December 31, 2009
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Ultimate Snowboarding Work Out Plan

Posted in Editorial, How to Snowboard by Rami | Tags: ,

Snowboaring Work Out PlanSure, sliding down on a board sounds like it doesn’t require much effort, but don’t be fooled. There are only two reasons why you don’t feel exhausted at the end of snowboarding day: 1. You’re already in good shape as it is as a result of your person gym sessions, treadmill sessions, healthy lifestyle, 2. You’re one of those people that buy the gear, spend 30 minutes on the slopes and chill by the fireplace the rest of the day. To have a kick ass time riding, you need to be in good shape and this guide is my personal plan to keeping fit. It’s simple but does the trick!

Basic Facts

  • Freeride/all-mountain snowboarding is roughly 90% lower body and 10% upper body.
  • Freestyle snowboarding is roughly 70% lower body and 30% upper body (the tricks involved require upper body muscles).
  • The most used muscle is the Quadriceps (your thighs), followed by the Tibialis Anterior (side of the leg), followed by the Calves.
  • This plan is not designed to give you ripped and big muscles, but rather to train your muscles and get them toned and fit (there will be more focus on repetition than on strength building).
  • You can burn anywhere between 250-600 calories/hour of snowboarding (No, this doesn’t include the time you spend waiting in line, on the lift, or knocking back a few beers).

1. Stretch (do this every time before you work out – I can’t stress enough how important this is)

Hamstring Stretch: Lie on floor with knees bent. Straighten one leg and slowly pull it towards you, clasping the thigh, calf or ankle. Keep knee slightly bent. Switch legs.

Inner Thigh Stretch: Sit on floor with feet pressed together (butterfly). Keeping abs in, lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in your inner thighs.

Calf Stretch: On hands and knees, straighten your legs, but keep them slightly bent. Gently press one or both feet towards the floor, keeping back flat and abs in.

Spine Twist (my personal favorite): Lying on the floor, place right foot on the left knee. Using your left hand, gently pull your right knee towards the floor, twisting your spine and keeping left arm straight out, hips and shoulders on the floor. Switch sides.

Quad Stretch: Lie down on your side using elbow for balance. Using other arm, slowly pull your foot towards your glutes, keeping both knees together and bent knee pointing down. Switch legs.

2. Exercise (3 sets of 20 repetitions per exercise & increase the weight between each set)

Lunges: This movement is great for working the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. This exercise also works many smaller stabilizer muscles because it requires a lot of balance.

  • How: Step out about a couple feet with one leg, keep your toes pointed forward and your front foot flat on the floor. Bend your front leg until your knee is at a 90-degree angle, your back should also bend until it is at a 90-degree angle. Push up and return to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then do the same with the other leg out front.

Leg Extensions: This movement isolates the quadriceps. This exercise is good for developing muscle detail between the individual segments of your quadriceps muscles.

  • How: Sit on the leg extension machine (adjust the seat according to your body). Hook your feet beneath the roller pads and grasp the handles at the sides of the machine for support. Straighten your legs and lift the weight up. Pause at the top for a second or two to enhance the peak contraction in the quads. Lower the weight slowly to the starting position. Repeat (I prefer to do it one leg at a time to make sure that both legs get an equal work out).

Squat Resistance: This one is great for building stamina in your in Quadriceps, the most used muscle in snowboarding.

  • How: Stand against a wall, while keeping your back against the wall, lower your body till your feet are bent 90 degrees at the knees and hold it there for 90 seconds. Man is this going to burn!

Lying Leg Curls: This exercise is great for the hamstring muscle.

  • How: Lie face down on the lying leg curl machine bench with your knees just over the edge of the bench. Hook your feet beneath the roller pads and grasp the handles at the sides of the machine for support. Curl your legs and lift the weight up. Pause at the top for a second or two to enhance the peak contraction in the hamstrings. Lower the weight slowly to the starting position. Repeat.

Calf Raises: Like the name points out, this exercise will help you build stronger calves.

  • How: There are several ways to do this, so feel free to choose whichever is most convenient for you. 1. Stand on the edge of the stairs or a platform, and raise yourself so that you are standing on the tip of your toes. Bring yourself down, and repeat. 2.  Perform jumping jacks without letting your heels touch the floor. 3. Use any calf machine at the gym. There are standing ones and sitting ones – I prefer the sitting ones as the standing one tends to place pressure on your back/spine.

Pointers

  • Try to do one leg at a time wherever possible to avoid your dominant leg doing most of the work.
  • Do the above routine once or twice a week (no more than that is needed).
  • Take  a 60-90 second break between each set.
  • You should be able to complete the above work out in under an hour.
  • I recommend running 5-10 minutes before the workout.

CAUTION: PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN PERFORMING ANY OF THESE EXERCISES AND ALWAYS ASK YOUR GYM TRAINERS ABOUT THE ABOVE EXERCISES IF YOU’VE NEVER DONE THEM BEFORE. I PERSONALLY FOLLOW THIS PLAN BUT FEEL FREE TO ADJUST AS NECESSARY. FINALLY, DON’T BE A MORON, FOLLOW GYM RULES, ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS, AND DON’T DO ANYTHING YOU’RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH. I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ASS!