Snowboarding Strength Exercises:
Build Power and Prevent Injuries
Snowboarding is a thrilling sport that demands a unique combination of balance, strength, and flexibility. Whether you’re carving down black diamonds or just learning to link your first turns, a strong and well-conditioned body is paramount for maximizing your enjoyment, preventing injuries, and improving your overall performance on the slopes.
At ClareMotion Physical Therapy, we understand the physical demands of snowboarding. Incorporating targeted strength exercises into your regular fitness routine will help build the key muscle groups used in riding, enhance your stability and control, and support efficient recovery after an exhilarating day on the mountain. Here are some effective strength exercises our team recommends to help you stay strong, balanced, and injury-free all season long.
1. High Plank Cross Body Knee Drive (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Why: The plank is a foundational exercise for building comprehensive core strength, engaging your abdominal muscles, back muscles, and even supporting hip flexor and quadriceps stability. Adding the cross-body knee drive introduces a rotational element that specifically activates the oblique muscles, which are crucial for effective carving and controlling your board.
- How:
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Engage your core.
- Bring your right knee towards your left elbow, rotating your torso slightly.
- Return to the starting plank position.
- Bring your left knee towards your right elbow, again with a slight torso rotation.
- Alternate sides for a total of 10 repetitions per side.
2. Side Plank with Hip Thrust (on both sides) (2-3 sets x 8-10 reps)
- Why: This exercise places a greater emphasis on strengthening the oblique abdominal muscles, vital for maintaining stability and controlling lateral movements on your snowboard. The addition of the hip thrust actively engages the gluteus medius muscle, a key player in stabilizing your pelvis as you shift your weight from edge to edge.
- How:
- Lie on your side with your legs straight and stacked. Position your elbow directly under your shoulder.
- Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from your head to your feet in a side plank.
- From the side plank position, lower your hips slightly towards the ground, then powerfully thrust them back up, squeezing your glutes. This is the hip thrust component.
- Maintain control throughout the movement.
- Perform 8-10 repetitions, then switch sides.
3. Single Leg Deadlift to High Knee (on both sides) (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Why: This dynamic exercise is excellent for improving balance, enhancing lower body control, and building strength in the hamstrings, glutes, knees, ankles, and core – all essential for confident snowboarding. The transition to a high knee further challenges your balance and strengthens your hip flexors.
- How:
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Shift your weight onto one leg. Keeping a slight bend in that knee, hinge at your hips, extending your free leg straight back behind you. Lower your torso towards the ground, maintaining a straight line from your head to your heel.
- Lower as far as your flexibility allows while maintaining balance.
- Engage your glute and hamstring of the standing leg to return to an upright position.
- Immediately drive the knee of your free leg up towards your chest into a high knee position, maintaining balance.
- Lower your leg back down and repeat the sequence. Perform 10 repetitions on one side before switching to the other leg.
4. Squats (3 sets x 10 reps) BONUS: Squat Jumps (2 sets of 30 seconds)
- Why: The squat is a fundamental exercise for snowboard training, strengthening a wide range of crucial lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors, calves, and glutes. A strong squat translates directly to increased endurance and power on the slopes, allowing you to ride longer and with more control. Bonus Squat Jumps add a plyometric element, improving explosive power for maneuvers and transitions.
- How (Squats):
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, and back straight.
- Lower your hips as if you were sitting in a chair, keeping your weight in your heels and your knees tracking over your toes.
- Go as low as comfortable while maintaining good form, ideally until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
- Push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Perform 10 repetitions.
- How (Squat Jumps):
- Start in a squat position.
- Explosively jump upwards, extending your hips, knees, and ankles.
- Land softly back into a squat position, ready for the next jump.
- Perform for 30 seconds, focusing on controlled landings.
5. Side Lunge to Single Leg Stance (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Why: Side lunges are highly effective for strengthening the inner thighs (adductor muscles), gluteus maximus, and gluteus medius. These muscles are vital for hip stability, controlling lateral movements, and generating lower body power while snowboarding. Transitioning to a single-leg stance further challenges balance and proprioception.
- How:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Take a large step to the side with one leg, keeping your other leg straight.
- Bend the knee of your stepping leg, lowering your hips while keeping your chest up and back straight. Ensure your knee tracks over your toes.
- Push off with your bent leg to return to the starting position.
- Immediately lift the leg you just lunged with off the ground, holding a balanced single-leg stance for a brief moment.
- Step back down and repeat the side lunge on the same side. Perform 10 repetitions before switching to the other leg.
6. Heel Walking (2 sets of 30 seconds)
- Why: This seemingly simple exercise effectively isolates and strengthens the tibialis anterior muscle, located on the front of your lower leg. Strengthening this muscle is crucial for ankle stability and helps you control the transition from your toe edge to your heel edge on your snowboard.
- How:
- Stand tall with your feet flat on the ground.
- Lift your toes off the ground, so you are walking solely on your heels.
- Walk forward on your heels for 30 seconds, maintaining good posture.
7. Heel Raises (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Why: Heel raises directly target and strengthen your calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus). Strong calves are essential for generating power and control when moving from your heel edge to your toe edge on your snowboard.
- How:
- Stand with your feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart. You can hold onto a stable surface for balance if needed.
- Slowly rise up onto the balls of your feet, lifting your heels as high as comfortably possible. Feel the contraction in your calf muscles.
- Slowly lower your heels back down to the ground.
- Perform 10 repetitions.
Check out videos of how to perform these exercises on our instagram page @claremotionpt. By incorporating these strength exercises into your fitness routine, you’ll improve your performance, reduce your risk of injury, and keep your body in top condition for snowboarding.
Important Considerations:
Remember, this is just a starting point! There are many other effective strength exercises you can incorporate into your snowboarding fitness routine. The recommended sets and repetitions should be viewed as guidelines only, as individual fitness levels and needs vary. Always listen to your body and never push through sharp or persistent pain. We strongly encourage you to consult with your healthcare provider or a physical therapist at ClareMotionPT to develop a personalized exercise program that is tailored to your specific body and fitness goals. By consistently incorporating these strength exercises, you’ll be well on your way to improved performance, reduced injury risk, and a more enjoyable snowboarding season!