# Snowboard gym workout



## AgingPunk (Feb 18, 2014)

So I'm finally taking my lazy ass back to the gym, I absolutely loathe it, but I can't ignore needing it anymore. I'm off the cigarettes, well 17 out of 19 days this month. That combined with an awesome day spent in the trees at Killington two weekends ago have pushed me to rejoin. At the end of that day in the trees, every major muscle group was sore in a good way, unfortunately I didn't have it me to keep riding. So motivation, combined with a cheap available rate has brought me back to the gym. Can any of you recommend a good app for keeping track or even a good routine? I downloaded an alternating day routine from Baldface Lodge awhile back, can't find it online now, plan to hit the cardio to drop weight. Just looking for ideas in exercises and tracking.


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

stairclimber is good for building endurance and leg strength. Boring AF though.

stationary bike is a good low-impact cardio exercise. I used to do that a lot, was nice because I could bring a book and read for 30-60 minutes.

squats, with no weight at first, then light weights & lots of reps should work legs, core.


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## cookiedog (Mar 3, 2014)

Hit the cardio to get you in shape, then do weights. Don't do it on the same day.


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

I do squats a lot, first with no weights then with weights to build up my leg strength.

The great thing is that I did it without weights while watching tv before the season began. During the season I go in and hit it with weights. My legs are sore for a few days after but boy do i feel the difference on the slopes. 

I ususally do 5 sets of squats and about 12-15 reps per set with weights.


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## Adam718 (Jan 15, 2015)

It's going to be tough to train the muscle groups used while snowboarding because those movements aren't very natural. But squats, lunges, jogging and bicycle are going to be your best bet.


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## Motogp990 (Mar 10, 2013)

Other than going to the gym for an hour 5 days a week, I'm fairly sedentary throughout the day.

I live on the 16th floor of a condo and to help get the blood flowing, I always take the stairs. Sometimes I just walk, walk double step, run up, over climb x floors (25 in total), etc. in total I'm taking them about 2-3 times per day.

Seems to help a bit with overall fitness and weight management.


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## SBK (Sep 14, 2011)

If your gym has classes try them out. If they are challenging and well thought out they really help the boredom factor. The gym I go to has a lot of classes for a small gym. I have a couple of instructors I really like, one that tends to be more cardio intensive and one that is more strength oriented. I try to hit at least one a week. I also spin twice a week, again great instructor who is a former competitive rower so this is a very hard hour of cardio. The classes also force me to work on things I might not on my own like balance and stability.

This year I also started lifting weights one or two time a week on my own. It's a real simple routine, 3 different workouts that hit the major muscle groups. I can say this is the strongest I've ever been since I started boarding 10+ years ago, unfortunately it's the worst snow year I can remember.

I'm a bit of a gym rat so I'm in 5-6 days a week and will do 20-30 minutes of cardio with strength workouts mixing biking, running and rowing.

This is the weight routine FWIW;
http://www.answerfitness.com/150/full-body-workout-plan-workout-routines/


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

The Greatest Snowboard Workout Ever

Snowboard Workout | Pro Ride, Whistler BC

from that i made my own way....+skateboarding and longboard daily


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## jj998 (Apr 11, 2013)

No idea on whats good or not but i dislike gym and i find it's helpful to minimize gym time. Can't find the link atm but 3x8-10 reps, 2min rest after set, 3x a week. Day A) deadlift, chin up and shoulder press. Day B) squat, bench press and cable row(?). Then do A/B twice on a given week and switch up for the next week. You can combine a 10min warmup with 4min interval training on crosstrainer with 20sec 100% intensity and 10sec rest. You can leave the gym in...30mins or so! Just start very low on squat and deadlift until you feel it's time to step it up.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

pffft. Don't listen to these chicken legs. Do this:

185-rep-squat-workout

:hairy:


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## AgingPunk (Feb 18, 2014)

Thanks, I really appreciate all the responses. Once I'm home I'll post the Baldface lodge routine I found.


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2015)

HIIT...............



Back, Core, Legs, Chest.......have at least 2 rest days a week on lifting.


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## binarypie (Nov 29, 2009)

Deacon said:


> pffft. Don't listen to these chicken legs. Do this:
> 
> 185-rep-squat-workout
> 
> :hairy:


That actually sounds pretty awesome and I may have to give it a shot.


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## kaner3sixteen (Feb 15, 2013)

I've found that this season, the most grueling thing for me (aside from the whole "being too fat" thing) has been my calves. any exercise that you can do to build them up would be good. calf stretches on a step are a good way to do this without even needing equipment (other than a step, obviously)...


