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I find that coming in for an energy rich snack is the biggest session extender. If I do that, I can keep going much longer than those who don't, even when I start the session already tired from the day(s) of kiting before.

I mountain bike. Mountain biking uses the same big leg muscles as kiting and a little of the upper body if the trail is technical. It is efficient in the sense that you get a lot of exercise for the time spent and you can do it on non windy days. Plus there is similar stoke to kitesurfing.

when mountain biking I eat a gu about every 45 minutes for rides over 2 hours.

Great question and some good responses, especiall from edt - the better I get as a kiter, the more I relax and expend less energy. My two cents as a former/reformed personal trainer and almost old guy (nearing 50) is that I still get to the gym and lift at least three days a week but what I really find helps with kiting and fatigue is any exercise that improves my ability to process the air I breathe, anything that makes my body more effective and efficient. So HIIT is good, crossfit can be good or something as simple as a killer 30 mins on the stairmaster at warp 9 or whatever feels like warp 9 to your body (five days a week for desk jockeys like me or if you aren't doing anything else, but you sound like you are very active and in fine shape).

Also, I spend some time every couple days on a balance board from these guys https://www.vewdo.com/

As I get older my reflexes and general co-ordination isn't as sharp as when I in my 20s or 30s, so the balance board stuff really works for me.

If you come across some other tips, feel free to share.

Just to be 100% clear, I can't go 3 hours without a break! And the mogul analogy isn't the best, cause I do ski moguls well - the smoother and more relaxed the better it works. My point was more that kiting in the chop and swell is constant up/down and absorption with the legs, very very different than flat water riding.

Anyway, yeah, thanks for the responses. I like the idea of general conditioning and oxygen processing. And itt's said that the best exercise is the one you do. I think I'm going back to HIIT on my Concept II rower. The pull is somewhat similar to pulling the kite bar and the leg work certainly helps. Thanks again.

You'll get fit kiting. No need to worry about that. If I were you i would start triathlon, cause that's the only known way to restore bone density. After 25 you start losing muscle, immune system strength and bone density. A couple of ironman a year should counter all of that. Other than that, don't fall:)

MACTNKA wrote:You'll get fit kiting. No need to worry about that. If I were you i would start triathlon, cause that's the only known way to restore bone density. After 25 you start losing muscle, immune system strength and bone density. A couple of ironman a year should counter all of that. Other than that, don't fall:)

No doubt, the best way to get fit for a sport is by doing the sport. This is especially visible with (indoor) rock climbing. I see super-fit dudes come into the gym, fall off cause they have no finger strength/tendon development and ask what training they can do to improve it. They want some kind of machine or weights to train with. The only answer is climb more!

Anyway, yeah, don't fall! There's nothing that wears me out faster than getting separated from my board on the ocean when it's rough and having to tack back by body dragging. Actually that's what finished me off the other day.

I turned 60 this year, so I am nearly as old as you! I have developed some unique exercises that target the obliques, abdominals, erector spinae and intercostal muscles. These are the core muscles used when kiteboarding. I have never seen them done before, so I created a web page to demonstrate them to the world at large. Here is the link:

http://cococlubs.weebly.com/

A 3 hour session is remarkable. A decade ago, I could windsurf all day, but nowadays I am satisfied with a 60 minute kiteboarding session.

There are some different options here:
http://www.kiteboardingexercises.com/tr ... ide-V3.pdf

Well i think a 3 hour session in 25 knot head high with shore break and washing machine chop flying a 12m is worthy indeed. Perhaps your expectation is too high?

Kiting is a sport that you can blow your self out in less than an hour or be able to kite endlessly depending on how powered you are an how agressive you fly.

Using the above 25 knot 12m example. That is balls to the wall powered. You will be worn out very fast. Swap that out for an 8m and ride some waves more leasurely and you will be able to fly for hours for the same effort.

plummet wrote:Well i think a 3 hour session in 25 knot head high with shore break and washing machine chop flying a 12m is worthy indeed. Perhaps your expectation is too high?

Kiting is a sport that you can blow your self out in less than an hour or be able to kite endlessly depending on how powered you are an how agressive you fly.

Using the above 25 knot 12m example. That is balls to the wall powered. You will be worn out very fast. Swap that out for an 8m and ride some waves more leasurely and you will be able to fly for hours for the same effort.

I never thought about that, maybe my expectations are too high. It was balls to the wall, for sure, like this http://vimeo.com/50105473 but twice as big (I'm not in the vid but Gilgo is where I spend most of my time). Not very easy to ride relaxed. I admit, I like to ride powered. Still, 3 hrs water time on a given day seems like a kind of limit for me, regardless of conditions.