RECOMMENDED STRENGTHENING FOR SNOWBOARD PERFORMANCE
The Muscles You Use When Snowboarding
Below is a list of the main snowboarding muscles and how to train them. After that is a basic workout that will work all these muscles, and I won’t be offended if you skip the muscle explanations and go straight to the workout.
Hamstrings:
It should come as no surprise that the lower body is the most important muscle group used in snowboarding. Often referred to endearingly as “hammies,” these muscles pull your lower leg back at your knee and pull your leg back at the hip. Therefore, any knee-curling or torso-extending motion will use your hamstrings. Exercises that work your hammies include Romanian deadlifts, glute-ham raises, and hamstring curls. You also use your hammies when squatting or lunging, but they’re used less than other muscles for those movements.
Quadriceps:
Skiers and snowboarders both complain the most about their quadriceps (also known as quads). Thankfully, this is one of the easier muscles to train. The quadriceps extends your leg, so any movement with a leg extension will work your quads. Specific exercises that work your quads include squats, lunges, leg presses, and Bulgarian split squats.
Glutes:
These muscles in your booty extend your legs, which is why they’ll get sore when you’re in a crouched position for more difficult terrain. Any leg-extending or torso-extending motion will use them. Therefore, you’ll use them in many of the previous exercises including squats, Romanian deadlifts, and leg presses. If you’re frustrated because your glutes aren’t getting sore, your hip-hinging mobility probably isn’t mobile enough.
Calves:
Holding a toe edge for a long time can put a lot of strain on your calves, which pushes your feet down into the ground. Doing calf raises might seem like the obvious answer, but if you were to look around the world for the biggest calves, you would find them on sprinters and jumpers. Therefore, if you’re trying to train calves, I would start with box jumps, stair climbs, toe raises and hill sprints.
Tibialis Anterior:
This is a lesser-known muscle because it’s rarely used heavily like it’s used in snowboarding. This tiny muscle pulls your foot up, so you use it when you pull your toe edge up to carve on your heel edge. To be honest, there aren’t many exercises for this little guy, and I don’t exercise it outside the snowboarding season. If it’s getting extra sore on the slopes, you can tilt your backplate on your bindings forward more.
Hip Adductors:
These muscles bring your legs together, and they’re frequently overlooked in many workout routines because they aren’t used much outside snowboarding. You might be thinking, “Wait, your feet are strapped to a board. Why would you need to bring your feet together?” You’re right, they don’t come together, but you use these muscles to move your hips side to side as you balance on your board. These are another muscle that’s harder to train, but you can still work them by getting on a hip adductor machine or trying the exercises listed below.
Erector Spinae:
This is your back muscle that extends your spine. You use this when you're hunched over on your snowboard. You'll work this sufficiently when you're doing squats and Romanian deadlifts.
Core Muscles:
Having a strong core is really important for making those tough twists mid-air. You use your obliques, abdominals, and other core muscles when you twist your body and bring your torso forward. Doing a plank for 30-60 seconds is a great way to strengthen your core and belly area. To do a plank, get into a push-up position. Then, lower your left arm and right arm so that instead of supporting yourself with your palms, you are supporting yourself on your forearms. Keep a straight back. Now hold that position for 30-60 seconds. The longer you can hold that position, the more you will feel the burn and the easier they will become over time. In addition to planks, below you will find a list of other core exercises to help strengthen your midsection.
Recommended Workout
Here’s my recommended weightlifting routine, which I’d recommend doing two to three times a week. For each exercise, there are many variations that you can choose from, which are loosely sorted from easiest to hardest. I would do each exercise for three to four sets of eight to 15 reps. In the first week, aim for 12 to 15 reps. Every week, increase your weight, if applicable, by 5%, even if that means you can't do as many reps. After four weeks, switch up your exercises.
You also don't have to join a high-end gym with premium training equipment to work out. Rec centres also have plenty of equipment to train properly. Even having a dedicated home training area with some training gear can go a long way and shouldn't be too hard to make. Usually, a wide space (preferably with carpet and not tiles) and some basic training products (like jib training boards, weights, and balance boards) can suffice. If you can only practice on a hard surface, try finding a training board with a foam base to avoid scratching or cracking the tiles or hardwood.
1. Squats: Squats are an amazing exercise for all winter sports. They work your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and erector spinae. There are all kinds of squat variations so do some research to find a few that work well for you.
Kettlebell squat: You don't need a kettlebell for this. You can use a heavy book, a jug of water, or a small child #parentworkouts.
2. Romanian Deadlifts: Romanian deadlifts are perfect for working your glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae because they give you the best benefits of the deadlift while reducing your chance of injury. Romanian deadlifts are the same as a deadlift, but instead of starting with the weight on the floor, you put the weight on an elevated surface. By starting at the top, you ensure that your spine is aligned properly. To start the movement, pick up the weight and lower it until you feel like you can no longer hinge your hips. Then, you lift the weight up. Stopping where you can no longer bend your hips prevents back injury because lowering past your limit requires bending your back, which can compromise it.
3. Split Squats and Lunges: Split squats and lunges help tremendously with strengthening your tiny stabilizing muscles along with your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. These also make sure that your left leg and right leg are equally strong.
4. Calf Exercises: There are many different calf exercises. If you want to do extra work for your calves, you can do two instead of one of the following. Toe raises, hill sprints, and squat jumps are all great for strengthening your calves.
Stair climbing
Hill sprints
5. Hip Adductor Exercises: Hip adductor exercises can be tricky to do, which is why this is the only time I’d suggest using a machine in this article.
6. Abdominal Exercises for Lower Abs:
7. Abdominal Exercises for Upper Abs:
8. Oblique Exercises:
