I've recently polled on kiteforum, but since I'm friends with so many kiters from Australia on facebook I wanted to get your opinion. I'm a fitness expert, and am putting together a series of workout exercises, injury prevention and recovery for kiters. I was going to do the basics: overall conditioning, elbows, knees and such. What other areas would you like to see addressed?

Here is an example of a video of core exercises to address back pain:
catchsomeair.us/?option=com_content&view=article&catid=132:training-exercises-a-workouts&id=241:how-to-prevent-kiteboarding-back-pain&Itemid=67

and one on How to Duct Tape an Ankle
catchsomeair.us/?option=com_content&view=article&catid=132:training-exercises-a-workouts&id=369:how-to-heal-an-ankle-injury&Itemid=67

So, let me know what you would like info on and I will start working on it! Thanks again for time and opinion.

Well I reckon the number one kiter complaint would be tennis elbow so that would be an obvious place to start. Although there's already been quite a bit written about it, conversation has tended to focus on treatment rather than prevention.

Next in line for me would be conditioning for core, followed but something for shoulders, particular folks who are unhooking a lot. I know other guys have kneed issues but that hasn't caught up with me just yet

ankles, knees and shoulders.

More uses for gaffer tape.

Fit ball exercises for core strength would be good.

In regards to the excersice side of things ive often wondered the benifts for cardio / weight loss of kiting. By that i mean if you go for a run / swim / row etc you burn a certain amount of calories, would be curious to know what an hour or 2 of kiting 4-5 times a week would burn. Granted plowing through the surf for an hour would be different than an hour of freestyle riding but im sure by the end of summer most of us would feel fitter and toner than we did at the start of summer? Regardeless of all them post session beverages

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pedro said...

Well I reckon the number one kiter complaint would be tennis elbow so that would be an obvious place to start. Although there's already been quite a bit written about it, conversation has tended to focus on treatment rather than prevention.

Next in line for me would be conditioning for core, followed but something for shoulders, particular folks who are unhooking a lot. I know other guys have kneed issues but that hasn't caught up with me just yet

Prevention of tennis elbow sounds like a fantastic article idea, thanks! I mean the obvious there is just not over gripping the bar, but it goes much deeper. Basically, it comes from how you recruit muscle to do work.

I've got a quick test for you. Try this exercise: http://www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/11/building-midback-strength/ (Great for unhooking.)

Now, see if you can pull up using just your forearms, putting most of the force through the arms. Then see if you can pull up just using just your back muscles trying to relax your forearms to the point where you almost slip off.

See if you can feel the difference in how your body can use completely different muscle groups to do the same movement. One way makes the body stronger using the core, the other strains it relying on small muscles, like the forearm flexors to act as primary movers when they shouldn't.
So, basically it comes down to how you train your body to utilize muscle as to whether you end up with chronic overuse type injuries. (Basically, if something is being overused, then something else in the body is being underused. It's as simple as figuring out how to acheive that balance.) It's all very fascinating!

If you want some good core exercises check out the video I mentioned in the first post about back pain. Try to do each exercise specifically following each instruction about form carefully. This should make a big difference in the results!

Shoulders is a must I agree (hoping to tackle that before January).
Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!

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Lethal Dons said...

In regards to the excersice side of things ive often wondered the benifts for cardio / weight loss of kiting. By that i mean if you go for a run / swim / row etc you burn a certain amount of calories, would be curious to know what an hour or 2 of kiting 4-5 times a week would burn. Granted plowing through the surf for an hour would be different than an hour of freestyle riding but im sure by the end of summer most of us would feel fitter and toner than we did at the start of summer? Regardeless of all them post session beverages

You should get a heart rate monitor to compare, although I wonder how much the adrenaline factor would effect the results. I'm sure my heart rate has been "slightly elevated" when I'm about to get eaten by a big wave! It would be really neat project to compare all the different styles of kiting and the physical demands.

I think im in love. With uhhhh, kite surfing..

"Most" repetition and overuse injuries in kite boarding are caused by poor technique. The dreaded poo man stance and everything associated with that cause elbow and back problems. Seat harnesses cause low back pain if you do a lot of toeside riding.

Once you get the technique together you ride all day without too much effort (other than getting bored). It's hardly a workout. Eventually fatigue sets in after a few hours of cruising so exercises to improve long duration, low output endurance would be good.

The other issue is traumatic injury caused by crashing or bashing yourself about. Necks can take a beating with extreme crashes. Shoulders get torn, particularly with unhooked riding. I am currently carrying some sore stomach muscles that is limiting my jumping (don't know where that came from). Exercises to avoid these sorts of injuries and to assist recovery would be good.

