Shape Up Or Ship Out

 

–       A WORKOUT IDEA FOR

GETTING IN SHAPE THIS SUMMER

 

Author: Kayle McMillen

 

Alright Ladies! It’s that time again, at least for us Canadians, to start riding again. But if you have some serious goals for this summer and really want to push yourself, you are going to have to get prepared. Particularly us girls in Canada only have a short wakeboard season, you don’t want to waste it getting back into shape.  You always realize how much strength and endurance it takes to wakeboard/wakeskate after the first session each season -and at least for me the few days after that recovering.

Ideally you are looking to increase your cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, core strength and balance. A good workout routine will increase all these aspects as well as contribute to injury prevention by practicing proper technique and increasing muscle and joint strength.

Some things wakeboarders should concentrate on is joint stability especially within the knee. Arm, back and shoulder strength is also important, as well as balance, flexibility and core stability. . . . . .so pretty much everything!

                I have tried to make a overall workout routine using minimal equipment that you can find at home or get for a small price. These exercises can be used for a variety of levels by altering the sets, reps, weight/resistance. I have tried to include some basic exercises and hopefully some you haven’t heard of before. The workout is as hard as you want it to be and I have also added in some ways to increase the difficulty of some of the exercises. Don’t kill yourself the first time, the last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt. So try out the exercises and then start to add more weight/resistance and increasing the difficulty. Hopefully you will learn a few things about exercising from this article and a few new exercises. I have tried to suggest proper technique, which I can’t stress how important it is and how difficult it is to explain in an article, especially on some of the more complex exercises.

 

Equipment Needed:

                Free weights (5-12lbs) or substitute with soup cans or water bottle

                Therabands – thick elastic bands you can pick up at a local drug store

                Exercise ball

                Soccer ball/other ball

*Wobble Board – make one with a piece of wood, set on top of a full 2L pop bottle

 CARDIO:

                Cardio is great and your workout should include some cardiovascular component. This can be anything from running, biking, rollerblading, swimming, trampolining or a variety of cardio machines found at any local gym. Since wakeboarding is already tough on your knees try to stay away from running if you can or at least keep it to a minimal. Biking is a really good way to enhance your cardio fitness. It also tends to work the medial aspect of the quads which are commonly underdeveloped. These muscles imbalances can lead to a higher risk of injury or chronic knee conditions.

                Always remember when doing cardio to vary the intensity and activity. Try different forms of cardio and change up the speed, time or distance to challenge different fuel systems and muscle fiber types.

• Sprint Training
• Intervals
• Long distance/ Middle distance

 

WARM UP

A warm up is an important part of every workout. A dynamic stretch for a warm up is best before a workout because it is stimulates the body to get ready for exercise by increasing blood flow, movement coordination, and stretching a variety of muscle groups.

 #1 Leg Swings (1 minute-both legs) – warm up the hip joint while also stretching out your leg muscles. Try to keep your hips stable and don’t let them shift especially during hip extension.

 #2 Arm Swings (1 minute) – Swing your arms across your body at chest height, with palms down as they are across your body and palms up when they open out from your body – stretching out your back and chest muscles

 #3 Stand and then bend down to touch your toes, keeping your legs straight- Hold for 15-20 seconds. Then move into downward dog (the yoga position, keeping your shoulders relaxed, back straight and heels towards the floor) –Hold for another 15-20 sec. Keeping your feet planted walk your hands out in front of you as far as you can, challenging your core in a plank type position – Hold for 15-20 sec.  Walk your feet back to your hands and REPEAT ~5-8x.

