How to Train Specifically for Snowboarding

Key Factors of Snowboarding Conditioning
Written by Alicia

Winter is upon us and that means it’s time to hit the mountains.  Have you ever wondered what you can do in the gym to enhance your snowboarding performance?

When I train clients to help condition them for snowboarding I focus on a 4 main factors.

1) I like to incorporate lower body compound movements for lower body strength and core stability.  This is where those squats and deadlifts come in handy (but let’s be serious, these exercises are an important part of all exercise programs).  If you’re new to lifting weights, especially these lifts that require full body commitment and usage, I’d recommend you see a trainer to ensure you’re learning the correct form and prevent injury.

2) Although snowboarding appears to highly lower body focused, I feel it’s important to train the upper body appropriately for the sport as well.  Falling, then getting back up again on the mountain requires a boarder use their upper body to push themselves back up.  To gain strength for this component of the sport I like to incorporate body weighted upper body exercises such as dips, pull ups and push ups.  I find being able to manage one’s own weight is a realistic way to condition someone for getting up from a fall.

3) Compound movements require the core to work hard and I don’t personally incorporate a lot of “ab exercises” into my programming.  When appropriate, my favorite ways to incorporate core work into training is to do exercises that require clients to “turn their core on” and feel it working deep from within.  This includes various cable pulls, static holds and tummy vacuums.

4) Finally, I include some plyometrics and high intensity cardio to this style of programming.  Plyos may include various sprints, sled pushes, stair hops, box jumps, etc as well as some jumping rope for overall cardio and conditioning.

We are excited that our Snow and Ice training program is fast approaching.  This will be a great way to enhance your performance for a variety of winter sports, generally improve your condition and fitness levels, as well as meet some cool new people.  To get involved you can sign up through our front desk by calling 604-568-6006, or emailing schedule@kalevfitness.com.  We look forward to training with you in 2014! The most common way is through mail, shipper companies, or online http://drugstore-onlinecatalog.com/ store web portal.

Cheers,

Alicia