Published January 1, 2001 12:00AM
WANT TO AMAZE YOUR friends with feats of coordination they never thought possible (by you)? Want to rip the slopes? Then try the following exercises. The easiest is first, leading to the most difficult. Each is geared toward a specific sport, but all are excellent for general conditioning. Work them into your established routine or, for complete functional-training regimens, see www.fitter1.com, www.performbetter.com, or www.power-systems.com.
Windmill with Medicine Ball
Clear your mind. Now stand on the right side of a line marked on the floor. Begin crouched in squat position with the medicine ball in both hands, held to your left side. Jump over the line, swing the ball over your head, and finish with the ball on your right side. Try one set of eight to ten reps; work up to three sets. For mogul hounds and freeriders.
Squats on Rocker Board
Stand with your feet apart, near the outer edges of the board. Now perform squats, at reduced or no weight. Once this seems easy, alternate the rocker bar alignment from front-to-back to side-to-side. Add one set of ten to your regular squat routine. You’ll soon dazzle your friends on technical mountain-bike trails.
Paddle with Tubing and Swiss Ball
Hook the middle of a two-handled, four-foot length of tubing to a door or heavy object (like a Nautilus machine) at navel height. Thread a pole through the handles, and grip it like a kayak paddle. Now sit balanced on a Swiss ball with your legs extended and toes pointed. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight, lean back and mock a gentle paddling movement. Do three sets of 30 seconds each. You can also try it facing the other way so that the resistance is coming from behind. It’s Class IV whitewater in your very own living room!
Rotations on Wobble Board
Standing with your feet balanced near the outer edges of the board, dip one edge to the floor and then slowly draw a circle going clockwise for one minute without stopping; now go the other way. Advanced: Try it standing on one leg in the center of the board (if you can’t balance at first, put your other foot on the ground behind you). Advanced plus: Try it on weeble boards—mini-wobble boards for each leg.Hey, runners, no more weak ankles!
Lunges on Bongo Board
While standing on a Bongo Board (like a skateboard with a rolling spindle underneath), turn so your feet are parallel to the length of the board. Lunge forward while shifting your weight to the front leg (the spindle will roll forward); don’t let the end of the board touch down. Pivot so your feet are perpendicular to length of the board, then pivot again so that you’re facing the opposite end of the board, and lunge on the other leg. Do ten reps on each leg. The lunge is quite difficult; attempt only with extra caution. But for ambitious surfers, snowboarders, and skateboarders, this is where enlightenment awaits.
GEAR
Pro Fitter ($499)
Versafitter ($399)
MODUS OPERANDI
Behold the gizmo that begat the functional-training revolution: The Pro Fitter features a rocking base and sliding footrests that mimic the downhiller’s flexible stance. Use it to boost proprioception and build core strength, which will help keep your upper body quiet in bumps, crud, steeps, and waist-deep powder. The brand-new Versafitter is a simplified, more portable version (just eight pounds compared to the Pro Fitter’s unwieldy 22).
PROS / CONS
PRO: Tailor-made for skiing, but provides a unified cardio and balance workout for all dynamic sports.
CON: Costs about as much as weekend lift tickets at Vail for a family of four.
GEAR
Swiss ball ($15-$90)
MODUS OPERANDI
Sit on it, do push-ups with it, or, for the frighteningly coordinated, stand on it while holding dumbbells. The Swiss ball’s core-strengthening applications are limited only by your creativity and tolerance for ridicule.
PROS / CONS
PRO: Best bang for the buck in a home gym (or office).
CON: If you’re using weights and your Swiss ball isn’t a “burst resistant” model, you could end up flat on your ass.
GEAR
Rocker boards ($59-$69)
MODUS OPERANDI
Simply apply these Zenlike instructions: Stand on board with unstable base, try to avoid landing on face. Entry-level, rectangular rocker boards only tip from side to side; move up a notch with round wobble boards resting on half-spheres; or take on the challenging weebles, miniature wobble boards for each foot.
PROS / CONS
PRO: Promotes ankle stability and agility—a plus for many sports, from trail running to tennis. Next step: stilts!
CON: Balancing on weebles can feel like walking a longliner deck in The Perfect Storm.
GEAR
Bongo Board / Indo Board ($99)
MODUS OPERANDI
The modern Bongo consists of a skateboard deck secured by a bungee to a rolling base and requires lateral balance to stay up and core stability for fancier moves, like switching to fakey. The Indo Board, developed by shorebound surfers in the 1960s, lacks the bungee, allowing pro-level flip tricks.
PROS / CONS
PRO: Nearly a sport unto itself. Ultra-practical for snowboarders, surfers, and skateboarders.
CON: Embrace the pain of falling—or retreat to a shag carpet.
GEAR
Stretch tubing/ resistance cables ($5-$20)
MODUS OPERANDI
Handles attached to surgical tubing that comes in various degrees of resistance. Pull on them. Repeat. Build stabilizer muscles by combining with balance boards or Swiss balls for a full-body workout.
PROS / CONS
PRO: No-frills simplicity. A recommended home-gym cheapie.
CON: Poorly secured cords could leave you with medicine ballsize welts.
GEAR
Medicine ball ($13-$90)
MODUS OPERANDI
Throw it. Catch it. Voilà! No more 98-pound weakling. Combine with balance boards for a more complex workout.
PROS / CONS
PRO: Injects a retro yet manly vibe into your workout.
CON: Miss catching the 25-pounder and you’ll learn why one company calls them “Ooof! balls.”
GEAR
Rock’n Rody ($69)
MODUS OPERANDI
Sit on the polka-dotted saddle, grab Rody’s ears, and hang on. Nurtures rodeo-specific proprioception for budding bouncy-horse cowboys.
PROS / CONS
PRO: Great conversation starter for shy athletes.
CON: Appropriate for toddlers to teens.