 

 

 

 

 

STRENGTH TRAINING

 

LOWER BODY:

 

EXERCISE #1 – Walking Lunge with a twist and heel raise

-Regular walking lunge with arms straight out in front and palms together

-At the bottom of the lunge, rotate arms and trunk slowly to point 90’ to the side of the leading leg

-Slowly rotate back, keeping core strong and balanced

-Bring back knee up to 90’

-Staying balanced, raise onto toe and back down keeping knee up

-Step forward with raised leg into next lunge and repeat, rotating trunk at the bottom in the opposite direction

REPEAT 10-20x – good to do right after your cardio component

*don’t let front knee go over front toe

*go SLOWLY with controlled movements

*if left leg is in front during the lunge rotate trunk to the left, if right leg in front rotate to the right

*keeping shoulders down and back – good posture

Muscles Worked – EVERYTHING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 EXERCISE #2 – Side Lunges

-Standing with feet together, step out with outside leg into a side lunge

-Try and keep your chest up, shoulders down and back, and knee in line with toe

REPEAT 8-10x both directions

*Go only into a 90’ knee flexion

Primary Muscles Worked: Quads, Adductors (inner thigh), Gluts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #3 – Step Ups                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 -Find a step or a box -Place front foot onto the step, shift weight onto the front foot                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        -Using only the front leg to step up and none/very little of the back leg to push off                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       REPEAT 8-10x both legs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             *tip the slower you go, the less likely it is you are going to use your back leg to push off                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Primary Muscle Worked: Quads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #4 – Squats with free weighted twist                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 -Squat Technique: legs shoulder width apart, chest up, knee wide over top of feet, equal weight on both feet                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    -With both hands on the free weight (try with a 5-15lb weight) straight in front at chest level                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         -Lower into a squat position bringing the weight over, to the side and down in front of one kne                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -Keeping your feet planted extend up from the squat bringing the weight back in front of you and up extended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         over the opposite shoulder in one smooth motion with controlled trunk rotation

REPEAT 8-10x both sides                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        *Keep back straight, chest up and shoulders down and back                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Primary Muscles Worked: Quads, Hamstrings, Deltoids, Core

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #5 – Clams

-Lying on your side with a neutral (straight) spine

-Keeping feet together, bring knee up without movement in your hip and contracting your glut muscle

-Put one finger on your hip bone, feeling for movement, stop once hip starts to open up

REPEAT 8-10x both legs

*increase difficulty by tying theraband around legs as resistance

Primary Muscles Worked: Glut. Medius

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #6 – Hamstring Curls with an exercise ball

-Lying on your back with your feet on the exercise ball and hips off the ground, resting your weight on your shoulders

-Keep core strong and stable, while rolling feet out with ball to create straight line with body

-Still keeping core strong and stable roll heels back into bum

REPEAT 8-10x

*Up the difficulty:

– Use only one foot, other leg up in the air

-have arms crossed over chest for less stability

Primary Muscle Worked: Hamstrings, Core

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #6 – Heel Raises

-With the ball of your feet on the edge of a step, bring heels up and down past the level of the step

                REPEAT 15-20x – both feet

*Tip: straight knees and bent knees target different muscles, so do both

Primary Muscles Worked: Calves (gastrocnemius with straight knees and soleus with bent knees)

                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPPER BODY:

 

EXERCISE #1 – Push Ups

-The Classic push up always important for so many muscles

-Switch it up between sets of classic push ups and push ups with one hand elevated

-Can use a soccer ball under one hand and roll it to opposite hand after each push up to act as an elevated and unstable surface

                REPEAT 8-10x

Primary Muscles Worked: Biceps, Triceps, Core, Serratus Anterior, latissimus dorsi, pec major

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERICSE #2 – Planked Rows

-Lying in neutral planked position on hands and feet, facing down

-Perform single armed rows with a free weight

                REPEAT 8-10x both arms

*relaxing your shoulder and strength coming from middle back muscles (rhomboids) by keeping should away from ears and contracting shoulder blade

Primary Muscles Worked: Rhomboids, Latissimus dorsi, teres major, mid traps, posterior delts, biceps and core

 

 

EXERCISE #3 – Pull Ups/Chin Ups

-Chin ups – switch between hands forward and backwards or

-Supine pull ups – a bar a bit higher than the length of your arms, so when you hold on your back does not reach the floor

