Old Guys Rip Too is not a a licensed medical care provider, so you should always check with your doctor first and be sure you are in good physical condition to participate in any pre-season exercises.
It’s fall, so it’s time to start preparing for snowboard season! If you followed Dave’s tips on how to care for and store your gear in the off season, your gear should be ready to go; if not, there’s still time to follow Dave’s tips so your equipment is ready to go when the snow falls.
The best way to to prepare for snowboarding season is to go snowboarding all year round, but that doesn’t always happen. Preparing for snowboarding season always seems to sneak up on us, and as we get older it’s even harder. You can incorporate snowboard training all year long, but if you don’t have time to do that (like most of us) in your busy day-to-day life, you can start preparing about 4 to 6 weeks before opening day to make sure you’re able to reduce fatigue, get in those extra turns, keep up with the kids (anyone under 40, that is), or be able to walk the next day. Again, we are only making recommendations (no guarantees), and you should do these at your own pace, never do anything that is painful, and don’t overdo it.
Mental Preparation
It’s key to prepare mentally for the upcoming season. You can be in great physical shape, but if you haven’t been thinking about snowboarding for awhile, now is the time to start. Picture yourself making that perfect turn, pow slash, spin, ollie, or euro carve so you’re confident you can perform your best when you get back on snow. You can do this many ways in the off season: skateboarding, longboarding, trampoline training, jumping off the diving board at your local pool, or even just visualizing your snowboarding and picturing the movements or tricks you’ll be doing, performing them perfectly, stomping, and riding away clean. It’s premiere season as well, so remember to start watching the old great snowboard movies and the new ones coming out! Thinking about snowboarding can help to get you in the right frame of mind.
Warm-up Stretching
For us older folk it’s really important to stretch out as many muscle groups as possible, since snowboarding uses so many different muscle groups. Stretch your calves, quads, hamstrings, back, and arms. I actually stretch on the hill as much as possible every time I go ride, too.
Aerobic Exercises (30-60 min at least 3 times / wk)
I often like to cross train with skateboarding/longboarding as much as possible during the summer months, and add in some mountain biking as well. I feel that variety really helps. There are times you just can’t get outside, though, and for those days I prefer an elliptical workout due to my knee injury.
- Elliptical
- Biking
- Hiking
- Running
- Swimming
Anaerobic (3 times / wk, 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps)
Here are a few exercises that have worked for us, and you can continue to do these all year round. In my experience, it’s great to keep these as part of your routine all year long, and they are pretty easy to do in and out of the gym.
- Wall sits
- Squats (with or without weights)
- Box jumps
- Calf raises
- Pull ups
Balance and Core (everyday)
These can be very challenging, but having a strong core and great balance are the key to staying out longer, on the first through the last 
day of the season.
- Planks
- Balance ball
- Bosu exercises
- Abdominal work (medicine ball twists; crunches)
Stretching/Flexibility/Relaxation (3 days a week or more)
I used to take this part for granted, but as we get older the best way to avoid injury is to stay relaxed and flexible.
- Stretch almost every muscle group you can, including calves, quads, hamstrings, back, and arms
- Yoga
- Practice good posture
- Foam roller exercises
Diet
What can we say here? It’s important to have a well-balanced diet, but we’re adults so just remember to not over-indulge on the cookies and beer. And always stay hydrated!
If you would like to know more about our specific training and diet regimen please feel free to leave a comment below.
The most important thing is to find snowboard training activities that can get you what you need, and are fun too. It won’t be too long before winter!!