Advanced Total Gym Exercises for Snowboarders

There’s a special feeling when you physically experience your own improvements by landing a trick, cutting a bend, or flying airborne over a jump that felt as if you were free falling from the top! If you’re a snowboarder, you will relate to this feeling.

This season, take your skills up a notch to increase core strength & power for snowboarding.

You can do this by conditioning your body with a powerful dose of sport specific training drills that will develop core strength, agility, balance, and the stamina your body needs to prepare you to tackle the snow.

You will perform your best by customizing your training to match the physical demands that snowboarding requires.

TIPS FOR PRACTICAL TECHNIQUE

Before we dive into the sport specifics for snowboarding, it’s also worthy to mention a few practical tips to focus on that will enhance your training skills.

Here are some tips to keep your mind and body connected when developing your sports specific training program.

Get the right gear so your technique is on point.

Invest in gear that it fits you properly so you move freely and easily.

Do research on what type of boards, boots, and bindings that would be best for your type of boarding style.

Don’t be afraid to change your typical setup! It may help improve your technical skills faster.

Learn to ride ‘switch’

Switch riding often feels unnatural. It takes more thought and analysis to learn a trick, a turn, or move.

Switch riding will improve your trick repertoire and overall riding ability while helping you to understand your riding style and how to improve needed skills.

Focus on working the tricks and turns you already know in ‘switch’ so they are standard to your regular riding.

Always learn both regular and switch when you practice something new.

Watch & learn techniques from videos

There’s no better way to learn than from how the pros do it.

Learning from watching helps visualize how to set up the trick, implement the motion, and correct an error.

Visualize

Visualize the trick and understand the necessary movements that are involved.

Prepares your mind with courage to perform the tricks physical demands.

Record your ride

Video feedback helps you vividly see how you actually ride, rather than how you think you actually look when riding!

Watching your own riding is priceless to understand how to progress.

Seeing your mistakes helps you to analysis what’s lacking for improvement.

It’s important to keep in mind what skills or techniques you need to improve upon when designing your specific workouts. Spending time training ‘off’ the mountain to develop functional strength mechanics will translate to performing better skills ‘on’ the mountain.

SPORTS SPECIFIC TRAINING

Sport specific training is key when developing the right strength skills to snowboard down the toughest trails and test out your tricks. Workouts should include all aspects of fitness; i.e.: cardio, strength, and flexibility. More specifically, the exercises you perform should simulate movements that you experience when actually snowboarding so that you are prepared for anything that may occur in motion.

Workouts should also include:

Unilateral movements to strengthen both sides equally

Speed and quickness

Limb coordination

Explosive power

Reaction time

Recovery time

ADVANCED SNOWBOARDING WORKOUT

Being a winter sports enthusiast, I value the importance of cross-training to perform well and to prevent injury. The Total Gym is an excellent piece of equipment that allows you to focus on functional movements that develop the necessary skills to perform at optimal levels.

As discussed, snowboarding requires the need for strength, speed, agility, power, balance, and coordination. This Total Gym workout contains a combination of these skills while maintaining core stability. Ultimately, it will train the proper mechanics to master advanced snowboarding capabilities.

Equipment: Total Gym, Squat Stand, Cables

DIRECTIONS:

Perform this workout 2-3 x’s per week (pre-boarding conditioning)

Adjust the incline to challenge your strength appropriately

Dynamic Warm-Up:

Perform a series of exercises in all directions to prepare the muscles for the workout.

Examples: Jumping Jacks, Squat jumps, Lunges, push-ups, mountain climbers, etc.)

Aim for 20 reps each exercise, repeat 2xs (5-8 minutes)

Advanced Circuit:

Perform each exercise for 10-20 reps/ side in circuit format.

Repeat circuit 2-3 x’s or as many sets as your schedule permits.

Stretches:

Take time to stretch or foam roll post workout for increase recovery benefits.

*Attach Squat Stand, High Incline

Swiveling Single Leg Jumps

Goal: Plyometric drill to gain core control, leg power, and internal/ external knee strength when soaring downhill.

Perform: From a side lying position, bend the bottom leg and place the top leg on the squat stand. Perform single leg jumps alternating ‘internal & external’ foot stance landings.

Forearm Knee Pulls

Goal: Develops functional core strength, shoulder mobility and stability, along with coordination. Helps recovery quickly from a fall.

Perform: Place forearms on the GB and feet at the top of the squat stand in a ‘forearm plank’ position. Alternate mountain climber legs while moving driving the GB up and down the rails. Maintain the forearm plank at all times.

180 Jump Squats

Goal: Develops explosive power, coordination, and ability to quickly change directions.

Perform: Stand to one side at the bottom base with 1 foot on the ground and the other on the GB. Squat low, explode by jumping high and change directions in midair to land in a squat on the other side (hence, 180 jumps). Repeat alternating sides. The higher the leg is positioned on the GB, the harder the challenge.

Forearm Plank Crawls

Goal: Develops functional core strength, coordination, reaction time, shoulders/ hips stability and mobility.

Perform: Face the tower and assume a forearm place position on the GB. Keeping the plank, ‘army crawl’ the forearms up/ down the GB. Option to add a forearm ‘pull’ at the top of the motion &/OR perform in a single leg stance to enhance the challenge.

STRETCHES

Conclude your workout with a series of stretches or foam roller techniques to lengthen the muscles worked, reduce tightness, and prevent injury.

*Check out the video to learn how these ‘advance snowboarding exercises’ are performed on your Total Gym*

I ask my athletes these questions, and I will ask you too…

Who pushes YOU to be your best? Who inspires YOU to bring your A-game every day?

You are your strongest contender and your best coach. If you push harder, move faster, and challenge yourself more than you did yesterday, think of all you will achieve. Stick with it and learn something new.

Stay tuned for more blogs containing ‘advanced exercises for skiers’ who want to increase core strength, power, and take their skills to the next level!

Best,
Maria