Ever yelled at the TV screen… while watching a fitness video? Maybe that’s just me then….
I don’t normally get like this, but every now and then I will go out on a limb and purchase or watch a video that claims to have a great ‘snowboarding workout’.
What usually follows is a series of lunges, abs, other exercises lying on the ground and a few jumping exercises. Here’s the part that gets me fired up:
Live in the downtown Denver area? Go to WWW.FITNESSBYATLAS.COM to see our small group class schedule and more info about our classes
None of the exercises you see in the classic snowboard workout videos actually understand what the movement of snowboarding entails. None of them. The worst are those that try to show a ski/snowboard combo workout.
I would not expect the same workout for a water skiier and a skidoo racer – just because they are both on water does not mean they use the same muscles.
Similarly, just because both ski and snowboard are done on snow does not mean the same physical workout applies.
Lets look at the lunge exercise:
Great leg builder, good for bodybuilders, toning and nice legs. But if you think about it, that move looks more like a telemark movement than a snowboard movement. Do you snowboard with both feet pointing down the mountain? No. Why would you do exercises that point the body down the mountain if you arent going to do that in the actual activity?
see the similarities between a lunge and a telemark movement?
Another video recommended indoor spinning classes to get ready for the season. Great – sit on a stationary bike (to take any chance of developing balance away) then have someone pump their legs one at a time in a cyclical motion… because the action of snowboarding totally requires that, right?
Abs – you need a strong core, right? Heres a demo for you to try at home. Read below:
I know you are sitting in your chair right now reading this, so put one hand on your abs and one on your low back. Now without trying to switch on/off any muscles, just lean forward until your head is resting on the keyboard. Try not to make any snoring noises while down there.
Did you feel the abs kick in and switch on as you leaned forward? Perhaps you did perhaps you didn’t.
Did you feel the low back switch on just as much if not more than those abs? Of course you did. They have to. As you stand on the snowboard in an athletic stance, are you leaning forward or leaning back? if you assume a snowboarding stance with your legs but have your body face forward, you will feel the low back fire up while the abs wait patiently for something interesting to do.
I won’t argue that you don’t use the abs snowboarding. I will argue that you use the low back muscles even more. So where are the low back exercises? Why does every freakin’ core workout consist of some bimbo/shirtless dude showing off their sixpack through a million different crunches while the low back gets left behind in the trash? Why, I say!
Most so called ‘core workouts’ ignore the actual muscles you need while on your board!
Then you go out on the mountain and try to board all day, wonder why your low back hurts so much the next day after you have been doing all that great core work. Your abs may look good from the front, but make sure you don’t forget about what is important rather than what looks pretty.
Writing this wasn’t helping me calm down, so I went out to my gym and made a video so I could rant on youtube.
Check it out below:
Thanks to all for being part of the new wave of snowboard athletes who take their sport seriously by reading this blog.
If you didn’t know already, I have a snowboarding conditioning camp in the Denver area but can connect you to a coach if you are interested.
Live in the downtown Denver area? Go to WWW.FITNESSBYATLAS.COM to see our small group class schedule and more info about our classes
