U.S. Olympic downhill ski team member Julia Mancuso is a fit celebrity and athlete. Not only is she a world class skier, she is also a pro in the gym. She shared her favorite exercises with That’s Fit:
Back Extension
“I love the back extension on a stability ball,” Mancuso said. “You lie face-down, with the ball at your hipbone, then do a regular back extension, slowly lowering down to your original position.” You’ll engage your back, core, and even your glutes with this one. She recommends 10 reps and three sets of this move.
Wood Chop
This move really strengthens the core muscles. “Place your feet a little more than hip-width apart,” she said, “and hold the medicine ball at shoulder height. Bend your knees slightly and quickly pull the medicine ball down to your left foot, and return to the starting position.” You’ll do 10 reps and three sets of these on each side.
Single-Leg Squat
This exercise is the secret to Mancuso’s strong and shapely legs. “Stand on a stability cushion and balance on one leg,” she said. “Then, do a mini-squat with the other leg reaching out behind you, coming back to your starting position.” And, you guessed it — 10 reps and three sets with each leg.
Obviously these exercises benefit her greatly for skiing. But I can tell you these are excellent exercises for the mere mortals among us. The single-leg squat is ridiculously difficult, particularly if done on a BOSU-type ball, bugt the results are incredible. I do the wood chop exercise on a cable machine. It works jsut as well. It really works the core muscles nicely. The back extension on an exercise ball is well-known. Done correctly and deliberately it will really build stability muscles in your back.
It must be working for her because she is a model as well as a world class skier with Vancouver Olympics medal aspirations. Her body is fit and she enjoys other activities like surfing which show off her gym work.