BTW I have ridden with a heart rate monitor. My pulse gets higher when pumping up than riding. I think riding in big surf might be a bit more of a workout.

Knees and shoulders seem to be a big issue. How do you stop them from hurting after kiteboarding? If you can figure that out you'd be my hero

I had a knee reconstruction (ACL and meniscus) last April and returned to kiting in 6 mos. Two months post surgery, I was not too happy with the pace of my rehab so I went overseas for a couple of months and checked into a sports clinic there. When I left Oz, they told me I was ahead of sked. Soon as the rehab doc overseas checked me out, he said I was behind sked. I told them that I was a kitesurfer and that I wanted to return to as close to 100% as possible. They put me on a program that included dynamic core, plyometrics and weight training. They also changed the way I ran, jumped and changed direction. It no longer hurts to run.

All I can say is that I'm now moving a lot better and a lot quicker then when I was in my 20s (I'm in my 40s). Upon returning to Oz, my surgeon did the 6 month check-up and couldn't believe the progress I made. He said that I could do whatever I wanted but to wear my brace for another 6 mos. just to be on the safe side.

Perfectly fit, what is your opinion on crossfit and following their Rx WOD's in relation to kitesurfers? seeing that it is about being 'life fit' not just lifting a lot of heavy weight, I have been doing this for a bit now and I have never been so strong, especially in my total core (back included)

I would be really interested in seeing some figures on calories burned aswell as info on knee issues. My knee always aches and creaks after a big kiting session in choppy water. It feels like my knee cap is getting loose and is going to slip.

Hi
PerfectlyFit

Sarah, I think im in love with you! come to Australia and share my house and i will take you kiting and surfing every day , then we will drink and dance around a campfire every night for all eternity!

PS. and you can keep my distorted arthritic body going with your healing powers.

Interesting post looking forward to reading the info. You cannot underestimate the value of core strength. For those of you into running have a read about chi running. It will change ur life, but not so much as kiting:) runrevoltion.com.au if ur in syd

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caveman said...

I had a knee reconstruction (ACL and meniscus) last April and returned to kiting in 6 mos. Two months post surgery, I was not too happy with the pace of my rehab so I went overseas for a couple of months and checked into a sports clinic there. When I left Oz, they told me I was ahead of sked. Soon as the rehab doc overseas checked me out, he said I was behind sked. I told them that I was a kitesurfer and that I wanted to return to as close to 100% as possible. They put me on a program that included dynamic core, plyometrics and weight training. They also changed the way I ran, jumped and changed direction. It no longer hurts to run.

All I can say is that I'm now moving a lot better and a lot quicker then when I was in my 20s (I'm in my 40s). Upon returning to Oz, my surgeon did the 6 month check-up and couldn't believe the progress I made. He said that I could do whatever I wanted but to wear my brace for another 6 mos. just to be on the safe side.

Gee u make this sound like it should be my next holiday, A good tune up would do me wonders.
I always say I wish kiting was around 20yrs ago

Awesome post. Thanks.

Thanks for the posts! I will try to add a few comments to what I can answer quickly, other topics that need more extensive time and effort to fully answer the question will take a little longer to finish. (Like a good shoulder program for unhooking, that's on my list.)

I do like crossfit as an addition to any workout program. I'm a big believer in variety and there is no one thing that is the answer to everything or every person. A little bit of heavy lifting, dynamic movement, core training, prehab exercises, cardio, stretching, etc, leads to a well balanced program. The most important component is making sure the right muscle is firing for the right exercise.

I like the comment on bad form with kiting, so true. But bad form is usually a result of poor muscle usage. If the person with poor form increased strength in the right areas off the water it would dramatically help their form. They would want to engage their gluts and get their shoulders down which would automatically fix their stance. Instead they use their hamstrings and upper traps too much which makes their legs and shoulders tight and prone to injury.

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Shan said...

I would be really interested in seeing some figures on calories burned aswell as info on knee issues. My knee always aches and creaks after a big kiting session in choppy water. It feels like my knee cap is getting loose and is going to slip.

The difference between the creaking, pain in the knee cap and they full blown ACL tears.

Longevity of knees

1. ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus tears (reason for the brace) Tears and strains of ligaments are sometimes unavoidable, a bad crash is a bad crash, period. Now, they have done some promising research that a percentage of ACL tears can be prevented through proprioception training. Basically, you train the muscle to react quickly and protect the ligament structures from excess strain, during say a bad landing.

Here is an article I did that includes some examples of stability exercises for ACL tear prevention:
http://www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/04/preventing-acl-tears/

2. Arthritis, pain under the knee cap, and other repetitive degenerative factors acting on the knee. The hip protects the knee, specifically the gluteus medius. A strong gluteus medius provides support to keep the knee in proper alignment, thus decreasing the amount of strain on the joint. This muscle also provides stability for both the knee and hip.

