Forums > Kitesurfing General

Best gym workout for Kitesurfing

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Created by ashkiter > 9 months ago, 22 Dec 2011
ashkiter
QLD, 431 posts
22 Dec 2011 5:03PM
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I was at the beach yesterday and overheard a guy going on saying he does "PILATES" and how good it is for Kite surfing....

Now i can see the coralation...downward dog aint a Kiteboarding trick...but got me wondering if there a a few Work outs people do to assist their Kite Boarding (Besides Kite Boarding itself)...

Or should i just kite more

wal269
WA, 718 posts
22 Dec 2011 3:12PM
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Kiteworld used to put some stuff on this in their mag.

harry potter
VIC, 2777 posts
22 Dec 2011 6:19PM
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kite more is the best answer...

but sit ups if you free ride

chin ups if you unhook...

deXtrous
NSW, 451 posts
22 Dec 2011 6:25PM
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shutup and squat

pearl
NSW, 984 posts
22 Dec 2011 7:24PM
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Tug toner......

LoadNPop
SA, 10 posts
22 Dec 2011 7:05PM
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pearl said...

Tug toner......



Now now. not too out of hand here

Shayne86
WA, 189 posts
22 Dec 2011 5:05PM
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wdric
NSW, 1625 posts
22 Dec 2011 8:36PM
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LoadNPop said...

pearl said...

Tug toner......



Now now. not too out of hand here


I thought that would be in the hand

ashkiter
QLD, 431 posts
22 Dec 2011 7:40PM
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Waiting for someone to bring the Tug Toner back in to play - forgot all about that one of a good reason...

koma
VIC, 760 posts
23 Dec 2011 12:45PM
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deXtrous said...

shutup and squat

QFT.

Knees and legs: squat
Back: deadlift
Arms: chinups
Gut/stomach: crunches

Pretty much just google Starting Strength and follow that program.

Don't ignore your flexibility though! I've made the mistake of focusing almost entirely on strength over winter and have discovered that between the extra 8-10kg i'm now carrying and what feels like a reduced range of motion has left me feeling a bit out of balance on the water.

ashkiter
QLD, 431 posts
23 Dec 2011 1:31PM
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koma said...

deXtrous said...

shutup and squat

QFT.

Knees and legs: squat
Back: deadlift
Arms: chinups
Gut/stomach: crunches

Pretty much just google Starting Strength and follow that program.

Don't ignore your flexibility though! I've made the mistake of focusing almost entirely on strength over winter and have discovered that between the extra 8-10kg i'm now carrying and what feels like a reduced range of motion has left me feeling a bit out of balance on the water.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Good ideas thanks - I have just got a program done at Goodlife in Holland Park (Corporate rate of $31.00 per fortnight) and can Invite friends to come and trial for free (PM me if Intrested - would be good to train woth other Kiters :)

bene313
WA, 1347 posts
23 Dec 2011 11:55AM
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For me it's ashtanga yoga for strength and flexibility. 3-5 times per week. My surfing/kiting has improved noticeably since I started consistently doing yoga.

I used to lift weights which just made me bulky and inflexible.

mattyjee
WA, 575 posts
23 Dec 2011 12:53PM
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Eating lots of red meat and no fibre helps me exercise for my poo-stance.

Ellobuddha
NSW, 624 posts
23 Dec 2011 4:19PM
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Chins ups (close and wide grip)
Dips
Crosstrainer (core strength and cardio)

surfingboye
NSW, 2707 posts
23 Dec 2011 5:57PM
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Zumba helps me stomp the flicky spinny tricks.

windangoesoff
NSW, 280 posts
23 Dec 2011 7:17PM
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step aerobics

richswing
WA, 724 posts
24 Dec 2011 5:28AM
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www.totalsurfingfitness.com/

I've haven't tried anything but he makes sense if you kite surf board.

bobajob
QLD, 1533 posts
24 Dec 2011 9:40AM
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50 or 60 beers at aBBQ and I'm a wolrd champ

koma
VIC, 760 posts
24 Dec 2011 2:45PM
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richswing said...

www.totalsurfingfitness.com/

I've haven't tried anything but he makes sense if you kite surf board.


I don't understand why people pay money for fitness programs that aren't even designed for them. Paying a personal trainer makes sense as you can discuss your strengths, weaknesses and goals, but a specialised fitness cookie cutter DVD or book isn't going to make the most of your effort. That said, given how little exercise most people do... ANY exercise is going to be better than none.

I'm so sick of hearing 'core strength, swiss ball, core strength, bosu ball'. Wank, wank, wank. If you've been kiting for a year or more chances are your core strength is already well above a non-kitesurfer, less so if you use a seat harness.
Go hang out with the bro's doing brocep curls on a bosu ball in the squat rack if you want to be 'one of them'. For anyone who is actually interested in functional strength training, i recommend again Starting Strength. It's a simple no BS program which works really damn well for the majority. Instead of muscle isolation and stupidly long tedious workouts, it's two simple workouts that'll make you work damn hard - but the results speak for themselves.

