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OT: cross training


philistine

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I was just wondering what kind of cross training other people found helpfull for carving.

My main means of transportation is a track bike and that seems to keep my lower body in pretty good shape but my upper body is soft as butter and is always pretty sore after a day of riding.

Anyone else in the same boat?

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Well, of course there's always just going to the gym, but what has helped my core strength tremendously is kickboxing: strenght, endurance, balance - all there! Some fight schools also offer specific "fitness" kickboxing classes and usually you get at least one free try-out workout. Might be worth looking into.

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My primary sports are martial arts - kendo and to a lesser extent judo. To crosstrain for those and snowboarding, I run and lift weights. One simple weightlifting exercise I got from a wrestling S&C coach is called a Turkish Getup. Hold a dumbell overhead with your arm straight. Now lie down on the ground, keeping your arm vertical the whole time. Get back up again. Repeat 3 times each arm, one set. Start light. This is a really good exercise for all-round fitness/core strength etc.

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Well, there are undoubtedly things you can do to specifically strengthen muscle groups used in carving...but I say the best kind of cross-training is to do other sports entirely!

I slalom race on whitewater---in a C-1 (which is a decked slalom canoe). Leaning out to dig into a raging current on your offside requires (IMO) better balance than carving to avoid flipping.

I'm also a road cyclist---rode my first century last fall, which was addictive---can't wait to do another!

I'm also a hang glider pilot, which requires a lot of finesse and sensitivity to all the nuances of air currents and thermal lift (not to mention hauling a 60lb glider to launch and out of the LZ!).

Then there's XC skiing, which is about the most butt-kicking form of cardiovascular exercise in the world. (I plan to ski the Birkebeiner before I die!)

My point is the more you do, the better off you are, because you become much more in-touch with your body (pardon the new age lingo) in an enormous variety of situations, speeds, positions, etc. (Maybe greater kinesthetic awareness is the phrase I was grasping for...)

Mine is a case of "sports ADD!" Once I get pretty good at one sport, I'm off to learn another! :) Carving is the newest...rock climbing is next on the list...

Scott

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2 years ago I started doing triathlons so I am running a lot more miles as well as swimming and biking. This winter I have been mostly running and have only made it up one weekend snowboarding. (sucks to be me)

On my first day out on the snow I was resting about one third as much as last year when I was not running really big miles. I was able to push myself a lot harder and sustain like I never have before.

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I study Iaido when I'm inport and do Yoga when we are out to sea (try balancing on a pitching deck). Inport I also urban freeride (bicycle) and skate ramp/pools when I can. I have a Rolo board which is an interesting balance board in that it can be used both long ways and width ways (you can even ollie it). It makes wasting time on my Xbox useful as I balance while I'm playing

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It really depends what you mean by "helpful"

Back when I was lifting weights and 20lbs heavier, I was MUCH faster than I am now....but not so much endurance and typically got sore after a hard day.

20lbs leaner (from Ironman training) and I can rip all day w/o any effects, but I'm slower now....

It's like lil girls who join the US Ski Team and turn into gorillas after 3 years. It's scary!

I'd rather be overall athletic (Jasey Jay) than Joe Beefcake. Focus on general fitness and endurance.....

Better yet, go visit Fin in the summertime...evidently his day-long MTB rides whip folks into shape pretty quick.

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