Best exercises for skydiving?

[Southern_Man 0]

I am interested in the best weight exercises to help w/ general muscle strength and endurance for a big skydiving weekend. My main exercise is running, so while I am fit I don't have as much upper body strength as some people and my arms get tired after a full weekend (especially if I do a high pull or have to fly in brakes a long way, etc).

I do a little weight lifting during the week to supplement my running and was interested to know what the best exercises were to increase strength and endurance for skydiving so I can tweak my routine.

Thanks in advance.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[piisfish 140]

the best exercise is to pack lots of parachutes

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Andy_Copland 0]

A quick drive for a McDonalds fish fillet meal, skip the coke and make it a mocha frappe. 3 of those a day, you're set.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[airtwardo 7]

Stop flapping yer arms!

It's a GRAVITY sport, if your arms get tired you might be doin' it wrong!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AdamUSN 0]

Strength Training 3 days per week, AB exercises daily.

Routines for the day that will help with upper body that take less than 1 minute : Push-ups. Push-up suck, there are two different ways to do them correctly.

1. Hands Below the shoulders when in the push up position will increase the isolation of muscle groups. Keep your arms close to your body and allow your elbows to bend. Do 10 every time you get back from the bathroom. It takes about 8 seconds to do 10 push-ups. Work this into a break routine.

2. The other way that push-ups are done is so that your arms "Chicken wing" Instead of doing a push-up so that your elbows bend towards your feet, your elbows actually bend to your side. This exercise will not isolate the pecks and triceps.

Both ways are correct. Keep your back straight, chin up, such as focusing on a receptacle plug in the wall in front of you. Do NOT Arch!!! Chest should bump the floor so that your shoulders break a 90 degree plane.

This will help you out as you start getting stronger you will just up the number of push-ups you are doing per set.

Strength Training, can be anything that you do to the point of muscle failure.

If you do things that don't make you appreciate life than why do them

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

1. Twelve ounce curls.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[shropshire 0]

..... oh and don't forget to exercise your Bull Shit muscles ... you WILL need them...... a lot

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[JohnMitchell 16]

Quote

1. Twelve ounce curls.

And for breakfast, a Coke, smoke, and a puke.

[airathanas 0]

When I became a tandem instructor, I knew I had to increase my upper body strength. I do a lot of upper body work to be able to control and flare a SETS 400 by myself. Lat pulls, chest presses, push ups, tricep dips, and shoulder exercises should help.

http://3ringnecklace.com/

[cmdrjay1 0]

I would recommend core strengthening exercises. They will strengthen and stabilize your paraspinal and abdominal muscles which can protect your spine from hard openings and the repetitive stress of deployment.

Good exercises would include birddogs, planks etc.

[mrubin 0]

Yoga

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[tinlizzy73 0]

Quote

I am interested in the best weight exercises to help w/ general muscle strength and endurance for a big skydiving weekend. My main exercise is running, so while I am fit I don't have as much upper body strength as some people and my arms get tired after a full weekend (especially if I do a high pull or have to fly in brakes a long way, etc).

I do a little weight lifting during the week to supplement my running and was interested to know what the best exercises were to increase strength and endurance for skydiving so I can tweak my routine.

Thanks in advance.

I finally joined a gym again after a long layoff. I lift weights and do cardio 3-4 times a week and I can't believe the difference it's made for me. Everything about jumping is easier from arching to packing. My recommendation for you is to hit every muscle group, including legs, about every seven days, and really lift like you mean it with all the effort you can muster. In my opinion there's no best exercise as long as you work hard and stick to it. Good luck

Jeanne
Blue Skies, better days, more beer - Oh the humanity - Peace be with you my friend

DON'T TASE ME BRO

[billvon 3,009]

Yoga. You need flexibility more than strength for skydiving, and yoga provides both. (If you ever do an Airspeed or Fury camp you'll notice that most of their stretches come from yoga.)

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

Yoga. You need flexibility more than strength for skydiving, and yoga provides both. (If you ever do an Airspeed or Fury camp you'll notice that most of their stretches come from yoga.)

And you will hate Eliana when you see her doing stretches you can only fantasize about ever being able to do.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[redlegphi 0]

Quote

1. Twelve ounce curls.

I believe you mean decreasing twelve ounce curls. Otherwise, you just end up with warm beer, which is a sin against God, who loves us.

[DaVincisEnvy 0]

I third the yoga suggestion -- regularly practicing yoga will improve your strength (all muscle groups), flexibility, balance, and general body-awareness. Look for a more physically rigorous style of yoga to really hone your strength. If you're looking at a gym, such a class will probably be called "Fitness Yoga" or "Power Yoga". At a yoga studio, talk to an instructor, but you'll probably want to look into Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga.

[Heatmiser 0]

Get a kegelmaster.

What you say is reflective of your knowledge...HOW ya say it is reflective of your experience. Airtwardo

Someone's going to be spanked! Hopefully, it will be me. Skymama

[Avion 0]

When I was spending a lot of money at the tunnel, I found stretching helped and strength building exercises were un-necessary. Just being in tunnel for ten to twenty minutes once a week or so built up all those air muscles just fine.

The stretches I found to be helpful were to hang from a bar while standing, lean in, and arch forward to stretch the upper back and shoulders. Quad stretches like runners do. Toe touchers and truck twisters to loosen the lower back.

Aside from that the only relevant strength exercise that I found that might be useful is a total gym machine or clone which matches the toggle pull exactly.

[Southern_Man 0]

I appreciate all of the suggestions.

I am sure some yoga or equivalent would help my performance in freefall. I'm not the most flexible person (but not the least either). I do some stretching already.

I am more interested in weights because it seems that's where my biggest weakness/limitation lies. As a distance runner I have poor upper body strength and the time under canopy can really make me tired after several jumps. I don't think I'm getting enough reps under canopy to build strength that way.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[DaVincisEnvy 0]

Thanks for the clarification. One suggestion for improving your stamina for toggle and/or riser pulls would be pull-ups or bent-arm hangs. Experiment with whether your finger tips are facing towards or away from you and with how far apart your hands are to isolate the same muscles (arms, shoulders, and back) you use when pulling on toggles or risers. Most gyms have an assisted pull-up machine where you can set weights to off-set your own body weight -- lower weight, higher reps.

[Ironmanjay 0]

Sex with the opposite gender, doesnt matter if its the same breed