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## augie (Mar 14, 2012)

man makers 
wall balls
broad jumps
jumping lunges


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## s0c4 (Feb 11, 2015)

You can also check out these videos from the Thrive Snowboards YouTube channel. The exercises are supposed to help with snowboarding and the guy doing it seems to explain it well. If you really want to hate yourself try doing burpees for 10 minutes. 

Squat
Lunge
Hollow rock
Burpee

But really anything that will work your core and posterior chain will be beneficial to snowboarding. Also, use free weights or just body weight for your exercises. The lifting machines are actually not very good for you since it targets specific muscles and you never build the fast-twitch stabilizer muscles which are super important in preventing injury.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

augie said:


> man makers
> wall balls
> broad jumps
> jumping lunges


The first and the last on that list are excellent ways to get injured, particularly once fatigued.:facepalm3:


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## augie (Mar 14, 2012)

Deacon said:


> The first and the last on that list are excellent ways to get injured, particularly once fatigued.:facepalm3:



Funny, people say the same thing about snowboarding


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Squats
Deadlifts
Leg curls
Calf raises


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## Jollybored (Nov 7, 2011)

speedjason said:


> Squats
> Deadlifts
> Leg curls
> Calf raises


Every day is leg day.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

I'd go three days a week, days rest between, all full body sessions with 10-15 minutes of HIIT at the end, and then one day of long continuous cardio. At least an hours run/bike/stairclimber/aggressive riding once a week. Lots of basic 3 day full body routines out there, alternate sessions with squats then deadlifts, bench press then overhead press, chin ups/pull ups then a horizontal row of some kind.
Lunges, push ups, Planks, ab wheel roll out, v ups, dead bugs, landmine twists, wood choppers. HIIT I love 500m sprint 500m cruise on the rower, or minute on minute off on bike or treadmill. Can do weighted HIIT circuits/complexes but don't worry about those yet. 

Basically 3- 5sets of 5-10 reps for everything at first, with the HIIT should never take over an hour.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

I'll also add that it's important to work your shoulders, primarily for injury prevention. 

I've had several separations over the years while snowboarding and mountain biking, and have noticed that since adding shoulder training, I've reduced the severity of my injuries with the increased strength.


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## s0c4 (Feb 11, 2015)

Extremo said:


> I'll also add that it's important to work your shoulders, primarily for injury prevention.
> 
> I've had several separations over the years while snowboarding and mountain biking, and have noticed that since adding shoulder training, I've reduced the severity of my injuries with the increased strength.


+1 

I have a friend that's dislocated his shoulder a few of times and he was told by his doctor that he's more likely to dislocate it again since he's done it before. So I'd say it's best to perform preventative maintenance as possible. I've seen my friend dislocate his should before and he always feels miserable afterwards.

P.S. I've seen him pop his shoulder while drunk before and then pop it back in... kinda gross.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

Extremo said:


> I'll also add that it's important to work your shoulders, primarily for injury prevention.
> 
> I've had several separations over the years while snowboarding and mountain biking, and have noticed that since adding shoulder training, I've reduced the severity of my injuries with the increased strength.


Absolutely! Working everything will help with injuries. I've had a lot of nasty tumbles and hits over the years, if I was a smaller/weaker guy I'm sure I'd have a few breaks or ligament damage, but so far so good!


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## schuyler (Jan 3, 2014)

doing simple sets of sprints goes a long way!


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## Jcb890 (Dec 12, 2014)

I started off just doing core exercises ~3 months ago due to being overweight and having occasional back pain. I make sure I do it every morning and keep my pace somewhat quick to have it be a bit of a cardio workup for me as well. Getting up in the morning is really tough for me, but getting in a little workout sometimes I feel pretty good afterwards and throughout the day. Other days it is just normal tired feeling.

My routine is pretty simple and I do it all at home infront of the TV before showering and going to work.

*Crunches* - this is mostly for back/core strength rather than a snowboard workout. 4 sets straight/forward, 4 sets to the right side, 4 sets to the left side (each set = 25)
*Pushups* - 3 sets of 10 each - pretty weak here at the moment, but building up. When I started, I could barely manage the first set of 10. Now I'm to the point of thinking about bumping sets up to 12 or 15 
*Squats* - These are what I noticed helped the most when riding. My legs feel stronger and less like jello towards the end of the day. 4 sets of 25 again with these. No weights yet, still doing it with just my body weight.