Here is an example of how to do a proper squat to provide stability for the knee:
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/04/single-leg-squat/

Here is one of my favorite hip exercises:
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/06/standing-hip-abductions/

Theoretically, riding strapless could help you put your feet naturally in a more advantageous position so the knee experiences less strain. Cramming your foot into a strap could have caused you to excessively pronate and this could have caused stress on your knees. Also, change your stance around ducked or less ducked, narrow or wider and see if that keeps your knees more inline with your toes. If your feet are too narrow or too wide it places a lot of stress on the knee, which can make the knee cap feel like it's going to slip. Tighten your gluts when it feels like this and see if that helps.

Here is a link to several exercises that help build and protect your arch:
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/category/balance-training/
This will also help in protecting your knee, because it will keep you from letting your arch collapse. It can also help prevent plantar fasciitis.

Hope this helps on your quest for strong knees and I wish you many more years of healthy kiting!

Brilliant thread, this Thursday I am doing a muscle balance therapy evaluation and it seems your objectives are the same, balancing the muscle groups.

Keep the excercises coming, still need to try them out but the knee one looks like it will do the job.

I have a bit of a sway back were I tend to stick my stomach out arching my lower back which in turn tilts my hips or vice versa, what excersise would you recommend to correct this?

Cheers Rich

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Gorgo said...

"Most" repetition and overuse injuries in kite boarding are caused by poor technique. The dreaded poo man stance and everything associated with that cause elbow and back problems. Seat harnesses cause low back pain if you do a lot of toeside riding.

Once you get the technique together you ride all day without too much effort (other than getting bored). It's hardly a workout. Eventually fatigue sets in after a few hours of cruising so exercises to improve long duration, low output endurance would be good.

The other issue is traumatic injury caused by crashing or bashing yourself about. Necks can take a beating with extreme crashes. Shoulders get torn, particularly with unhooked riding. I am currently carrying some sore stomach muscles that is limiting my jumping (don't know where that came from). Exercises to avoid these sorts of injuries and to assist recovery would be good.

BTW I have ridden with a heart rate monitor. My pulse gets higher when pumping up than riding. I think riding in big surf might be a bit more of a workout.

Im with Gorgo
I too have had a stomach muscle soreness when jumping to the point where i have had to come off the water for about a week and i have a large bruise around my belly button but a very deep aching pain in my abs.
Are there any excercises other than sits ups i can do to strengthen this area?
Do i need to get one of those circle machines that are shoved in our faces on tv every 2 minutes?
Cheers

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richswing said...

Brilliant thread, this Thursday I am doing a muscle balance therapy evaluation and it seems your objectives are the same, balancing the muscle groups.

Keep the excercises coming, still need to try them out but the knee one looks like it will do the job.

I have a bit of a sway back were I tend to stick my stomach out arching my lower back which in turn tilts my hips or vice versa, what excersise would you recommend to correct this?

Cheers Rich

My degree is in PT but muscle balance is actually what I specialize in, I'm kind of out side the box you could say. It is so much fun to create a super athlete (at least that's what I call it), taking someone from good to amazing and building a super efficient body! Finding the imbalances before they actually create an injury. You are so smart to work with someone on this. It will save you a lot of pain and weakness in the future.

To focus on fixing your back:
1- Lots of stretches to open up the front of your hip flexors. Try these:
http://www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/06/hip-flexor-stretches/
If you have someone who works on you in a massage/ PT type capacity have them manually release your psoas.

2- Do not do any abdominal activities that require lifting your legs. (Like hanging abs or leg lifts) This only makes your psoas tighter. Instead focus on abdominal exercises that use your stomach for stability and not movement. If you do a lot of jumps with grabs to the front of your board this can also make your hip flexors really tight.

Here is a good example of core training exercises:
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/07/side-plank/
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/04/plank-hold/ (Careful with this one because you can still cheat and use your hip flexors, it takes a lot of focus to do correctly.)
or check out the video I mentioned on the first post for back pain. That will walk you through correct form step by step.

3) Focus on correcting it all day long. Think about your tailbone being heavy and pointing down verses back and keep a slight contraction in your rectus abdominis (front ab muscle). This should help pull your hips in alignment without actually tucking your butt under. You do not want to over correct because this can often be worse for your back. Leading to things like a disc bulge.

This should be a good start, but of course there is a ton more you can do...
It sounds like you are already on the right track!

