| Advanced Snowboard Exercises and Strength | | | | While the park/pipe is the best place to practice |
| Programs for Pro Snowboarders | | | | technical skills, like grabs, putting trick combos |
| Snowboarding is a sport that requires a balance of | | | | together, etc, the gym is by far the best place to |
| physical strength, technical skill, and mental focus. | | | | intelligently push the limits of your strength and |
| Naturally, for a pro athlete, all of 3 of these skill sets | | | | power. |
| must be optimized, along with nutrition, flexibility, and | | | | Quarter-Pipe |
| rest/recovery. A properly designed strength and | | | | For the quarter pipe, the most important strength |
| conditioning program will provide any pro athlete with | | | | quality is power. The PRO needs to be able to |
| a major advantage in physical strength, AMPLITUDE, | | | | explode 2x's; once to get up, once to land, and then |
| and STYLE over his/her competitors, while | | | | gets to rest for awhile in between attempts. Their |
| decreasing the risk of injury and increasing the | | | | program needs to include a pure power workout: |
| judges' score cards. | | | | heavy loads of 1-3 reps, 6-8 sets, only 1 or 2 |
| Physical strength is broken down into different | | | | exercises, including at least 1 Olympic lift. The athlete |
| qualities of strength: power, power endurance, | | | | should rest at least 3 minutes in between sets to |
| absolute strength, speed strength, and strength | | | | ensure maximal neurological recovery, which is |
| endurance. What kind of strength is required varies | | | | necessary for maximum power development. |
| depending on the kind event. Be warned, these are | | | | Grabs |
| advanced programs, even a pro athlete must build up | | | | While grabs are obviously technical and are not going |
| to them, especially if they have not done workouts | | | | to be practiced in a gym (unless you have a huge |
| like this before or haven't been training hard in a gym | | | | trampoline set up), you can still push the boundaries |
| for at least 2 years. Working with a partner or trainer | | | | and take your grabs to the next level with a |
| is always advised to maintain safety when | | | | balanced strength training program. Optimal strength |
| performing heavy lifts. | | | | can only be developed when the athlete has an |
| Half-Pipe/Snow Park | | | | optimal range of motion i.e. flexibility. Lack of flexibility |
| For a pro freestyle snowboarder in the half-pipe, | | | | is mainly due to WEAKNESS, which the body |
| power endurance is going to be very important; in | | | | responds to by developing tightness. So to get |
| particular, the ability to accelerate off the lip | | | | flexible, you have to get strong in a larger range of |
| explosively, and decelerate rapidly when landing back | | | | motion. A stretching program will help if you use |
| into the pipe, over and over again. To train for | | | | gentle contraction while stretched to increase your |
| power endurance, you should use heavy weights for | | | | strength in tight ranges. Hold the contraction for 5 |
| low reps (2-5) doing compound movements like a | | | | seconds, then release deeper into the stretch, and |
| barbell back squat and a slow temp (4 seconds | | | | repeat 3 or 4 times. Developing strength in new |
| down, no pause at the bottom, 2 seconds up, no | | | | ranges will allow the athlete more flexibility to |
| pause at the top) coupled with incomplete rest. By | | | | TWEAK THEIR GRABS! You know the judges love it, |
| managing, tracking, and gradually tweaking these | | | | a little extra tweak can make a big difference on |
| acute training variables (rest, tempo, sets, reps), a | | | | their score card. |
| pro-snowboarder can be assured that the program | | | | Program Design |
| will allow them to keep pushing their limits on the | | | | It is important to keep in mind that while there are a |
| snow and getting higher and higher out of the pipe. | | | | lot of cool exercises and workouts that will transfer |
| This workout should be coupled with an explosive | | | | to your abilities on the slopes, the only way to |
| polymeric workout that emphasizes Olympic lifts | | | | consistently make progress is to track your |
| (snatch & clean& jerk), depth jumps and | | | | workouts and gradually manipulate the training |
| other plyometrics that require the body to decelerate | | | | variables (exercise selection, tempo, rest, sets, reps). |
| its mass at a rapid rate. | | | | With the industries explosive growth, athlete with the |
| There will be very similar strength requirement for | | | | most talent, most commitment, and best |
| the snow park. Increasing power endurance will help | | | | programming are the once that are going to excel |
| greatly in preventing injury and bumping amplitude. | | | | both on and off the slopes. |