Gym work...

[Zoter 0]

Anybody got any good gym exercises....work thats useful for skydiving ?

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[ianmdrennan 2]

Yeah - that machine that spreads your legs - great for headdown thigh leg muscles.

Actually just being fit will help. You'll get less fatigued and be able to get more out of a day if you're physically in shape. Especially if you're packing for yourself.

Blue skies
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[freakydiver 0]

Me personally - I hate gyms. I ride a mountain bike regularly and play alotta hoops. Both are good for muscle building imho...

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[schattenjaeger 0]

Plus working out your legs wouldn't hurt, for the odd bad landing, plus strengthing your back for the odd bad opening

[prepheckt 0]

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Plus working out your legs wouldn't hurt, for the odd bad landing, plus strengthing your back for the odd bad opening

Neck muscles too, just in case you fly camera.

"Dancing Argentine Tango is like doing calculus with your feet."
-9 toes

[wilmshurst 0]

Hey Zoter

Leg extensions from a sitting position (not sure what these are called) will develop your quads and may help with tracking 'power'. You can point your toes while doing these. Also, excercises that work the lower back and abdominals can't be bad (again, from a RW perspective). I told one of the trainers at my gym what muscles skydiving works and he developed a routine with some "sport specific" stuff. Finally, as has been said, being fit is all good - including for focus and a feeling of well being in the rarified air at altitude.

The only thing worse than a cold toilet seat is a warm toilet seat.

[grega 0]

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Plus working out your legs wouldn't hurt, for the odd bad landing, plus strengthing your back for the odd bad opening

Neck muscles too, just in case you fly camera.

hell even hand and chest muscels wouldn't hurt if you had to chop a spinning canopy without hard riser housing

"George just lucky i guess!"

[Tonto 1]

Go do a soft style (eg. Tai Chi) and a hard style. (eg. Wing Chun) That will work more than your muscles - just like skydiving.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[mr2mk1g 10]

pull ups... lots of em... they do wonders if you want to use your risers on a big square canopy

[riggerrob 643]

Any form of exercise will improve your skydiving.
In different years I have emphasized: swimming, cross-country running, bicycling, aerobics, judo, tae box, weight-training, etc.

[Zoter 0]

Cool....lots of ideas out there to work with....thanks all

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[soarfree 0]

I heard that working out underwater in the pool can help with form in freefall, especially working on the basic bellydown form. I've tried this a couple of times, but having only been flying once, so I'm not sure how much good this is doing me!

Since I cannot start up again until Spring, any more pool tips would be great, thanks!

Well behaved women rarely make history - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

[karlm 0]

Do the work-out that you enjoy doing, but remember you'll want to include a fair amount of cardio, and stretching, and basic muscle strength is also essential.

I find a good toning work-out at a local gym to be a good start.

Next time your at the DZ for a days jumping, get there a bit earlier and do at least 30 min of streching, focusing on, back, neck, legs, shoulders.

Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there.

[Tailgate 0]

I ( a newbie )was having problems with my leg extension during freefall. I started working on the leg extension machine to strengthen the muscles. I would pause the machine during the extension to get the feel of the lower leg angle. I have done 2 jumps since then and have only gotten the "legs out" signal once. Could be coincidence.

I also use on of those big inflatable balls to do what used to be called "good mornings"
You go balance your pelvis on the ball and bend fwd. Then arch back as far as comfortable, pause, return to the starting position then repeat. Be careful not to over do this one. Strenghens the lower back and if you place your feet right on the floor you can kind of simulate an arch. You can lace your fingers behind your head or put them out like you were doing the Box.

Just my newbie 2 cents

_________________________________________________
Let me live in my house by the side of the road and be a friend to man- Sam Walter Foss

[smellysue 0]

Hey Zoter

I help ppl at my gym strenghten back muscle and leg muscle there are exercises you can do at home if you cant be chewed with the gym.

During these exersices breath in when you relax and out when you do the postion this helps you get that little bit more stretch.

