Mikaela Shiffrin owes her skiing prowess in large part to her leg and glute strength. The 27-year-old alpine ski racer couldn’t have kept her balance, navigated those tight turns on the downhill, and powered her way to two Olympic gold medals if she hadn’t worked those muscles hard, not just on the slopes but in the gym, too.
So how does Shiffrin, who’s been described by The New Yorker as “the best slalom skier in the world,” achieve those killer legs and glutes? Read about her workout below.
Elite Daily rounded up five workout moves that the athlete and Colorado native does for Olympic-level strength. They are weighted step-up jumps, barbell lateral lunges, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions, single-leg deadlifts, and lateral box jumps.
Step-up jumps help Shiffrin achieve not only leg and glute strength but also stability, and she makes the move more challenging by incorporating weights into the routine.
Barbell lateral lunges strengthen and shape the booty as well and help her maintain incredible balance on the slopes.
Next up is high-intensity interval training, and to give you an idea of just how intense, Shiffrin told The New Yorker, “We have a grading scale that I fill out for every workout. Ten is dying or passing out. I rate nine fairly often.”
The athlete also does single-leg deadlifts – not the basic kind, mind you, but with her eyes closed. Her former coach, Jeff Lackie, said, “It creates spatial awareness—there’s stability, neutral spine control and strength all happening at the same time.”
Finally, Shiffrin performs lateral box jumps – again, not just the basic kind, as she does them really fast and goes for as many reps as possible.
With a workout routine as punishing as this, the Olympic gold medalist obviously needs all the energy she can get. So how does she fuel up?
She revealed to Clean Eating that her power food is pasta, saying, “I always have pasta after a race and after training to fuel me up and get me ready for tomorrow.”
Shiffrin loves pasta and, in fact, has a sponsorship deal with Barilla. She also said, “The easiest way for me to have energy is to have some carbs.”
“Carbs aren’t bad," the athlete added. "Everything in moderation. I’m not afraid of carbs. I just try to keep it all balanced. I weigh myself everyday, just to make sure I’m not gaining weight or losing weight. Pasta gives me energy. It’s like caffeine for me.”
