Last week, skiing legend and comeback queen Lindsey Vonn shared an Instagram video showcasing her favorite off-season workout. While prepping a quick article on it, I found myself watching the video repeatedly and thinking, “Hey, this actually looks doable!” In a moment of misplaced confidence, I messaged my coworkers on Slack, joking that I should try Vonn’s routine and write about how brutal it is. It was meant to be funny not a real commitment. My off-season motivation is practically non-existent, so I figured no one would hold me to it.
But here we are. Sigh.
So this morning, I dragged myself out of bed and hit the gym.
Here’s Vonn’s full workout, in case you want to suffer too:
l Warmup: 10–20 minutes
1. Kettlebell standing oblique crunch – 3 sets of 15 each side
2. Medicine ball wall/partner throws – 3 sets of 15 each side
3. Swiss ball oblique toss or hold – 3 sets of 10–15 each side
4. Low reverse lunge with counter weight (fast) – 3 sets of 20
5. Hip thrusts – 4 sets of 20, 1–2 second hold at the top
6. Rear-foot elevated single-leg squats – 4 sets of 12 each side
Cooldown: 10–20 minutes
Instead of a standard warm-up, I went for a very Bend, Oregon version: a 45-minute early morning dance party with friends, complete with coffee and Pitbull tracks in a lumber yard. It’s surprisingly energizing and sweaty.
Vonn says the core exercises can be done as a warm-up or on their own. I went with doing them individually, starting with kettlebell crunches and medicine ball throws. Thanks to some kayaking background, I have decent oblique strength and felt overly confident. I thought, “Nailed it, I’m killing Vonn’s workout!”
Then came the Swiss ball oblique tosses and it all fell apart.
I spent over 15 minutes just trying to stay balanced on the ball. It was a full-on circus act, and the poor guy doing pull-ups nearby looked mildly alarmed as I repeatedly slipped off. I finally managed to complete all three sets and moved on to the leg section already sweaty, already humbled.
The leg workout started with reverse lunges, and again, I was a little too sure of myself. That changed quickly with the hip thrusts. While it’s not totally clear how much Vonn is lifting in her video, she appears to have 25kg plates on the bar. I used significantly less and still struggled. Realizing she’s lifting triple the weight was humbling, to say the least.
I wrapped things up with rear-foot elevated squats, a ten-minute walk on the treadmill, and a hefty slice of humility.
I’m in solid shape but definitely not Lindsey Vonn shape. Not even remotely close. We’ll see how sore I am tomorrow, but for now, my plans involve some ibuprofen, my Theragun, and possibly a nap.
Still, I love a good challenge. Maybe next week I’ll try a workout from Johnny Collinson. Stay tuned.
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