Be Ready for Your Next Outdoor Adventure: Snowboarding
Be ready for your next outdoor adventure: Snowboarding
We are already midway through January 2021! 2020 was a challenging year to say the least, but it brought about a level of outdoor exercisers that I hadn’t seen before. So, with ski and snowboard season upon us, let’s drop-in to a snowboard workout and maybe you will be able to shred that back country run!
As with every sport, having a strong core is key. When it come to snowboarding and maintaining balance, I would say that having core endurance and learning to manipulate core activation to maintain balance is of top importance. Having fractured my tail bone – while getting off the lift no less – it was very apparent I had not yet mastered the core manipulation aspect of balancing.
Several of my clients are avid snowboarders and every October we switch up their normal weightlifting routine to put an emphasis on balancing exercises in their workouts. I love using the bosu and a stability ball for this. We are sure to end each session with some combination of stretching/foam rolling/theragun. Having the flexibility to pick yourself back up or flip over without taking your feet out of the clips helps a ton!
Some of my favorite moves: reverse lunges with your front foot on the bosu, stability ball abdominal twists, push-ups alternating with one hand on the bosu and one hand on the ground (pushing your self up on the run can be tough!), Bulgarian split-squat with back foot on a stability ball, and holding a squat on the flat side of the bosu while alternating your foot pressure from toes to heels and then from side to side.
Now, how do you incorporate those into a workout? While I tend to work on upper/lower splits for most days of the week, here is a great total body workout to get you ready for the runs!
Warmup: 5-10 minutes of cardio of choice (mine is a rower!)
THE WORKOUT: Depending on the time availability that you have and your current level of fitness, I recommend 2-4 sets of each exercise and anywhere from 10 – 20 reps. Remember we are working on endurance as well as strength all while maximizing core activation.
UPPER BODY:
1 set only of 10 push-ups to warmup the chest
Giant set Chest, Triceps & Core:
- Bosu push-ups – place one hand on the top of the bosu and one on the floor, so a full push-up (or from your knees) and then move the other hand to the top of bosu and other to the floor.
- Cable chest press
- Overhead Tricep extensions with the cable
- Stability ball abdominal twist – with head and shoulder on ball, feet flat on the floor, hips raised up and hands straight up over the shoulders, squeeze your obliques on one side to twist in that direction without letting your hips drop. Come back to the center and repeat for 10-15 reps and and then do the other side. As you become more advanced, you can hold a dumbbell and then next level is using a cable
Super Set Shoulders:
- Rear delt flyes with cable
- Overhead press with cable
Triset Back & Biceps:
- Bent over barbell row – 1 set with palms up immediately followed by 1 set with palms down
- Bicep curls with resistance bands
- Back extension on stability ball. Put your feet against the wall if you need the balance when you start
LOWER BODY:
Super set Glutes & Hamstrings for Endurance
- 20 kettle bell swings immediately followed with goblet squats
- Barbell Romanian dead lift
Triset Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads & Core for Balance:
- Bulgarian split squat with rear foot on stability ball
- Squat holds on bosu while shifting weight on feet
- Lower leg lifts laying on ground
While this is a great start, I highly encourage all beginner and other novices to attend professional lessons when you arrive at the slopes. The pros will be able to assist you with fall techniques, more details about the specific slopes you will be on and provide proper techniques with your board. Be sure to always wear your safety equipment, such as a helmet and wrist guards.