Jan 16, 2012
Author: Taylor Godber
Winter is upon us. The snow is consistently falling and the snow meters are increasing by the day. Few experiences can match the magic of riding in an open bowl, through the trees, jumping off a cliff into waist deep snow, dropping a pillow line with fresh untouched powder blowing in your face on a 60-90cm west coast pow day. As blissful and amazing as these days can be, they are unfortunately coupled with burning and fatigued legs. Here are some exercises to prepare you for the deep days, the peak to creeks, and to keep you riding open to close. Don’t get left behind and don’t punch out early.
The key areas to work on are as follows:
Upper leg muscles (hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) and quadriceps) Strong legs mean a decrease in the likelihood of tendon and ligament injury. By strengthening your hamstrings you assist your ACL to stabilize your knees.
Snowboard Relation: ACL/MCL/PCL injury, need I say more? As snowboarders we tend to develop much stronger quads in comparison to hamstrings. According to a study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, athletes with equally strong quads and hamstrings went injury-free for the entire 12 month follow-up period they were monitored for.
Lower leg (gastrocnemius and soleus) The gastrocnemius and soleus are what make up your calf muscle. They are responsible for ankle extension thus are involved in squats or jumping movements.
Snowboard Relation: Initiating and performing a turn (edge to edge). You use your ankles snowboarding on any terrain in any conditions.
Core (rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae, multifudus, and quadratus lumborum) Your core supports and stabilizes your spine. It works with your lower back and hips allowing you to rotate your body with more power. They are huge contributor to your overall balance.
Snowboard Relation: -The core muscles allow you to stay standing, to prevent falling, and to maintain balance on your feet.
Glutes and hips (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus) Your gluteus maximus (aka. butt muscle) works anytime you raise your leg to the side, rotate your leg so that your foot is pointing outward, or move your hips forward. It is the major muscle that is responsible for allowing you to stand up from a sitting position.
Snowboard Relation: Strong hip flexors are important for bringing your legs upwards when popping an ollie. Your ‘butt muscles’ are necessary to bring you from a squatting position to standing.
*When choosing your weight for these exercises use the following gauge; it should be challenging 1/2 way through each set and you should feel a burn in the targeted muscles. Your last 2-3 repetitions should be challenging. You should be able to complete the prescribed amount of repetitions without losing form. Up the weight if you do not feel a burn and lower the weight if you are having trouble staying in the appropriate positioning.
Complete each exercise for the prescribed amount of repetitions (how many times you do each exercise in a row) and then move on to the next exercise. Once you have completed 1 set of all of the exercises, repeat 2 more times, for a total for 3 times through the whole routine.
Swiss-Ball Hip Raise and Leg Curl
What it works: Glutes and Hamstrings
How to:
-Lie on your back on a mat on the floor with your lower legs and heels on a Swiss ball.
-Your feet should be pointed upwards.
-Place your arms at your sides or out to your sides with you elbows slightly bent.
-Push your hips up so that your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
-Pull your heels towards you by rolling the ball as close to your butt as possible. Hold for 2 seconds.
-Slowly roll back to the start position, while keeping your body in a straight line.
-Lower your hips back to the floor.
-10 repetitions.
To make it more challenging:
-Once you can preform this exercise easily, try doing it with one leg on the ball and the other leg with a knee bent hovering off the ground.
Swiss-Ball Spike
What it works: Core and hip flexion.
How to:
-Start off in a push-up position with your shins and tops of your feet on a Swiss ball.
-Your shoulders should be directly over your hands, with your fingers pointed forwards, and your hands shoulder width apart.
-Engage your stomach muscles.
-While keeping your legs and back straight roll the ball toward your body by raising your hips as high as possible. Hold for 2 seconds.
-Roll the ball back to the beginning position.
-10 repetitions.
Goblet Squat
What it works: Quadriceps
How to:
-Stand with your feet spread slightly wider than your shoulder-width distance.
-Engage your stomach muscles and do not let your lower back round throughout the exercise.
-With both of your hands hold a dumbbell vertically up against your chest.
-Keep your elbows tucked in and pointing towards the floor throughout the entire exercise.
-Lower your body just past the height of a chair (as pictured above). The tops of your thighs should be just lower or parallel to the floor. Hold for 2 seconds.
-Push through your legs and feet to return to the starting position.
