Kite Fitness with Rygo

I should lead into this one stating I am not a fitness professional. Just an enthusiastic kiteboarder and fitness buff. Always consult your doctor before beginning any fitness routine.

It’s a common question asked by new and seasoned kiters alike.

Am I in good enough shape to kiteboard? And the most common answer is a resounding yes! Kiteboarding is accessible to people of all ages and most fitness levels. I’ve known people in their 80’s practicing the sport. Now that said, pushing your riding to the next level sometimes takes some cross training. Strength and endurance are a must for next level riding.

Strength and endurance are a must for next level riding.

From my anecdotal experience, the stronger and lighter I am, the longer and harder I can push my sessions. Not to mention I enjoy my time on the water so much more! So where to even start? Well first, you should start small and find something you enjoy! If free weights are your thing, by all means, start pushing some weight around. Maybe running is your cup of tea? Hit the pavement or some local trails. If you're into yoga, go ahead and turn yourself into a pretzel, just so long as your not eating one.  

Over the years, I have experimented with various routines. About two years ago I discovered an entire world of bodyweight movement. Enter Calisthenics! If you read any fitness blogs you know there is a movement in the fitness community. One that is moving towards this minimalist approach. There is a certain primal appeal to being able to work out anywhere, anytime with next to no equipment. A playground on the beach can be your own personal gym at dawn! Best of all the progression is almost limitless, much like kiteboarding.

There is a certain primal appeal to being able to work out anywhere. A playground on the beach can be your own personal gym at dawn! 

Beginners will benefit from a three day a week full body routine. 

Even an experienced athlete will benefit from the frequency. The body needs repetition and frequency to learn new movements.

Training closed chain movements like pullups pushups and squats are a must. 

A great example of a starter routine would be as follows:

I've included a link to a very well put together blog on this routine. 

http://www.barbrothersgroningen.com/calisthenics-w...

1: Chin-ups (wrist facing your body)

• These are great for back and bicep strength as well as grip.  Grip is pretty important for unhooked riding. Even if you don't unhook that first session of the season can strain your hands. 
• Now don’t panic if you can’t do a chin-up yet!
• Try Australian chin-ups. Start with a low bar and keep your feet on the floor or use a chair.
• Progress to doing negatives; meaning you start high and lower yourself to the ground as slow as you can.

2: Wall squats

• It's easy to see how this position relates to all board sports. This move is great for building endurance for those longer sessions. 
• Sit back against the wall and bend your knees to a 90 degree angle; Or as close to one as you can. Shoot for 30 seconds Don’t sweat it if you can’t hold for long. Much like kiteboarding, these things take time and patience.

3: Chair dips

• This will work your triceps.  Like it sounds, grab a chair find a comfortable position that doesn't strain your wrist. Lower yourself down and up for as many reps as you can. 

4: Squats (My Favorite)

• Squats might be the most important move you can do. Powerful explosive legs translates to more powerful and explosive pop on the water. Similar to the wall squat, only now balance  as well as more muscle comes into the equation.  Keep your knee over the ankle. Squat down until your butt touches your calves stand up and repeat. If balance is an issue use a wall or doorway. Eventually you will needs weights to progress or you can do more complicated moves like single leg squats aptly named the Pistol squat. 

5: Push ups!

• Everyone should be familiar with this. Try different angles. If standard is too hard, use a bench or table. Likewise, you can mix it up with decline push ups or diamond push ups. When you become advanced try one arm pushups. Start with the archer pushup to learn these!

6: Pull ups.

• The staple! Hands down my favorite upper body workout. There as so many variations and progressions you will never get bored! Back, shoulders, arms and grip are all put to the test on these. 
• After all it does take strength and endurance to get that bar to your hip on some unhooked tricks. 
• Don't be afraid to make the move easier until you can do a true pull up.  A chair under your feet goes a long way as well as negatives. 

7:  Leg raise or L sit

• Core is everything in kiteboarding! 
• Leg raise: hang from the bar and lift your legs to the sky toes to the bar.  If this hurts your shoulders try an L sit.
• L sit: put both hands on the ground face your wrist in whatever direction is the most comfortable and push up. Lift your feet off the ground and hold. 
• Odds are you will not be able to get your feet off the ground. This is okay! Keep your legs as straight as possible and shift your butt from side to side. Hold as long as you can each time. With enough practice, you will develop the strength to try lifting your feet off the ground. Eventually, you will be able to hold it. Just keep going it will come with time!

8: Decline push ups

Same as the pushup except you elevate your feet on a chair or bench.

• These are a bit harder, don't expect to hit the same numbers as your regular push ups. 
• Whats great about these is it will likely be the first exercise you modify the angle to increase difficulty. This concept might be the most important in body weight training. Once a move becomes easy you must make it more difficult to continue to yield results. This can be done in two ways. Adding weight IE: a weight vest. Or changing the angle to make the move more difficult. 

All these basics can be done in a number of ways to increase difficulty. I've compiled a list. Feel free to google each of these moves for later more advanced training sessions. 

There are many more progressions than listed here. 

Push 

Diamond push ups,      wide push ups,    decline push ups.    hand stand push ups.      archer push ups.     one arm push ups.

strait bar dips    traditional dips    bridge push ups.  slow Push ups     Plache push ups 

Pull 

Wide grip,   narrow grip,     overhand underhand.     archer pull ups.       muscle ups        one arm pull ups.  slow Pull ups 

Squats 

Lunge,    bulgarian lunge,     slow squats,       single leg dead lift,        actual dead lift with weights.       and of course Pistol squats! 

Dominik sky has a great you tube channel:  Check out  some great beginner to advanced videos 

Don't forget cardio! If you really want to up your game incorporate running on your off days. 

Want to nail that next grab? Do yourself a favor and try some Yoga! Hands down, the best thing any athlete can do for their body, is daily yoga, even if it's brief. 

Spend time on these things daily and it will improve. It might take a lot of time but anything worth achieving does. Remember how you were your first season of riding? Most importantly have fun with it and be safe. With time you might find yourself progressing to muscle ups one armed push ups and the infamous pistol squat.

 With your newfound strength you’ll be be able to ride harder and longer.