| Advanced Programs for Pro Snowboarders | | | | sets, only 1 or 2 exercises, including at least 1 |
| Snowboarding is a sport that requires a balance of | | | | Olympic lift. The athlete should rest at least 3 |
| physical strength, technical skill, and mental focus. | | | | minutes in between sets to ensure maximal |
| Naturally, for a pro athlete, all of 3 of these skill | | | | neurological recovery, which is necessary for |
| sets must be optimized, along with nutrition, | | | | maximum power development. |
| flexibility, and rest/recovery. A properly | | | | Grabs |
| designed strength and conditioning program will | | | | While grabs are obviously technical and are not |
| provide any pro athlete with a major advantage | | | | going to be practiced in a gym (unless you have a |
| in physical strength, AMPLITUDE, and STYLE over | | | | huge trampoline set up), you can still push the |
| his/her competitors, while decreasing the risk of | | | | boundaries and take your grabs to the next level |
| injury and increasing the judges’ score cards. | | | | with a balanced strength training program. |
| Physical strength is broken down into different | | | | Optimal strength can only be developed when the |
| qualities of strength: power, power endurance, | | | | athlete has an optimal range of motion i.e. |
| absolute strength, speed strength, and strength | | | | flexibility. Lack of flexibility is mainly due to |
| endurance. What kind of strength is required | | | | WEAKNESS, which the body responds to by |
| varies depending on the kind event. Be warned, | | | | developing tightness. So to get flexible, you |
| these are advanced programs, even a pro athlete | | | | have to get strong in a larger range of motion. |
| must build up to them, especially if they have not | | | | A stretching program will help if you use gentle |
| done workouts like this before or haven’t | | | | contraction while stretched to increase your |
| been training hard in a gym for at least 2 years. | | | | strength in tight ranges. Hold the contraction for |
| Working with a partner or trainer is always | | | | 5 seconds, then release deeper into the stretch, |
| advised to maintain safety when performing | | | | and repeat 3 or 4 times. Developing strength in |
| heavy lifts. | | | | new ranges will allow the athlete more flexibility to |
| | | | TWEAK THEIR GRABS! You know the judges |
| Half-Pipe/Snow Park | | | | love it, a little extra tweak can make a big |
| 1. This workout should be coupled with an | | | | difference on their score card. |
| explosive/polymeric workout that emphasizes | | | | |
| Olympic lifts (snatch & clean& jerk), | | | | The author, on his old set up, practicing what |
| depth jumps and other plyometrics that require | | | | hepreachesand tweaking a tail grab. |
| the body to decelerate its mass at a rapid rate. | | | | Program Design |
| There will be very similar strength requirement | | | | It is important to keep in mind that while there |
| for the snow park. Increasing power endurance | | | | are a lot of cool exercises and workouts that will |
| will help greatly in preventing injury and bumping | | | | transfer to your abilities on the slopes, the only |
| amplitude. While the park/pipe is the best place to | | | | way to consistently make progress is to track |
| practice technical skills, like grabs, putting trick | | | | your workouts and gradually manipulate the |
| combos together, etc, the gym is by far the best | | | | training variables (exercise selection, tempo, rest, |
| place to intelligently push the limits of your | | | | sets, reps). With the industries explosive growth, |
| strength and power. | | | | athlete with the most talent, most commitment, |
| Quarter-Pipe | | | | and best programming are the once that are |
| For the quarter pipe, the most important strength | | | | going to excel both on and off the slopes. |
| quality is power. The PRO needs to be able to | | | | If you have any questions or comments, please |
| explode 2x’s; once to get up, once to land, | | | | don’t hesitate to contact me or post a |
| and then gets to rest for awhile in between | | | | comment at the bottom of this post. I can be |
| attempts. Their program needs to include a pure | | | | reached directly at |
| power workout: heavy loads of 1-3 reps, 6-8 | | | | Until next time, train smart. |