From alpine skiing to bobsled to luge, winter sports require athletes to be in peak condition, embody dare-devil-like nerves and have a love of adventure. Have you ever wondered how these athletes train for their sport? Each sport has different demands. Alpine skiers need legs of steel, lugers require rock solid cores and bobsledders must have explosive power.

Alpine skiing
Alpine skiers go down the hill as fast as gravity will take them. They mainly use their legs to withstand gravitational forces and perform quick turns at really fast speeds as they blast down the hill.

Skiers train mostly on the slopes, but when they are in the weight room they focus on their legs and more specifically their quads. These athletes do thousands of squats and lunges to build their base.

To get your legs ski hill ready, try a Leg Blaster workout:

Leg blaster
20 squats
10 lunges per leg
10 jumping lunges per leg
10 squat jumps

Do a complete set, rest 20 seconds and then repeat 4 times

Bobsled
Bobsled (or officially bobsleigh) is not for the faint of heart. Bobsledders use explosive power to push a 500lb. sled. They need a fine balance of power to launch the sled but still be light enough to gain speed as they fly down the icy track.

When not in the sled, the competitors mostly train to build leg strength and explosive power. Bobsledders do lots of squats, lunges and deadlifts to build leg power and balance that with jumping and sprinting exercises to gain explosiveness.

To improve your speed at the starting line, try a sled training workout

Contrast sled workout
Load a sled with a weight that's challenging to push across the turf
Push the sled forward, keeping your elbows straight
Lighten the load and then sprint with the sled back across the turf
Rest 15 seconds and repeat 4 times

Luge
Luge is the fastest sport on ice. Lugers slide up to 140 km/hr. on a tiny sled, driving blindly down an icy track. Besides fearlessness, they need upper body strength for the start and incredible core strength to stabilize their body and sled while whipping down the track.

Want a strong core for the next time you go sledding down a hill? Try this body weight ab workout

Body weight ab workout
60 seconds of mountain climbers
24 bird dogs
10 hollow body holds
Plank for 60 seconds
Rolling plank for 12 each side
Complete entire circuit, rest for 60 seconds and do 2 more times