It's winter here, so I'm not sailing as much. I decided to start some off the water training. I'm hitting the gym three times a week attempting to build up my fitness (exercise bike / treadmill), upper body strength (weights) and abs and back strength.
I'm only a club sailor at present, but plan to hit a couple of regional reggattas in summer.
hiking bench is probably the best for hiking training
you can also use the bike for leg endurance which helps for hiking, the treadmill doesnt help this nearly as much in the right areas
the stronger your thigs are, the less pressure on your hip flexors and back so thigh strength and endurance is pretty important
when doing abs, make sure you do the whole core not just the abs that you can see, they dont do much in sailing, its the core muscles inside that do all the work, try doing your upper body weights while kneeling on an exercise ball and draw your navel in as you do it, this helps balance, strengthens core muscles