laser fitness

M

mkraft41001

New Member
hey guys,
I'll be new to the laser world come August 3rd. I busted all summer to get a brand new laser XD! so happy and so excited. I know laser sailing is physically demanding on many different levels. I've been training hard with yoga 5 days/week and cardio 4 days/week to get my flexibility and lung capacity up and past par. I come first to ask if you have any workout routines/techniques/targeted areas, ect. I am going into this full fledged and would love some advice in this area. Thanks, and I look forward to being a part of this great class!

Michael
 
rowing 15min every day is about the best exercise. Max setting. Laser sailing is a bit of cardio and a bit of strength.
 
There is the stereotypical laser exercise : The wall sit.

Basically stand up against a wall with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, like this (attached, and added super huge quads for effect)

Otherwise, excercise bike works a treat, use high resistance to build up endurance in your legs, you'll need it for hiking, also doubles as good cardio training
 

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Get yourself a copy of "Sail Fitter" by Michael Blackburn. It has just about everything you'll need to know about areas to target for training, as well as specific exercises and complete programs.

The replys above are good for legs and arms, you'll need as much core strength as you can build tool, so things such as situps, crunches, supermans and hyperextensions.

Then there is the hiking bench - I'd reckon every serious Laser sailor has built at least one to use..
 
Merrily said:
Or maybe you should try yoga. ;)
Click to expand...
He already said he was doing yoga 5 days a week.

There are some specific torquing movements in the Laser that seem to require the type of core muscle strength and endurance thru a broader range of movement that full range motion movements such as situps and hyperextension seem to work better for then what I have been shown in yoga classes (which IMHO more closely align with isometric type muscle conditioning)
 
This perfect, thanks. 40 minute wall sit, wow that's something to work towards. All the strengthening, as well stretching, of the quads and hamstrings is the best way to prevent knee injury, but anyone have a technique of lightening the load off those guys(other than knee pads of course)? I've had some bad aches before
 
I really don't work out at all exept ride my bike and that isn't for sailing. I don't see the huge need as long as your not like three hundred puonds and can't walk or something. Yes it is phisicly demanding but nothing crazy to spend five days a week in a gym over.
 
mkraft41001 said:
This perfect, thanks. 40 minute wall sit, wow that's something to work towards. All the strengthening, as well stretching, of the quads and hamstrings is the best way to prevent knee injury, but anyone have a technique of lightening the load off those guys(other than knee pads of course)? I've had some bad aches before
Click to expand...

I used to have knee problems until I changed my hiking style. I used to hike with bent knees; I now hike with legs almost perfectly straight. _Sail Fitter_ has some notes on this, as does Ben Tan's book, and Steve Cockerill has evidently done a number of studies on the damage to the knee joint from hiking either with bent knees or with your toes turned inwards. The idea, as I understand it, is that bending your knees puts more, and more awkward, pressure on the joint than keeping them straight. Plus, bending your knees means that you have to hike further out of the boat to get the same leverage, so load up the joint even more.

It took me about three months fully to switch over-- including a lot of focused exercises at the gym specifically to strengthen lower abs, quads, and hip flexors. But if you have problem knees, it is definitely worth the time, as you'll be out of the boat in a few years if you don't take care of it right away. And speaking of the gym, I'm off now...
 
Lunges are good for preventing knee injuries and also build up your quads. For your core you can also hold a plank position (like a push up position but your elbows on the ground and your hands together). Swimming is good for just about all your muscles if you have access to a pool.
 
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