If any of you other guys are overweight at all and/or have any back pain normally, I would *highly* recommend doing core exercises. Generally I'm pretty lazy and I hate mornings, but my back has felt pretty good since I have been working out, so I'm going to keep with it. I feel a bit stronger which is nice and I've lost a little weight as well. Probably not too much, but definitely some - I need to get a scale for reference. All you need is a little motivation and space in a room. I also use a yoga mat which is helpful to cushion the ground which makes the crunches and squats more comfortable.

I honestly don't ever see myself paying for a gym membership or going to the gym with any regularity. My next step is to invest in some free-weights and/or a kettlebell to add some weight resistance to exercises.

Oh, and I work on the 3rd floor, so I no longer take the elevator. Every little bit helps, right?


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## AgingPunk (Feb 18, 2014)

s0c4 said:


> +1
> 
> I have a friend that's dislocated his shoulder a few of times and he was told by his doctor that he's more likely to dislocate it again since he's done it before. So I'd say it's best to perform preventative maintenance as possible. I've seen my friend dislocate his should before and he always feels miserable afterwards.
> 
> P.S. I've seen him pop his shoulder while drunk before and then pop it back in... kinda gross.


I had shoulder surgery for chronic separation back in 1996 on the left one, was supposed to get the right done as well, but recovery was miserable. Weight training stretching and a couple of years being super careful got it in pretty good shape. Once it dislocates though it gets easier and easier.


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## AgingPunk (Feb 18, 2014)

kaner3sixteen said:


> I've found that this season, the most grueling thing for me (aside from the whole "being too fat" thing) has been my calves. any exercise that you can do to build them up would be good. calf stretches on a step are a good way to do this without even needing equipment (other than a step, obviously)...


first half of last season I developed an insane calf stretch routine because they were killing me, turns out bending my knees and engaging my quads eliminated the need for it. I was riding around like a goddamn sick man all tall and stiff. If that's not your issue I can point you in the direction of some pretty effective calf routines. I still use them here and there cause my calves run tight. My biggest thing is making sure I'm bent on my first run, if not I'm miserable all day.


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## madmax (Sep 10, 2013)

About Functional Sports Training | Functional Sports Training

Run by Bibi Toelderer-Pekarek. Her and her husband Mitch are awesome big mountain riders.

Both have been in the big mountain Jeremy Jones movies. Hard workouts - you may have to modify at the beginning to lower weight or time.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Jollybored said:


> Every day is leg day.


I easily squat 225 and I weight 145. I went on a three day trip at Copper and only started to feel it on third day.


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## ashwinearl (Jan 19, 2010)

*Eccentric Leg Strength and single leg exercises*

Your mileage may vary. 

Three things you don't see talked about that I think are key are 1) eccentric leg strength, 2) Single leg work, 3) Hip flexor strength. 

Skiing and snowboard rely much more on eccentric strength than concentric leg strength. Traditional leg exercises like squats do not address this well. 

Here is an interesting article on Eccentric Leg strength for skiing. The burn I feel snowboarding, especially my lead leg has never been simulated like with this machine. I don't have access to anything like this now but it really highlighted why squats haven't done squat for me on the hill.

While this video is old, I've definitely seen some improvement in slowing down leg fatigue since doing some of the routine. 

I've also started doing single leg exercises, like single leg squats, Bulgarian split squats and single leg deadlift. I barely do body weight or use small dumbells because it also works all the tiny stabilizer muscles an especially helps with ankle stability. I have bad ankles and Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD) which snowboarding brings out. Given how much we rely on ankle strength and flexibility it makes sense. 

My goal is to work up to single leg work on a Bosu ball or stability discs. One level 3 coach I was talking to said the key to his butters was single leg work on a Bosu ball.

Finally, hip flexor strength is weak link I've seen especially for aggressive toe side initiation. The hip twist motion really fatigues my hip flexors so am working on targeting those too.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

Before my back injury, I was doing regular work balancing on one foot with stability disks! I also have a couple of home made balance boards that I would regularly spend and hour or so on at a time. 

While I never did any single leg stuff on the Bosu,..? When I was hitting the gym regularly, I used to turn over the Bosu, stand on the flat side in roughly my snowboard stance,.. doing low squats, holding them for a 30-60 count while balancing. In addition to that, I would actively try to hold this position while pressuring the heel or toe side of the ball. I would also do this while holding a medicine ball, twisting my torso & doing wood chops & the like!