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Im with Gorgo
I too have had a stomach muscle soreness when jumping to the point where i have had to come off the water for about a week and i have a large bruise around my belly button but a very deep aching pain in my abs.
Are there any excercises other than sits ups i can do to strengthen this area?
Do i need to get one of those circle machines that are shoved in our faces on tv every 2 minutes?
Cheers

Interesting... I would be guessing here but I would have someone watch your takeoff form and make sure you are popping enough and not letting the kite just rip you off the water. Also, try a different harness. This could be causing the bruising.

A muscle that's torn bad enough will have blood pool in it, but I've never seen a torn ab muscle do that. Maybe a small hernia is causing the weakness?

If it happens repeatedly and doesn't seem to be just an overused ab muscle, an ill fitting harness or takeoff technique then I would talk to your family doc about it. Very interesting... please let me know if you come up with a definitive answer because I would like to know for future reference.

If I were you I would focus more on training your obliques and transverse abdominals instead of the rectus abdominis. You might actually have weak oblique muscles and that could be why you keep straining your rectus because it is forced to do all the work when you are kiting. You want to think of the core as building a corset or wrap around strength and not just the "6-pack" in the front.
So, focus on these exercises and see if it helps:
http://www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/07/side-plank/
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/07/side-plank-with-arm-wrap/
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/07/tall-plank-with-knee-tucks/
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/07/side-plank-with-a-leg-lift/
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/07/tall-plank-with-heel-tap/

I had someone on kiteforum ask about whiplash so I thought I would share it here too:

Neck injuries, especially whiplash type injuries are not very preventable. I mean you can't exactly slow down your head when it's hitting the water full speed. You could hold back and kite conservatively but then where's the fun it that. I'm a big believer in constantly progressing. On the other hand, speaking as a "retired" wakeboarder (due to severe concussions and repetitive neck injuries), with each injury you compound the damage done to the ligaments that connect the cervical spine. Thus, putting the possibility of a cervical fusion very much in your future.

Spending time strengthening your neck after each injury is important to regain neuromuscular firing, this will help give the damaged ligaments the muscle support they need. It cannot completely make up for all the damage but it definitely helps.

Here is a link that shows step by step rehab exercises for restrengthening the neck after injury. Rehab exercises are listed at the bottom.
http://www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/09/upper-shoulder-and-neck-pain/

The other thing you want to be careful of is posture. Sitting at the computer for hours on end with poor posture causes damage to the alignment of your cervical spine, thus compounding the stress in this area and slowing down healing time.

Here is another link to assess your sitting posture at your computer: (scroll to the bottom and see if your posture right now patches my examples of bad posture)
www.perfectlyfitonline.com/2010/09/correct-sitting-posture/

Came across Sarah's book via FB several weeks ago and began to use her suggestions for stretching, they have made a huge difference to my mobility and freedom from pain and soreness after kiting. Even on days when I don't kite and in fact every day I just do 30 mins of stretching each morning and feel so strongly about the benefits for anyone that we have decided to support Sarah and her work.

You can now purchase Sarah's book or a PDF download from our website. The book is not in stock right now, but the PDF can be purchased and downloaded immediately. This book is a complete exercise and nutrition guide and I think the benefits from following the information in it will greatly enhance every persons ability to enjoy their life to the fullest.
Details here,
http://www.kitepower.com.au/catalog/product_17859_Kiteboarding_Workout__Nutrition_Guide_cat_419.html

Thanks for posting. I've gotten some questions about how I personally use the workout program, so I just wanted to make a quick comment.

It's written for the midrange to high level athlete who already has a base and wants to stay in shape for kiteboarding. This workout is too much for an un-active person.

Basically, I was getting frustrated because we would go 4 consecutive days without wind every month and that's enough time to lose conditioning, which then effected my kiting. I had goals I wanted to reach. So, I put together a program that targeted building extensive connections through the core with short bouts of power, i.e. taking back up wind, then throwing a move or hitting a wave.

So, I use the workout to supplement my activity, once a week, maybe twice, if the wind doesn't show. The stretching section I do at least 3 times a week to maintain flexibility.

That's the scoop, just let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. Even if it's about other ortho issues or suggestions for articles....
Thanks! or should I say Cheers!

I need info on kite racing and the demands on your body.
What gets tired first? (legs, core, etc?)
Where are you sore after?
Any types of overuse injuries?

Basically, I'm putting together a compilation of exercises for one of the magazines on kite racing but I feel I need more outside input and opinions before finalizing things.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!

I have a book/guide done already for kitesurfers by a chiropractor who kitesurfs ... will dig it up as soon as i get a spare few moments and let you know ... got it from Scotty at the Sailing Club in Mui Ne ....

Thanks, I need racing specific. Wanting multiple personal opinions.

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kiter zac said...

ankles, knees and shoulders.

1. wear bindings
2. dont ride with straight legs
3. pull the bar in properly before you go for passes.