At Home Exercises for Snowboarders

Snowboarding is an extremely physically demanding sport. The outward image many people have of snowboarders is the teenager who lounges around the house eating potato chips and drinking mountain dew. It's actually a sport that requires careful training of very specific muscles and near constant attention. Conditioning is not necessarily required to be a great snowboarder, but for those planning on boarding often it's vital to keep certain parts of the body in top condition.

However, as you might have guessed, you don't need to be attached to a gym to keep in shape on the mountain. These simple exercises will help you out with staying fit and having fun on the mountain.

Lunges

You've likely done lunges numerous times back in high school gym class. It's a great exercise that many people overlook because it can be painful at first on the knees. However, after a while of doing it regularly, you'll notice that you not only have stronger legs but that knee pain vanishes.

The exercise itself is simple. Merely stand straight and step forward. As you step, lower you back knee to the ground and stretch. You should feel a light strain in your thighs, but nothing too strenuous. Don't step too far. Your legs should remain at right angles.

Squats

Another great leg exercise (and leg strength is very important to a snowboarder) is the squat. It not only shapes the thigh area, it strengthens in and around the quads and hips as well.

Sit against a wall and pretend there is a chair beneath you. Stand with everything at a clean 90 degree angle and wait for a minute or so. Doing this a few times a day only will help to build the necessary strength in your legs for snowboarding.

Calves

There are certain motions on a snowboard that require immense strength in certain muscles and while you won't necessarily feel it right away, your calves are one of those muscles. For that reason, there is a great exercise you should perform a couple times a day to ensure you have the necessary calf strength for toe-side traverses and whatever else you want to try.

Standing on a step looking up, let your heels hang a bit off the edge of a step and lift your weight onto your toes. Lower and repeat, always slowly. If you need an extra challenge, weigh yourself down in the process.

Pushups and Situps

These are more or less the most common and simple of at home exercises and can be done nearly anywhere. Building abdominal strength is vital for a good snowboarder and there is no better or more classic way than these good old fashioned exercises.

Everyone knows how to do a pushup and a sit-up, but keep one thing in mind. Always keep your back straight and everything in right angles. Don't bend your back during sit-ups, or arch during pushups. It does more damage to certain parts of your body than good for others.

Ankle Exercises

You'll use those ankles a lot on a snowboard, for steering, stopping, and everything else. A great exercise to keep your ankles in good shape is to simply lie flat, lift your leg in the air and try writing out letters or words in the air with your foot. It sounds goofy, but it builds muscle in a very hard place to build muscle.

Routine

For the snowboarding fanatic, constant exercise is very important. There's no need to go to the gym though as the muscles you need to build up endurance in can all be worked on at home. Just keep up a solid routine and you'll be ready to go to the mountain every weekend.