Lye on your back with your arms on the floor right near you side as surport (flat) raise your legs to a 90 degree angle and gently raise your lower back off the floor. Do 10 reps of these

Roll over on to your front arch only make it an over egserated arch and try to grab you ankles (If you cant dont panic most of us cant but it will help you mid section of your back) do this for the count of 20 then reliese.
DONT FORGET TO BREATH!!

Roll back over onto your back Zip up your stomach (tense it as if you were trying to have a number 2)

raise your legs and back off the floor slightly (45 degree angle) and try and support your self on your bum kepping your stomach zipped, lower your arms and legs at the same time so they are almost touching the floor but they dont. You are supossed to do 100 of these but you wont be able to so build them up do 10 reps of tese till you feel you can handle more.

If you want any more email me and ill send you a full work out routine that will take no more than 20 mins to half and hour including legs, arms, back and shoulders.

[riddler 0]

My opinion - focus on your "core" first. Strengthen the abs, obliques and lower back. These muscles get used more than any other muscles in freefall (unless you count the brain as a muscle ) You can do abs and obliques every workout - those muscles regenerate faster than the other muscles in your body.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[AggieDave 6]

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You can do abs and obliques every workout - those muscles regenerate faster than the other muscles in your body.

That's not true. Abs and obliques are just like any other muscle group, they can easily suffer from over-training. This will open you up to a higher chance of injury, as well as have a negative effect on the rest of your workouts. Every other day is as close as I'd do it. If anything, twice a week is about perfect for ab workouts.

Honestly, if you're working out and you feel strong enough to do the same workout again the next day, well, you didn't work that muscle group hard enough.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[SpinDoctor 0]

They sound like dorsal raises.

You can do this flat on the ground too... either hands in the small of you back or near hips (easier) or hands near head (harder)

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Connextion: British 8 Way Team
www.bodyflight.co.uk
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[relyon 0]

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Honestly, if you're working out and you feel strong enough to do the same workout again the next day, well, you didn't work that muscle group hard enough.

My motto is "find a muscle group that doesn't hurt and hurt it". Repeat as necessary.

Bob

[Tripitaka 0]

I agree with this one, I think its important to have core balance and harmony, sprint training is good cause it helps with balance a lot and also makes you strong a powerful if you ever need to reef down a riser or whatever and back and abs give you your posture which helps you not only in freefall but also helps you shift your weight under canopy. I reckon exercise is so important, it really puts you in tune with your body and after all skydiving is definitely primarily about feel

[smellysue 0]

Its dangerous to over work one musce group and not work any other groups.

your body will try to compensate by building up other areas with fat, which will ruin your work any way.

you should work ot equailly on all body partsand then increase the reps as neccasery never over work one part as it can will strain to the muscle which will affect your jumps.

[airgord 1]

Don't forget mental conditioning.

[jumper03 0]

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That's not true. Abs and obliques are just like any other muscle group, they can easily suffer from over-training. This will open you up to a higher chance of injury, as well as have a negative effect on the rest of your workouts. Every other day is as close as I'd do it. If anything, twice a week is about perfect for ab workouts.

Honestly, if you're working out and you feel strong enough to do the same workout again the next day, well, you didn't work that muscle group hard enough.

I disagree aggie...
Abs each and every day, the more the merrier. Did that for many years and never had any problems. Getting back to it and I gotta say - love my sit-ups in the morning!

Jump

Edit to add -
if you are REALLY serious about your core strength, balance and flexibility - try Pilates.....my god....never had a work out like that before.

Scars remind us that the past is real

[smellysue 0]

every muscle can be over worked in one way or another if the nxt day you feel like you havent done enough then do it again but instead of doing the same amount do a couple more and build up never start to high cos I know from trainning myself and through learning on my fitness cause that muscles can be over worked.
good luck in your exercises

[AggieDave 6]

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if you are REALLY serious about your core strength

If you are actually serious, you'll build your routine around Bench, Squats and Dead-lifts. Pilates rock, but nothing builds massive-serious strength like those 3. People hate them, since they are actually hard to do correctly, and very hard to actually put weight on the bar and do. Egos are hurt in the gym, then after the egos, usually shoulders and disks in the lowerback from the ego trying too hard.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."