Getting in shape for kite trip. Costa Rica

[Eduardo]

If your abs are hurting you are probably a big air junky doing board grabs which basically means lifting your legs with the weight of the board. sit ups will not get enough ab strength for that as you need to lift beyond body weight. do leg lifts & 20 variations & lots of weighted ab exercises. also the jumping move is rapid ('explosive' in gym terms) so forget slow steady and think of a power move. think about what good session would be: 100-200 jumps? So can you do a similar set of weighted explosive ab moves in the gym? Also, cardio is probably not going to help. yes your heart rate is up kiting but I've never felt that to be the limiting factor.

[JGTR]

If your abs are hurting you are probably a big air junky doing board grabs which basically means lifting your legs with the weight of the board. sit ups will not get enough ab strength for that as you need to lift beyond body weight. do leg lifts & 20 variations & lots of weighted ab exercises. also the jumping move is rapid ('explosive' in gym terms) so forget slow steady and think of a power move. think about what good session would be: 100-200 jumps? So can you do a similar set of weighted explosive ab moves in the gym? Also, cardio is probably not going to help. yes your heart rate is up kiting but I've never felt that to be the limiting factor.

Your abs will hurt because kiting is a sport that uses your core muscles and not specifically because you are doing lots of jumps. Kiting is basically one big sit up and improving core strength will help with endurance aswell as improving your stance which will also help reduce fatigue.

Avoid weighted weighted abs exercises unless you are quite advanced as you can do yourself an injury and as your core muscles are actually a lot of small muscles in groups it's technique rather than weight which will give the best results. Body weight is all you really need when doing core training with very light resistance if required to make the exercises more focused ie medicine balls, bands.

Plyometric training (explosive action) is extremely good for fitness but more suited to sports where rapid increases in movement are required, probably better for wake style style of kiting.

Although kiting isn't as reliant on good cardio fitness like running or cycling it is important as it is your overall level of fitness and if you are unfit then you'll be struggling before you even hit the water and your body will take longer to recover from the days kiting.

[John-B]

Read some of Dan Johns http://danjohn.net/

You need to get out of the idea of 'traditional' gym work being the best thing for kiting? General fitness will help, but our idea of how to achieve general fitness has also been so skewed over the years that most people, even those who have trained for years, are doing it wrong. Even the dude who basically invented cardio training has been so badly misinterpreted over the years that most people simply train wrong whilst thinking they are doing themselves good.

So without getting too into it you should try some proper lifting - if you don’t know how then invest in someone who does and I can pretty much guarantee they won’t be a PT in your local gym. Learn how to do some big open chain exercises such as clean and press, or go old school and do some proper burpees – what’s more do them Tabata http://tabatatraining.org/ style or part of cross training (Crossfit http://www.crossfit.com/) routine and you can do 20 minutes of work (total not including warm-ups etc) and be fitter (in the widest sense of the word) than you have ever been.

Kiting stresses and places demands on your body on multitude of ways and levels all at once so spending more time doing longer or more traditional exercises won’t help and in fact will probably be to your detriment (overuse) by the time you go on your trip. Change your mindset and do less of your traditional and more of what is actually traditional – lift, pull carry and throw and it will help not just your kiting!




Edit: Found this http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_art ... dybuilding and if you take out the 'bodybuilding' aspect and do this Tabata style then you have everything for a great kiting exercise.

[cleepa]

I hear many kiters find this style of training very helpful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-50GjySwew

[JGTR]

I hear many kiters find this style of training very helpful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-50GjySwew

Cameltoe!!!

[Casa Cohiba]

or go old school and do some proper burpees – what’s more do them Tabata http://tabatatraining.org/ style

It would be wise to be in at least a basic level of fitness condition, before you start with Tabata system...

[John-B]

or go old school and do some proper burpees – what’s more do them Tabata http://tabatatraining.org/ style

It would be wise to be in at least a basic level of fitness condition, before you start with Tabata system...

He does - he goes to the gym and I did say seek advice from someone who knows how to do 'proper' lifting

[plummet]

The best training for a kite trip is do to lots of kiting beforehand!!...

I am also a mountainbiker. Thruth be told I've been mountianbiking since 94. many years before I started kiting. The aerobic fitness, staminar and leg strength it gives you bodes very well for kiting.

I can kite for hours and hours with very little effect on my body. Mountainbikeing doesn't strengthen your core however.

[William Munney]

I hear many kiters find this style of training very helpful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-50GjySwew

I saw that on the Moynihan Institute
http://moynihaninstitute.blogspot.com/

[Awn]

Get a seat harness it will help