First, I want to encourage all of you to be active and stretching this time of year. Don't be a couch potato that gets taken out from a stupid injury. Preparing now will help you accomplish your goals this season.

Here is some video of Monday and Tuesday's conditioning. I'm pretty lame in it but, whatever, I'm old. I wanted to show everyone what conditioning is about. It's probably little different than you think. Will conditioning make you a better snowboarder? Nope. Will conditioning make you a better snowboarder with the ability you already have? Yep. Basically, you can probably do what you already do just a little bit better. It's a subtle difference in things like consistency, power, speed, air, style, etc. that allows you to accomplish more. 

Conditioning isn't just about getting in shape. Each person has something different that they are trying to accomplish and it is pretty specific. For one person it might be leg strength for spring and absorption, for another person it may be body awareness for general style, for a different person it may be muscle tone and better flexibility. Every person has some thing that they know will help them be a better snowboarder this winter. For all of us, it's mostly about having fun. 

The general schedule is: Mondays - upper body weights followed by tennis, Tuesdays - cardio followed by volleyball, Wednesdays - lower body weights followed by tennis (today we disc golfed after tennis), Thursdays - yoga, and Friday's are full body weights followed by a game of bump, tennis, or whatever. We mix in other things too so that things stay fun.

Weights tend to be lower weight and higher reps for muscle toning...especially for the girls who don't want to build mass. Everyone tries to build some muscle where needed for extra protection during falls and for extra strength when needed. For everyone, a big goal is just to be flexible, strong, and in-shape before the season starts. The season is so busy that some riders will be lucky if they get 2 or 3 weekends off from big events during the entire season.  An injury at any point means a lot of missed opportunities and a big disappointment. An injury for anyone is crappy. Especially an injury that could have been avoided through preparation.

We do "yoga for athletes" for strength, muscle control, and flexibility. Quite honestly, I don't think that there is anything that benefits snowboarding as much as yoga. If you don't think it's hard. You're welcome to come on Thursdays to the Old Stone Church on Franklin at 3:30 and participate. Actually, you're welcome to come try it out anyway.