It’s the classic gym rat question…
“How much do you bench?”
It’s something I hear a lot on the beach amongst kitesurfers.
And it drives me crazy!
Many kiters seem to believe, being able to lift bigger weights means they are going to see bigger benefits on the water.
This mentality is more than just wrong. It’s probably harmful to their kiting.
Ever see a muscle jacked professional kiter…? I doubt it…
Sure they’re ripped, but lean rather than massive. There is a good reason for this.
Why do footballers not look like rugby players? Why do rugby players not look like gymnasts?
Because there is an optimal strength for each sport and when you surpass this strength you are actually making your life harder.
Think of it this way.
If you’re practicing the bench press in the gym and getting stronger and stronger, that’s great, if your goal is simply to bench press more. If you’re doing it to improve your kitesurfing you have to ask yourself,
“What do I actually need this movement for in kitesurfing?”
The answer for most kiters?
Pushing and pulling the bar.
Does that require you to be able to bench press 300 kilos?
NO.
In fact by being able to press 300 kgs you’ve made you’re kiting worse because you’ve now got redundant muscle. Muscle which makes you heavier (and thus less likely to get out in light wind) probably less flexible, slower and in many cases more likely to get injured (unless you have created that muscle in a balanced way, which practically no one I know does).
So am I saying don’t go to the gym if you’re a kitesurfer?
Again NO.
The gym is a great place to get in shape for kitesurfing, especially if you can’t get out on the water every day, but…
What I am trying to say is there is often a HUGE difference between maximum strength and optimum strength for kitesurfing.
And once you pass optimal you are by definition becoming sub optimal.
So you need to match the workout you’re doing in the gym with your goals as a kitesurfer.
Now there is also an optimum level of speed, power, endurance and range of motion in kitesurfing as well. And imbalances in one will often upset all the rest.
What’s more, optimal differs for each person, depending on which discipline they are riding, and their physiological uniqueness. For example some people are taller than others, some have shorter legs, some have much more natural upper body strength or are more prone to injury. These things all massively influence what optimal is to you and so how you should be training.
Simply rocking up at the gym and doing the latest routine from Men’s Health just wont cut it for kitesurfing, in fact it’ll probably make you worse.
Which is why you need a Personal Trainer to guide you through the process and personalise any workout to you.
However…
Most people I speak to who do have a personal trainer tell me when they walk into their gym and tell their Personal Trainer they want to get fit for kitesurfing the response is more often than not,
“Uuuumm…kitesurfing, what’s that?”
Once they’ve explained what kitesurfing is, the Trainer throws together a very general program based around their concept of what they think “should” work.
This isn’t knocking Personal Trainers, kitesurfing is a very niche sport and most people simply haven’t been exposed to it, so how are they to know.
The problem is, as we’ve seen, kitesurfing requires a very specific type of fitness and if you get it wrong you can end up harming your performance on the water.
I’ve seen so many people suffer from this and seriously impede their progress and their fun on the water as a result…
I’ve decided to do something about it.
So right now I’m offering you the opportunity to work one on one with me to build your perfect kitesurf specific workout.
I’ve been a kitesurf instructor for the last 14 years and a Personal Trainer and Peak Performance Coach since I left the Royal Marines in 2002 so I know EXACTLY what you need to be doing off the water to improve your performance ON the water so you can:
Kitesurf More Often, Stay Out Longer, Progress Faster & Have More Energy On The Water.
By giving you:
- More kitesurf stamina so you can kitesurf for longer each session
- The ability to recover faster so when it’s windy for several days in a row you can be as fresh on the last day as you were on the first…this is super important for any kiter thinking of going on holiday.
- Improved resistance to the most common kitesurfing injuries.
- An end to all those aches and pains kitesurfing seems to cause…especially as we get a bit older.
- A leaner body, shedding those extra pounds so you can get up and riding in lighter winds! 😉
- Energy to burn so you can hit the water at full throttle every session.
- The ability to break through any plateaus in your kiting and keep on improving no matter what level you’re at.
- More confidence on the water
So you can spend more time kitesurfing, whilst progressing faster and ultimately enjoying it more.
Just click the button below to learn more: