CHROME DOME INDUSTRIES

Feb 1

Circa 1993 - Check out that huge fin!

Jan 23

Wakeboarding Workout

So in Oregon half the year it is raining. Therefore we end up with a lot of down time. Over the years we have developed a weight lifting program that seems to be pretty compatible with wakeboarding. Our philosophy on weightlifting and how it correlates with wakeboarding: Once a rider has learned a trick and the skill set to pull it off consistently it does not require a significant amount of strength it is more about finesse. However, while learning a trick a rider uses muscle to overcome insufficiencies in his or her skill set. Somewhere along a riders trip to a new trick a balance point is reached where muscles and skills work together to allow the rider to land “that trick” for the first time. Hey…..it’s just a theory. Anyway, we were bored so we threw on some Coors Light shorts and hit the gym. Here are our tips. Oh and consult a doctor before starting any workout, we are not professionals, follow these tips at your own risk.

Ok….Last Tip…..Legs

We have found doing light squats (3 sets of 8) once a week, seems to be adequate. With the legs it seems more about protection of the knees. For this reason we usually try to get out on the bike a few times a week. This seems to help build muscle around the knees in a low impact manner.

Raley lift (3 sets of 8 repetitions)

This is one of those lift that people will look at you as if you have no clue what you are doing. If we are short on time at the gym this is the one we cut out. But this is what it feels like to pull a Raley down especially if you have a lot of tension in the line and need to get it down quick. When you do this lift try to do it really slow, like count to 4 on the way down and up. Keep your stomach in tight because you will feel it there and at the shoulders.

Curls (3 sets of 8 repetitions)

Your biceps are the most used muscles in wakeboarding that is why we include this lift. There are several lifts that can be done to exercise your biceps. This is the best we have found because it tends to be the most difficult to cheat at. One thing to think about as you do these is to not let your shoulders get pulled forward, because once again if you get into this position on a wakeboard you are most likely screwed.

Core building for back protection (3 sets of 20 repetitions)

As stated above your stomach muscles are used quite a bit in wakeboarding and this is another great exercise to build up your core. When doing this exercise make sure you breathe, and try to keep your stomach in tight so it forces you to use the deeper abdominal muscles.

Ultimate wakeboard crunch (3 sets of 8-10 repetitions)

If you are only going to do one exercise for wakeboarding this is it. The main focus is your abs which take a beating doing rolls, flips, and Raleys. It really exercises your core muscles which is important for protecting your back. It also works the biceps and shoulders. When doing this exercise you hang from a pull-up bar, pull your knees into your body. Lift yourself up until arms are bent at the elbow at a 90° angle, not more. Keep your back as parallel as possible to the ground. Start with your knees all the way to the left then rotate them all the way to the right and back to the left. This is one repetition. Your knee caps should sweep just above your elbows but the tops of them should nearly touch your forearms. Once you have gotten up to 3 sets of 10 try extending your legs out for a whole new level of pain. We will often do one set of these as a warm up to wakeboarding. This exercise is kind of like the 8 minute abs of wakeboarding.

Whirly Bird lift (3 sets of 8 repetitions)

This lift exactly replicates the soreness I felt learning the whirly, but is also good for Indy Tantrums, off axis spins, and front side spins. It is also a good lift to build up muscle to protect the shoulders. One thing we will do on this lift because the machine is incremented at 10 lbs, which seems to be a large jump for this lift, is we will hang plates off the pin to make for smaller increments.

Generic wakeboard lift (3 sets of 8 repetitions)

There are a variety of handles that can be used on this lift, this motion is performed in a variety of moves while wakeboarding. Keep your lower back straight and shoulders back.