_Shit!!!_ :blink: You'd a thunk I'da been in better shape than I was!  :facepalm1: :lol:


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## scotty100 (Apr 3, 2012)

Ok so I started doing this snowboarding workout by fitness blender last year, you can do it in the house and it's pretty intense 28 mins!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfekYZS00-Y

If weight loss is the goal, start running. And watch what you eat. Alternate days running with cross-training days with weights. That'll shift the weight in no time...if you keep at it that is...

Finally, I'm a big proponent of yoga. Nothing better to build up your stamina, leg, core, shoulder strength while keeping your muscles stretched out and in peak condition to increase your running...try vinyasa flow. It will kick your butt to begin with but you'll get into it after a couple of months.


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## Rogue (Nov 29, 2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfekYZS00-Y

This was a little hard on my knees, but when I did this before the season it greatly increased my ankle strength and was surprisingly extremely tiring! I had been hiking all summer and couldn't believe how out of breath I was. I'm sure many people have come across it in their google searches, but I felt like it helped and was a good way to find out how weak my ankle strength was. Also how much it directly correlates to controlling the board.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

Rogue said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfekYZS00-Y
> 
> This was a little hard on my knees, but when I did this before the season it greatly increased my ankle strength and was surprisingly extremely tiring! I had been hiking all summer and couldn't believe how out of breath I was. I'm sure many people have come across it in their google searches, but I felt like it helped and was a good way to find out how weak my ankle strength was. Also how much it directly correlates to controlling the board.


My trainer does most of this stuff with me every Friday. Love it. :thumbsup:


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## Rogue (Nov 29, 2014)

scotty100 said:


> Ok so I started doing this snowboarding workout by fitness blender last year, you can do it in the house and it's pretty intense 28 mins!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfekYZS00-Y


Wow I need to learn how to read before I post hahaha


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## Jcb890 (Dec 12, 2014)

After a full day of hard riding, my entire body is sore. I need some better workouts methinks


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## boarderaholic (Aug 13, 2007)

I'm a big fan of overall body conditioning. I try to focus on dynamic exercises, so not just stuff like stationary squats, but incorporating a jump into it, or spins, etc. As someone else mentioned, snowboarding in itself is not natural and dynamic exercises seem to minimize the soreness when I hit the slopes.


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## jesboogie (Oct 26, 2014)

*I saved these links!*



CassMT said:


> The Greatest Snowboard Workout Ever
> 
> Snowboard Workout | Pro Ride, Whistler BC
> 
> from that i made my own way....+skateboarding and longboard daily


Thanks for sharing, great linkage! I had right knee microfracture/ meniscus surgeryin October 2013, and I have been working hard to get back into boarding form. Ive done a lot of side steps with a theraband between my ankles to get those inner hip flexors strong. Having missed the entire last season, I am sooo ready to get back on the mountain, 4 weeks to BANFF:hairy: JD


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

speedjason said:


> I easily squat 225 and I weight 145. I went on a three day trip at Copper and only started to feel it on third day.


I've squatted 561 in competition and can squat 315 for 20 reps any time I've wanted to torture myself. When I was learning to snowboard, my legs gave out after 3 hours. While squat strength and endurance will certainly help over not having any, Ashwinearl is spot on with his 3 key areas. For me I was able to adapt fairly quickly simply by riding more. I think after my first week I didn't really have any leg ache after a full day, but I already had a good base to work from. For those who don't, eccentric and static leg strength play a huge role in being able to control and maintain your positioning, single leg work is fantastic for identifying and correcting imbalances, and hip flexor and core strength is key for generating that rotational drive, and perhaps resisting it when you don't want to be rotated. 

Being fit, mobile and coordinated are far more important for snowboarding than strength ever will be. Past a certain base level, there's really no further benefit to strength.


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## ashwinearl (Jan 19, 2010)

This is from an old book, but nice description of the mechanical demands of snowboarding/skiing.

https://books.google.com/books?id=A...=onepage&q=eccentric leg snowboarding&f=false

Page 31-34


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

i just started kickboxing today. i felt kinda weird being the only guy there but as soon as i put on those mma gloves i felt like rocky. anyway, i hadn't worked out that hard since playing sports in high school. i only made it half way through the workout but i'm surprised i made it that far considering i felt like jello 5 minutes into it. i guess i'm more out of shape then i thought.


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## boarderx (Feb 10, 2015)

These workouts are nice. Hit the legs and core. 

