Want a butt like an Olympic skier? Do these exercises
She may have only been in the international racing game for three years, but 19-year old Toronto-native, Erin Latimer is already touted as one to watch in the Para Alpine community.
Growing up though, she didn’t have dreams of joining Para Sports; in her world she grew up as an able-bodied athlete. Latimer was born with a congenital amputation of her right arm, just below the elbow, but that never held her back. After hitting the slopes for the first time at the age of three, it didn’t take long for Erin to participate in the local races. At six she was kicking butt and taking names, consistently placing in the top spots in her age group. It wasn’t until she was approached to join the Ontario Para Race Team in 2012 that she ever considered the idea of taking her ski game to the next level.
Instagram/erinlatimer_ski
Despite the initial hesitation to join the Para-side of the sport, she went for it and immediately dominated – winning gold and silver in her first slalom races at the Ontario Winter Games that same year. From there, her new racing career continued to soar - taking her all the way to Sochi in 2014. No big deal, right?
When I met up with Erin at her on-campus training facility, The Goldring Center for High Performance Sport at University of Toronto, I was surprised to see that she is, in fact, just like every other young student. Yes, despite all the hype, accolades and success in her sport, she’s humble and sweet, and even a bit shy. While setting up for the shoot she told me about adjusting to university life – settling on a major, living in residence, and learning to balance studying with training for the 2018 Paralympics. Just your average student, indeed.
Luckily for us, Latimer put together a wicked, skier-style workout that the rest of us mere mortals can attempt do on our own time; a small taste of what it takes to train for the big leagues. Despite her slight 5′4″ frame, Erin is a powerhouse, especially below the belt. During the booty-building tutorial, she showcased her squatting skills, her impressive balance and stability as well as her core stamina. After enduring all the squats, deadlifts, step-ups, side shuffles and more, the demo put on blast what differentiates a fitness-enthusiast like me from a true athlete.
After the sweat session, Erin and I said goodbye and walked away…well she walked, I limped. While I was going to take Advil, put my feet up and write a story about the badass Paralympian who schooled me on a true leg workout, she was going to do a Freud reading for class the next day. I guess even the world’s most elite athletes can’t escape that first year university curriculum.