-Try to keep your weight in your heels instead of your toes during the exercise.
To make it more challenging:
-Jump as high as you can after you have reached the bottom of your squat.
-Land and return to the bottom of your squat in slow and controlled manor.
-30 repetitions.
Plank
What it works: Core stability.
What it does: This exercise will help stabilize your spine which is responsible for lower-back health.
How to:
-Start off in a pushup position with your forearms on the ground and your hands clasped
together. Your shoulders should be directly over your elbows.
-Lower or raise your midsection until it forms a perfectly straight line from your
shoulders to your ankles.
-Flex your stomach muscles, glutes, and legs as tightly as possible.
-Remember to breathe!
-Hold for 60 seconds.
Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise
What it works: Calf muscles (soleus and gastrocnemius)
How to: Part I
-Stand tall with the ball of your right foot on a large plate weight and your heel on the
ground. Hold on to dumbbell with your right hand and place your left hand on a wall or a
piece of sturdy equipment for balance.
-Tuck your left foot behind your right ankle.
-Stand tall and keep your stomach muscles engaged during the exercise.
-Lift your right heel as high as you can.
-Hold for 2 seconds.
-Slowly lower your heel back to the ground.
-15 Repetitions per foot.
Part II
-Bend your supporting leg at the knee with the ball of your right foot on a large plate
weight and your heel on the ground. Hold on to dumbbell with your right hand and place
your left hand on a wall or a piece of sturdy equipment for balance.
-Tuck your left foot behind your right ankle.
-Keep your stomach muscles engaged during the exercise.
-Lift your right heel as high as you can.
-Hold for 2 seconds.
-Slowly lower your heel back to the ground.
-15 Repetitions per foot.
Bicycle (Elbow-to Knee Crunch)
What is works:
-Trunk flexion and rotational exercise. It works your olbiques and rectus abdominis.
How to:
-Lie on your back on a mat with your fingertips behind your ears, your knees bend and
your feet flat on the ground.
-Lift your head and torso 45 degrees off of the floor. Keep your neck in the same
position as it was when you were lying on the floor.
-Bring feet off of the floor until your legs form a 90 degree angle. Your shins should be
parallel to the floor with your knees directly above your hips.
-Twist your shoulders, head, and torso towards the right as you bring your right knee to
touch your left elbow. At the same time extend your left leg.
-Come back to starting position and repeat on the other side.
-10 Repetitions per side.
Make it harder:
-Do the exercise more slowly and/or add ankle weights.
Side Lunge
What it works: Quadriceps and Calves.
How to:
-Start with a dumbbell in each hand, your arms at your sides, your palms facing your
sides, and your feet pointed forward.
-Lift your right leg and take a large step to the right, while pushing your hips backward
and slowly lower your body by lowering your hips and bending your right knee.
-Keep your left foot flat on the floor throughout the exercise.
-Bend forward at your hips to touch the dumbbells to the floor.
-When you lean forward make sure to keep both feet flat on the floor.
-Do not round your back. Only lower as far as you can while keeping a slightly armed
spine.
-Hold for 2 seconds.
-Return to the starting position and switch sides.
-10 repetitions per side.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Swing
What it works: Quadriceps, calves, shoulders, and hamstrings.
How to:
-With your right arm hold a dumbbell with an overhand grip in front of you at your waist.
-With your legs a little wider than shoulder width apart squat down until your thighs are
parallel to the floor.
-Make sure to keep your core engaged throughout the entire exercise.
-Push your hips back when you squat and be sure to maintain a slightly arched back
when in the squatting position. Keep your arm that is holding the weight straight.
-As you squat down bring the dumbbell between your legs with straight arm. Let the
dumbbell swing behind your a little.
-Thrust your hips forward as you stand tall.
-Swing the dumbbell up to chest height as your straighten your knees.
-Swing the dumbbell back below and behind your as you squat down and bring it back
to chest height as you stand tall.
-15 repetitions per arm.
IMPORTANT: It is necessary to consult a physician prior to completing any of the
following exercises if you are recovering from an injury, injured, or brand new to
exercise to ensure that you are allowed to complete a weight training program. There
are always risks with any kind of exercising or sport so please complete at your own
risk.
Taylor Godber is currently in the process of becoming a certified personal trainer and is also working towards a diploma in nutrition, specializing in sports and fitness.
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