So, after a long winter of lying on the couch drinking beers and eating chips, the boys have organised a kite trip to Exmouth!
Yeew!!
It's gonna be 6 days straight of long down winders, hitting the surf breaks and boosting huge.
Just wondering if you guys have any good pre season work out tips to toughen up the old body.
We might get a few local runs in before then but I'm definitely not match fit enough to get the most out of this time away.
Any physios/experts out there with some good exercises that target the leg muscles etc that get hammered during kiting?
Cesar Aldea is a physio and also organises the Across the Bay Kitesurf events in Melbourne. Here's his thoughts on exercises:
www.facebook.com/acrossthebayevents/videos/731637140223587/
Give Jobe a call.
6 months in New York working as a barista seems to help.
(Now bring on the drug jokes)
My thoughts on exercise, if you are not a committed exerciser then doing all those simulated kiteboarding exercises is going to bore you to death. Once you get past the "it looks like kiteboarding so it must be good" all you're doing is standing around pulling on something. I guarantee you will be looking at your watch after 2 minutes wondering when you can take a break to do something more interesting.
My prescription is, do something. Do anything. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you do something.
The easiest to do is go for a brisk walk. Once you're out you have to complete the circuit or turn around. Do it every day. Do it even when you don't feel like it.
If you can, add in some variations. Find a hill to walk up. Do it a few times. My missus does the stairs and ramps on the local beach promenade.
If there's piles of rocks on your local beach then scramble over them.
Try adding in some weight. Shopping bags are good.
You can also ride a bike. Crappy bikes are arguably better for exercise than good ones. Slower and not as much fun, but they make you work harder.
Really slow running is good. Just don't stop once you get moving.
While I think of it, I had probably my best workout in ages yesterday. Do a few reps of the following:
- try to go kiting in dead onshore, too light winds.
- fight the shore break to get into water deep enough to water start.
- try to water start without ripping out your fins.
- repeat for 3-4 reps.
- get going and get out into deeper water.
- gybe and then struggle to keep your kite in the air
- figure 8 the kite until you get to the beach
- run back up the beach carrying a heavy board
- add in the occasional sprint when your too big kite decides to try and drop out of the sky
- get bonus points for scrambling over the rock groyne without crashing everything
My advice is moot now. But maybe you can apply it to next winter.
Why stop and lie on the couch and eat chips over winter?
Keep kiting and what ever else you do to keep in shape.
Personally I kite. When ever there's wind and I have time. From 10-50 knots. Land or water. Storms to balmy sea breezes. I draw the line at thunder. But if its sideways rain with no thunder and 30 knots i'm there. 10 knots and balmy wind too gutless for water antics i fire up the landboard or kite buggy. I'm currently building hydrofoil so I kite on the water in lighter winds.
Then when there's not enough wind or enough light. I ride one of my mountain bikes. In winter when it dark i strap on lights and ride at night. When it rains i put on a rain coat and ride, When its muddy i take a change of clothes, when its snowing i riding in the snow.......
Then to change it up I roll a cruisy longboard skate session. I might even fire up the trainer kite and do some kitelongboarding..............................
In short never stop your activities. Adapt them to the conditions and keep going. If there isn't enough wind for kiting find another one activity that you might like and do that to the wind returns.
Oh yeah. I also take every opportunity to do active activities with the kids, riding more bikes, swimming, bouncing on trampolines and generally body slamming them regularly.
I have my biggest kiting event of the year in 2 weeks. We camp in the sand dunes for 5 days straight and kite dawn to dusk and then kite a bit more at night aswell.
I am doing zero fitness prep for that event. Why? I'm already match fit. I'm never not match fit unless i'm injured.
