Winter Workout

selwell

New Member
I am returning to Laser sailing this coming summer and need to get into shape. Looking to loose 20+ lbs.

Does anyone have any good workouts to recommend? I've been big boat sailing for way too long and need to get back to the real stuff. Can't wait to get out there. Just bought one of the used trial boats.
 
i would say cardio is a must and core strength (abs,lowerback,lats,ect). i ride for the cardio and the strength in the quads. i think the better cardio you have the more endurance you will have. but thats just my .02
goodluck.
-kai
 
Fitness regimes are highly personal things. One thing works for one guy, another thing for someone else. A cardiovascular fitness program with some weight training should strip off 10kg over winter. Don't forget about investigating and/or adjusting your diet too. it's a huge topic. Best of luck.
 
If its bodyfat weight you want to lose (which if you've been sailing on leadmines for a while it probably is ;) ) then you'd probably be better off doing resistance training (weights) 3-4 times a week and not altering your diet for three weeks or so, then doing intensive cardio and serious dieting (2000 kcal/day) for a week, then starting again. This will fractionally increase your scale weight during the first phase, but will reduce bodyfat quite quickly as well. Over time, the increased metabolic rate from the weights work will burn more fat, so you'll get lighter.
As an added bonus, you only need to stick to a strict diet for one week in four! which if you're like me, is about all you can handle!
I did this for a few months two years ago, and it really worked for me, but as chainsaw says above, this is a huge topic, and its kinda personal.

Muscle wise, I'd work on leg strength, core, and arm strength. As the season starts, go for more cardio and less weights, so the body can supply the energy needed for all the kinetics involved in making a laser go fast!
 
What has worked for me is stop eating any refined sugar, high fructose corn syurp... With that alone you should see a noticeable difference. My wife read the book "eat fat, lose fat" and highly recommends it.

J
 
What has worked for me is stop eating any refined sugar, high fructose corn syurp... With that alone you should see a noticeable difference.

yeah true. Maltodextrin in an ingredients list is another word that means sugar.

Cutting out Caffeine helps too. Caffeine tells your body to "find energy now", and doesn't care where it gets it from. Not a good drug for building muscle or refinding your natural metabolism.
 
Age is an issue here as well. When I came back to Lasering at 51, I wanted to gain enough weight to be competitive in the full rig. I pushed a lot of weight, but could never get past 164lbs. With all that weight training, and having to work for a living, I didn't get a chance to do much flexibility or cardio. I was strong, but not flexible, and when I needed cardio, I had none. Then I went for cardio, and lost weight like crazy because I didn't have the time to do the weight training. And forget flexibility. The point is, at my age, I would be in the gym eight hours a day and have no time for sailing if I wanted to be fit and at the right weight for full rig.

So, I am now focused on the Radial. I can be fit, flexible and cardioed at 155lbs and be competitive without loosing my job.

the other thing I realized after the first year is that, though fitness is important, if you can't do much if you suck coming off the line, can't recognize a shift to save your life, and don't know port from starboard. Fitness is just one aspect of our multi faceted, wonderful sport.
 
the other thing I realized after the first year is that, though fitness is important, if you can't do much if you suck coming off the line, can't recognize a shift to save your life, and don't know port from starboard. Fitness is just one aspect of our multi faceted, wonderful sport.

Physical fitness is linked to mental fitness. Strong body, less concern from mind, stronger mind, better use of energy, easier to find a good groove, more likely to spot a shift, more likely to learn.
 
Does anyone have any good workouts to recommend?

Selwell,

I can recommend Michael Blackburns book "Sail Fitter".
It covers all aspects of fitness training for dinghy sailing.
In the appendix you find a large variety of exercises
for the gym or even for at home.
It also has a focus on how to get fit without injuries.
In the states you can get it from APS, i think.
I hope it helps you, it helped me a lot.
 

Back
Top