Getting In Shape

[chinchillaman]

I am a racer and I am really looking to improve. I have all the gear and now I just need to get toned for this years season. What exercises do you guys recomend? I have a weight machine and a wobble board at home. What exercises on the weight machine should I be doing? Thanks

[Justin A.]

Squats and Lunges. Lots of them. Run some stairs as well. And most importantly, just ride. Ride even more than you work out, and you will see a huge improvement.

[Kent]

Dude...it's too late to get into shape and the season has started.

Just ride your board, a lot.

The best way to get "in shape" for snowboarding is to snowboard.

After the snow melts, you should consider an off-season program.

k

[Thor VonRippington]

I'm in shape... ROUND is a shape!

[Mike T]

I'm with Kent on this one, it's a little bit late to be thinking about getting in shape. One word though: plyometrics.

Having seen Jim ride at SES.... listen to him

[philfell]

Stay as far away from Plyometric excersises as you can. Plyos are great.....when you are already have a strong foundation. If you don't have this base you are asking for back and knee problems.

Like Kent said it's far too late to start a strength training program. At this point your best bet is to ride yourself into shape, do some moderate cardio stuff on days when you can get a decent recovery the following day, find a gym that give good Yoga classes with an athletic focus these will probably do your snowboarding more good than weights.

Remember that as much, or more, attention should be focused into recovery from training than the actuall training session. This doesn't mean taking a day off after a quality training session, it means eating the proper things at the proper times and paying attention to what the body needs in order to get the most from your sessions.

[chinchillaman]

I've been training for two weeks now and my skipark is going to open around the 25th. The park has a wopping 14 inches. I think I still have some time left.

[Justin A.]

If you want a good diet, look at buying some Ostrich meat. Ostrich is a red meat, much like beef, but it's THE leanest red meat out there. Plus, it's delicious . A close second in healthyness and deliciousness is Vension, it's very lean and oh so delicious. To maximize the healthyness of the venison, go get some yourself. Then you know that it was 100% free range. I second the farm fresh eggs, but the Grass-fed beef is mostly hype. Beef is beef, grass fed or grain fed. The only difference in fat content is very slight, and the biggest difference is that modern grass-fed beef isn't nearly as tender as grain-fed because the cattle actually need to move themselves around to eat. If you want lean meats, you need to look at other species, or local for other breeds of cattle that may be available. The yoga classes will do you good no matter what, so I third that reccomendation, and I also vote for the Plyometrics. Not heavy stuff, just stump hopping, stair running, ect. Good luck!

[Erik J]

I second the yoga classes, or third or fourth, whatever number we are on. If you are doing a lot of riding the classes will help you stay limber and strong while you're working yourself during the winter. My hips have never been more loose, allowing me to comfortably contort and absorb.

Also, the mental aspect should not be neglected. Your focus and mental stamina will improve if you choose to pay attention. There are vastly different classes and teachers out there. I've been able to work harder physically because I'm mentally more and more comfortable with the temporary discomfort of exercise. You may notice an improvement in your breathing during hard workouts as well. It's a great tool to add to total body conditioning - which includes your brain.

One exercise I like to do is run up a steep hill backwards, don't stop until you fell death squeezing your heart in it's hand - oh the sweet, sweet burning.

[Kent]

Remember that as much, or more, attention should be focused into recovery from training than the actuall training session. This doesn't mean taking a day off after a quality training session, it means eating the proper things at the proper times and paying attention to what the body needs in order to get the most from your sessions.

Ah yes....Phil nailed it.

Ride as much as you can/hard as you can while still being able to be "fresh" for the next session.

Kicking your ass for a day, only to get hurt for the next day, isn't good training....

Maybe we can create a "Joe Friel For Snowboarding" plan. That basicaly involves creating a series of A, B and C (priority) races and map your plan to be at the optimum state (for the A race).

[RobRidesSquaw]

Here is what I do for a weekly split for weightlifting and training:

Saturday and Sunday are off

Monday- Upper Body Max Effort,this is a lot of barbell and dumbell rows, various presses (bench, military, incline), a lot of accessory work to keep my body balanced, and then a lot of situps and core work

Tuesday- Lower Body Max Effort, Cleans (do not do these unless you have a coach or know what you are doing because they are totally based on form), Squats are awsome if you do them right, if you do them wrong you will get hurt so if you are going to do them make sure you keep you back straight and dont let your knees go in front of your feet. Other than squats I do deadlifts, stiff legged deads, lunges, calf raises, Side bends for obliques, Plyometrics, if you are just starting out, stay away from these like Phil said, but once you have a foundation, mix some box jumps and scissor jumps in between squat sets

Wednesday-Core work, situps, plank, side bends, various variations on crunches and stuff like that plus yoga or pilotes to stay flexible and injury free (hopefully!)

Thursday, Repetative effort Upper Body, I do a lot of push ups, pull ups, and bodyweight rows for high rep sets

Friday is lower body repetative effort, so a lot of bodyweight lunges and squats along with 1 leg squats on a bosu, also uses leg curls with a band for high reps.

I also run every day, switching off between three miles at a steady pace on one day and then hill sprinting and lateral drills and stuff like that the other day...