Personally, i'd rather be on the water than in the gym as there's no better training for kiting than kiting itself. The gym is for no wind days when you've got some energy to burn.

djdojo
VIC, 1607 posts
24 Dec 2011 3:49PM
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^^^ Agreed.

Basic compound exercises (so you involve more joints and muscles) with free weights (so you develop balance and co-ordination too) and reps in the 8-15 range for a few sets will be good.

Squats, Lunges, Chin-ups, Push-ups, Dips and Rows all fit the bill.

Superset exercises to up the intensity and save time.

Work out with (watch them as you work out) athletes who have achieved injury-free and sustained high-performance and you'll learn what works vs what is BS.

cauncy
WA, 8407 posts
24 Dec 2011 2:14PM
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Got a mate in the UK that competed at nationals, he works on core strength mainly and a big emphasis on stretching before and after a gig,don't underestimate the forces and stresses that a big session puts on the body, I boxed for years as a young bloke but I reckon I'm more tender after a big wind session than after a fight plus its a good pain.

dave......
WA, 2119 posts
24 Dec 2011 2:16PM
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One important exercise for crew trying handlepasses is pushups.
The shoulder joint is unstable between the anterior and medial ligaments, (thats why shoulder dislocations alway are anterior. Pushups with close grip, wide grip, hands at head level, hands at sternum level, hands turned in and hands turned out will evercise and strengthen all the various muscle fibres that make up the shoulder muscle. Deltoid (5 muscles), you dont need to strengthen the posterior part of your deltoid, kitesurfing does it for you.
Dont stretch your shoulder muscles ever, the joint is unstable enough. Stretch your Rhomboids and latissimus dorsi instead, Can you touch both shoulders together frontwards? I can

Joe Cron
NSW, 450 posts
24 Dec 2011 6:05PM
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Short answer;

http://www.military.com/military-fitness-slideshows/spartacus-workout.html

Long answer;

Balancing the strength of opposing muscle groups is important to prevent pain.

Think of the bones as tent poles, the muscles as the tent ropes. If one is tight and one slack, there will be pain. (ie the tent will fall over!)

This particularly applies to the complex structure that is the human spine.

The longer I kite, the more I find my abdominal muscles growing stronger than my spinal erectors.

To balance this, I have been working on lower back strength.

The most extreme exercise to develop strength here is deadlifting, however, it's not without it's dangers. Proper form is essential. Better to lift small weights and have good form.

A less potentially dangerous movement is hyper extensions. Lie prone over an exercise ball, hands behind head and raise first head, then shoulders, then arch back.

Quadricep strength and integrity will help to reinforce knees against injury. Traditional barbell squats are dangerous, try body weight or dumbbell lunges.

Agree with drdojo, high reps (I advocate 15-20) are better suited to kiting than maximal lifts.

Flexibility is also key to staying in the game. Yoga is predominately flexibility, and there are many effective yoga positions, however lot's of contemporary yoga (a 5000 year old discipline) has been hijacked by commercial interest and there are lots of unrealistic claims made.

A stretching regime that includes lower body and spinal muscle groups such as illiopsoas, hamstrings, calves, glutes and spinal erectors will do wonders, not only for kiting, but for the general feeling of well being.

Apologies for the long post. I did my best to keep it brief. I could write pages. I qualified years ago as a PT but found training fat ladies who wanted to drop 3 dress sizes in a week with minimal effort, after 20 years of neglect, impossible to deal with. (No, I never shagged any of them.)

pirrad
SA, 850 posts
26 Dec 2011 7:33AM
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koma said...

deXtrous said...

shutup and squat

QFT.

Knees and legs: squat
Back: deadlift
Arms: chinups
Gut/stomach: crunches

Pretty much just google Starting Strength and follow that program.

Don't ignore your flexibility though! I've made the mistake of focusing almost entirely on strength over winter and have discovered that between the extra 8-10kg i'm now carrying and what feels like a reduced range of motion has left me feeling a bit out of balance on the water.


''STRONGLIFTS 5X5'' Great program for life in general.
Squat -ass to the grass, best exersise there is !!!!!!!!

cauncy
WA, 8407 posts
27 Dec 2011 11:50AM
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www.kiteboardingexercises.com or www.kiteworld.tv/higher-education also www.perfectlyfitonline.com. cant be arsed giving anymore info its exhausting ,im gonna have a beer

Adaswe
WA, 48 posts
27 Dec 2011 9:54PM
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Seriously guys how hard can it be



Dave T
WA, 34 posts
28 Dec 2011 1:08PM
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Joe Cron said...

Traditional barbell squats are dangerous,


... in the same way as kitesurfing is dangerous if you skip learning how to do it properly! There is nothing wrong with barbell squats if you have learnt to do them correctly, started with the empty bar and add a small amount of weight every session. The reason people hurt themselves is either because they have bad form or they try to lift too much weight long before they are ready for it. Starting Strength and Stronglifts 5x5 have both been mentioned - both use the squat as their central exercise and it has been a tried and tested exercise for many years. Squatting is one of the most natural positions for your body and is probably the best way to work you legs and core. End of rant....

Along with the dips, push ups and chin ups, I would also add pull ups, just because they're harder! [}:)]



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"Best gym workout for Kitesurfing" started by ashkiter