Welcome to my new weekly post about fitness and workouts to improve your strength and performance at home and at competitions! If you have any favorite techniques or special workouts that you love to use, send them to [email protected], with “Fitness” in the subject bar.
Whip It Like Jane Fonda
As Eventers, we need to be in great shape no matter what level we compete. The best way to get super strong and fit for dressage, jumping and galloping is of course to jump, gallop and do dressage all day long, but not many of us have that luxury, so we’re stuck with searching for alternative methods to help us out in the saddle. Even the pros who spend all day riding find that simple exercises at home can improve their performances, from running to crunches, it all helps in the end.
I personally hate going to the gym, what with all the other people in varying degrees of sweatiness and bizarre choices of clothing, so I like to keep my workouts to the privacy of my own home. Therefore, I present to you, five really great workouts you can do in your living room to exercise five different parts of your physique.
Wall Sitting: Need to work out those thighs for a tighter grip on cross country? Sidle up to a wall, and slide down until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Hold your position for about 60 seconds (or until your legs turn to jelly!). Make sure that your ankles are straight and your back is flat against the wall. Repeat until you feel like you just rode Secretariat around the Belmont.
Superman: Looking for that lower back strength to hold your sitting trot on that pony you’ve been riding? Try this move. Lie flat on your stomach, with arms out to the sides and legs straight behind you. Lift your arms and legs up, forming a curve towards your center. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat.
Standard Pushup: It may not be exciting or have a clever name, but this exercise sticks it out for the long haul. It helps with your arms, your shoulders, and your back. Not to mention, it’s really hard not to cheat and do the girl pushups. With hands shoulder width apart, keep your feet flexed at hip distance, and tighten the core. Bend your elbows until the chest reaches the ground, and then push back up (make sure to keep the elbows tucked close to the body). That’s one!
Bicycle: Core strength: you’re gonna need it no matter what. Lie down with your knees bent and your hands behind the head. With your knees in toward the chest, bring your right elbow towards your left knee as the right leg straightens. Continue alternating sides just like you have an imaginary bike! This will really work out your core, which is pretty much imperative for every single aspect of riding a horse.
Plank: Remember when the US Team was doing Plank wars this spring? For good reason. Plank exercises work out your core, your back and your shoulders. Lie facedown on the floor, with your forearms supporting your weight squarely underneath you, clasping your hands. Extend your legs behind you, and rise up on your toes. Keep your back straight, and tighten your core. Hold your position for 60 seconds and repeat. If you’re trying to beat Boyd’s record, keep going until you collapse.
Success in the Saddle, planks with a twist!
