used before/after/between a day on the slopes. 

Day 1 has a 5 min warm-up, 30 min full body strength class, and 15 min stretch. The Day 1 strength class is the “heaviest” of the program, with three main blocks and a “finisher”:

• weighted lunges + single-arm shoulder presses (3 rounds)
• weighted squats + renegade rows (3 rounds)
• triceps kick-backs, plank with dumbbell pass-through, side planks with twist (2 rounds)
• weighted push press + swing clean (90 sec AMRAP)

Day 2 is a light day with a 20 min mobility class. The mobility classes are a cross between a warm-up and a dynamic stretch class, and include upper body and lower body moves.

Day 3 has a 10 min warm-up, 30 min full body strength class, and the same 15 min stretch as Day 1. The Day 3 warm-up is my favorite, and would be great before hitting the slopes—or as a pre-run warm up. The Day 3 strength class uses weights but has a more functional focus than Day 1 with unilateral work and some plyometric moves:

• single-leg dumbbell deadlifts + single-leg squats + overhead press (2 rounds)
• pogo hops + drop squats (2 rounds)
• skater hops + starter drill (2 rounds)
• lateral lunges (2 rounds)
• single-leg dumbbell deadlifts (3 rounds)
• prowler push-ups + plank shoulder taps (90 sec AMRAP)

Day 4 is another (different) mobility class.

Day 5 is similar to Day 3, but with a bodyweight strength class. If you doubt a bodyweight class can be effective, the squat series will show you how wrong you are! 🔥

• lunge matrix (front/lateral/reverse/curtsy) + T push-ups (3 rounds)
• squats (3 90 sec rounds)
• push-ups + spider lunges + superhuman holds (3 rounds)
• side planks with leg raise + windshield wipers (2 rounds)  

The bodyweight class is probably my favorite, and definitely could be a strength for runners class.

After doing all the classes in order, I was rewarded by a badge.

Not sure I would have chosen that graphic, but …

All the Peloton Strength for Skiers classes are taught by both Andy Speer (playing the role of strength coach) and Matt Wilpers (playing the role of skier). My main complaint is that sometimes their chatty banter feels excessive, but I’ve learned to add in extra bodyweight moves when there is both a rest and a demo before the next set. Moving forward, I’m likely to take the 10 min warm-up and all the strength classes again, but skip the others.

I’m really glad Peloton put this program together, and am sure my quads will be stronger on the slopes. ⛷️Hearing Matt talk about skiing also gets me more excited for my own ski trip. 🎿

Weekly Wrap

It was another bitter cold week with no snow but lingering icy sidewalks. Monday I waited until broad daylight to walk Scooby and still got taken down by a thin patch of ice I didn’t  notice. 😩 Between that and morning temps in the teens the rest of the week, I cut dark o’clock Scooby walks out of my morning routine. (Scooby got his walks later in the day.)

Sunday: Core + Upper Body + Peloton Rides
Sunday I warmed up with some strength workouts and then hopped on one of Hannah Frankson’s 45 min Powerzone Endurance rides to finish my pledge miles for Pelofondo.

My 2-day total

Monday: Strength for Skiers + 5.6 Tread miles
I started the Peloton Strength for Skiers program and also stacked two tread runs to get > 5 miles in. Any 15 min stretch class tests my patience, but this one is extra annoying because Andy and Matt chat between stretches—just give us something else to do and then share your wisdom! That said, it is a good full body stretch class.

Tuesday: Mobility + 30 min Peloton Ride
I took the first SFS mobility class and then hopped on my bike for a 20 min ride with Hannah followed by my favorite Lanebreak ride.

Wednesday: SFS + 3.5 Tread Miles
Another long SFS stack, which I broke up with an intervals tread run with Olivia.

Thursday: Mobility + Core + Arms + 20 min Ride
I did the second mobility class of the SFS program and then a core and upper body class before hopping on my bike for a short ride. Jess King’s Sweat Steady rides are similar to Powzer Zone endurance rides without the zone call-outs— a/k/a a steady burn.

Friday: SFS + 3.5 Tread Miles
I made it to the last day of the Strength for Skiers program! Once again, I broke up the three classes by hopping on the tread before taking the stretch class.

Saturday: Core + Arms/Shoulders + 30 min PZ Ride
I had a church vestry meeting at 9am, so I only had about an hour for my workout. I chose Tunde’s class for the playlist and wasn’t disappointed.

With our deep freeze finally over I’ll be back to my “normal” routine next week, but having a break from walking Scooby made it easier to fit in all the Strength for Skiers workouts and still have time for a daily dose of cardio.

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A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up throughout the year, and to each of you for stopping by.

Do you train to get in shape for an active vacation?