-keep chest directly under bar

-keep heels on the ground and pull up using your arms and back muscles

                REPEAT 8-10x

                Primary Muscles Worked: Biceps and Triceps, latissimus dorsi, deltoid, pec minor, middle and lower traps, rhomboids

 

EXERCISE #4 – Lateral Raises

-Step on theraband/free weights and raise arms out to the side, down, then out in front

-keeping arms nearly straight and shoulders down

                REPEAT 8-10x both arms

Primary Muscles Worked: Deltoids – direction determines which aspect (anterior/middle/posterior)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #5 – Lateral Rotators

-Lying on your side in a comfortable neutral position

-Keeping elbow by your hip, bring a free weight from the floor and rotating upwards

                REPEAT 8-10x

                Primary Muscles Worked: Teres Minor, Infraspinatus, posterior delt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #6 – Skull Crushers

-Lying on your back, preferably on a bench, elbows pointing up and hand weights hanging to the side of your head

-Keeping elbows fixed in same spot, extend forearms up like triceps extension

-Point elbows out at 10 and 2 o’clock and repeat

*If you are using heavy weights it is best to use a spotter – they don’t call them skull crushers for nothing

                REPEAT 8-10x each position

Primary Muscles Worked: Triceps – angle determines which apsect

 

CORE

EXERCISE #1 – Planks

-Keeping a neutral spine, on your elbows and toes

-Contract you core, specifically your transverse abdominus (pull belly button in and up) and hold

-Increase difficulty – narrower feet, moving feet, one foot

Side Planks: On side, elbow on floor, side of foot on floor

-keeping straight line from feet to shoulder

                HOLD for 20-60sec

                *Increase difficulty – One foot up in the air

                Primary Muscles Worked: Transverse Abdominus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #2 – Ball Roll Outs

-Elbows and forearms on ball, feet on floor

-push up into plank position, roll elbows out form under chest and away from body as far as possible then roll back in

                REPEAT 8-10x

                Primary Muscles Worked: Transversus Abdominus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #3 – Core Twists

-Balanced with your bum on the floor, feet and back off the floor

-Arms extended out in front of you and keeping balanced rotate trunk from one side to the other

-Slow and controlled, try to keep your legs fixed, minimizing any momentum

-Increase difficulty: holding onto free weight/soccer ball

                *the further from your core the more difficult

                REPEAT 20-40x

                Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques

 

EXERCISE #5 – Walrus

-Lying on your stomach, lift arms and legs off of floor – hold

-Can also raise opposite arm and leg

                HOLD for 10-30sec

                Primary Muscles Worked: Back (erector spinae)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE #6 – Ball Roll Ins

-Hands on floor and shins on exercise ball in plank position

-Roll legs in, by tucking your knees in and rolling the ball towards your chest

-Then roll back out

-slow and controlled

                REPEAT 8-10x

                Primary Muscles Worked: Transverse Ab, Rectus Ab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DYNAMIC:

#1 Hop ups and hop downs

– Hop up onto a stable surface with both feet and step down to repeat again

- Make sure you are absorbing the impact, trying to keep your chest up and your knees over top of your feet

-Can also stand on a raised surface and practice hoping down using the same principle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2 Find or make a wobble board to practice balancing on

 

 FLEXIBILITY

                Make sure you are stretching and increasing your range of motions in all muscle groups and angles of stretching. Try to do stretching of all major muscle groups after every workout. Make sure you are holding all the stretches for at least 20 seconds.

 

 

So these are some of my exercise ideas, hopefully you get a few new ideas that you can work into your own exercise routine. The key is to keep it new and challenging. You body adapts to the stress you put on it and if you and doing the same workout again and again, you are not gaining any advantages.

If you are serious about wakeboarding, you are going to need to do more than just getting out on a board. Keeping in shape over the off months as well as during your riding months is key to pushing your riding and keeping youself healthy and injury free.