Keep in mind that you need to work your way up from where you are and that these workouts should not last very long. If you are lifting weights for more than an hour it becomes very hard to focus and put all of your energy into what you are doing. When you are starting, I would reccomend staying away from weights and just working on bodyweight excercises-wall sits, push ups, pull ups, bodyweight squats, etc... And dont kill yourself because you still have to snowboard and race and you want your body to be fresh for that, so eat right and work out right and you will be money in the races...

[Dave ESPI]

Start in August... ride a bike 4 miles a day (UPHILL both ways ;)

Works well for me :D

[philfell]

I still vote against Plyos with no base. First the huge increase of injury and damage to the joints, you may not feel it now, but you will later.

Second it mainly works the muscles in one direction only (when the muscle constricts), this type of training does little for snowboarding. You need to train your muscles to be strong while getting longer, not shorter.

This time of year do yoga, cardio, and a strength matinance program (little weight and high reps.), don't focus only on legs, dedicate a good shoulder routine once a week. Rotater cuff injurys are common, try to avoid this by doing rotational excersises with LITTLE weight to strengthen the shoulder.

[Kirk]

Don't forget core muscles ;)

[Pow]

Keep carving! get a longboard/loaded board/carve board/mountain board and ride:cool:

[wavechaser]

All great info above - This is a much needed discussion on this forum.

Whatever program you train with, there is one more very important thing to do...keep a log. It is invaluable in developing a training program that fits your needs and also for looking back at what worked, and just as importantly, what did not.

I am a nationally competitive marathon kayak racer in addition to the snowboard racing, and I started the logging for the kayak raving because it is such a high-endurance sport which requires balancing proper conditioning, race prep, nutrition and recovery to even have a chance at doing well in 20+ races which combined with the training, total over 500 miles per season. The log worked so well I adapted it to my snowboard training as well

I have a separate log for each sport. I bought the spiral notebooks with two sections separated by a pocket divider in the middle. The front half is for the TRAINING log - daily notes on what I did for training, what I ate/drank, AND how I was feeling...and the back half is for the RACE log - including race results, waxing strategy for snow events, eating/hydration strategy for kayak events, and equipment setup for both...as well as how I was feeling that day overall. Study and combine the info between the training and racing logs and you'll get a really clear picture of where you have been - and a ton of info on where to go from there, how to modify your training and race strategy, and what works from year to year.

If you REALLY want to get into it you can enter everything in a database program and start graphing your progress (or lack thereof :D )!

[Scuff]

This is all great info. Thanks for sharing.

I hadn't considered Yoga to be anything more than "meditation with motion" but with your strength/flexibility recommendations, I'll have to take a closer look.

My previous off-seasons consisted of rollerblading 2-3 times a week for ~10-20 miles. I like the low impact on my knees, and rollerblading builds stamina in quads and maintains cardio pretty well. I also supplement with other core exercising and stretching at the gym - Without it, the hours spent in that "speed-skate" position can do a number on your back!!

Despite being moderately active, health concious, and doing lunch-time wall-sits and lunges to increase leg strength,

my knees are always sore. Need to be iced after a day of riding, and I'm not sure if I'm out of shape, out of practice, or just working it hard on the hill.

Thanks Rob for posting your routine. I'm going use it as a goal for next off-season.

Get this! - My co-worker just installed a desk in his office that is attached to a treadmill , so he can walk while working on his computer.. I'm kinda thinking about doing the same..

Does anyone ever pack power foods to eat while on the lift?

Any favorites?: Dried Fruit, Granola Bars, GU packs? Oreos?

[Mtrappy]

For energy foods you should try Justins Nut Butter. I think it works the best. I use it before, durring and after snowboarding and/or working out. www.justinsnutbutter.com

[carvedog]

This is all great info. Thanks for sharing.

I hadn't considered Yoga to be anything more than "meditation with motion" but with your strength/flexibility recommendations, I'll have to take a closer look.

Does anyone ever pack power foods to eat while on the lift?

Any favorites?: Dried Fruit, Granola Bars, GU packs? Oreos?

Yoga is the bomb. As a fat bastard with a bad back there are certain yoga things that I do that are essential for me to carve hard without back failure.

Before AND after.

Cliff Bars are my faves for energy food. Good tasting, enough chocolate to be interesting and organic for the most part. And you can still eat them when cold, as opposed to some bars that must be chipped up if below freezing.

[philfell]

Going to Yoga right now. By far the best activity I've picked up to help my overall athletics.

[snowboardfast]

My winter training so far has been riding and shoveling snow a lot. The snow shoveling works your body pretty good. We keep getting more snow in Denver than the mountains are getting although we are having a pretty good season so far. In December we got two feet of snow in one storm and Vail got 1 inch. Shoveling that much snow is a good work out. I feel like I am in shape for shoveling! I also bike ride and longboard during the off season. I ride my bike to work all year round but snow shoveling is being done until the roads are safe to ride on. I think the longboard works your legs out almost the same as snowboarding. When I longboard I ride down the hill and then I ride up the hill too so that I am working all the time. The hill I ride isn't real steep but I can get some turns in and skate up the hill as well. I should probably lift weights as well.