Personally, I work my legs out with low weights and high reps. My knees can't handle heavy weight. I will squat 100 lbs 25 times for 4-5 sets. I also do wall squats and some leg machines. Another good workout piece is a balance board. I use it a lot before the season begins to get my toes and foot muscles in shape! I've been doing this for the past few years and no longer have sore feet/toes.






CassMT said:


> The Greatest Snowboard Workout Ever
> 
> Snowboard Workout | Pro Ride, Whistler BC
> 
> from that i made my own way....+skateboarding and longboard daily


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## Jcb890 (Dec 12, 2014)

Do you guys all go to the gym to do these workouts or do you do them at home?

Especially about the balance boards. Are they reasonably priced and reasonable to find?


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## boarderx (Feb 10, 2015)

I go to a gym and they have the balance board. I just checked Amazon and there is one similar to the one that I use, priced at $50. You could build your own inexpensively with some 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe and a plank of wood.

You don't need a gym membership to do a lot of these workouts. However, some dumbbells or something heavy to hold will certainly help build up more muscle once your body gets used to the movements. Plyometrics training is another type of workout you can do at home. It involves a lot of jumping. 



Jcb890 said:


> Do you guys all go to the gym to do these workouts or do you do them at home?
> 
> Especially about the balance boards. Are they reasonably priced and reasonable to find?


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## boarderaholic (Aug 13, 2007)

Jcb890 said:


> Do you guys all go to the gym to do these workouts or do you do them at home?
> 
> Especially about the balance boards. Are they reasonably priced and reasonable to find?


Gym pass for me. The place I go to also has a swimming pool so I will alternate weight vs pool days or just swim depending on how my knees feel.


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## Jcb890 (Dec 12, 2014)

boarderx said:


> I go to a gym and they have the balance board. I just checked Amazon and there is one similar to the one that I use, priced at $50. You could build your own inexpensively with some 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe and a plank of wood.
> 
> You don't need a gym membership to do a lot of these workouts. However, some dumbbells or something heavy to hold will certainly help build up more muscle once your body gets used to the movements. Plyometrics training is another type of workout you can do at home. It involves a lot of jumping.


I think my body is getting to the point where it is close to getting used to my movements/working out without weights. I think my next step is going to be to get some free-weights so I can add some weight to my squats.

Is this the one on Amazon you are referring to:
Amazon.com : Carrom 510.61 Balance Board, Blue : Sports & Outdoors

That model seems OK and priced cheap enough, but doesn't seem like it would have much wiggle-room to be able to balance back and forth on toe and heel edges. That seems more like a straight-lined balance board.



boarderaholic said:


> Gym pass for me. The place I go to also has a swimming pool so I will alternate weight vs pool days or just swim depending on how my knees feel.


That's a great idea for anyone with knee pain. If I went to a gym, I think I'd do low-impact workouts anyways to reduce impact on the knees and whatnot. I don't really plan to get a gym membership though.

Personally, I find it hard enough to get the 30 mins to an hour to workout at home. Never mind having to drive to a gym also.


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## boarderx (Feb 10, 2015)

Yep, that's the one I found too. Good point about the wiggle room. The one that I use has a different type of base, so I can push toe-side/heel-side at will. It's also wider in both directions. My board looks like its been around the block a few times, but it works perfectly for what I want to do. :happy:




Jcb890 said:


> I think my body is getting to the point where it is close to getting used to my movements/working out without weights. I think my next step is going to be to get some free-weights so I can add some weight to my squats.
> 
> Is this the one on Amazon you are referring to:
> Amazon.com : Carrom 510.61 Balance Board, Blue : Sports & Outdoors
> ...


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

I've got 2 home made balance boards, several stability disks, as well as a slack line.

Here is a pretty hard core balance/indo board routine,…






And here are my DIY boards,…


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## Jcb890 (Dec 12, 2014)

chomps1211 said:


> I've got 2 home made balance boards, several stability disks, as well as a slack line.
> 
> Here is a pretty hard core balance/indo board routine,…
> 
> ...


That looks like a great workout. About 3 seconds in I'd be on my face on the ground :laugh: My favorite part of the video is the dude just standing there up against the wall. Creepy!:hairy:


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## boarderaholic (Aug 13, 2007)

Jcb890 said:


> Personally, I find it hard enough to get the 30 mins to an hour to workout at home. Never mind having to drive to a gym also.


I know how you feel about that. I think one of the bigger reasons I've been successful in working out so far is mostly because the gym is a 3 minute drive for me.


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