Pre Season Training: Waterskiing & Wakeboarding

Pre Season Training

As the days start to get longer, and hopefully the weather gets warmer, everyone starts to get excited for the summer ahead. Even though the current conditions are not ideal this time of year, getting on the water can be a huge benefit to achieving your goals in 2020... Your first move should be to get these goals down on paper, as this will motivate you to get back onto the water earlier.  

Working hard now will reduce your risk of injury, stimulate muscle growth, and improve overall fitness. In addition, starting strong and healthy enables you to fine-tune sport-specific skills and work toward other goals during the season.

In the UK especially we only have a about 6 months of those ideal conditions. We all know that pre season sessions on the water are not as enjoyable and they can be the most challenging. However, this time will help you become stronger by re-engaging & activating those muscles that have not been used for a while. This hard training will enable you to get back to where you left off last year quicker, and the key focus should be building strength, regaining your body position over the ski/board, this will help to prevent future injury, and quickly enhancing overall fitness.

Our big tips for pre season training:

Warm up

This doesn't have a to be a mile jog around the lake, try doing some big explosives movement to get your muscles working & heart rate up, this can be simple completing 2 sets of burpees.

The best tried and tested warm up is combining these movements with hanging off a handle to practice the body positions you want to re learn.

On the Water

While on the water try back to back passes on your ski or slowing down your easier tricks on a wakeboard… This will help your regain the control over your body while on the water, and will get you back to your best quicker.

Remember this time of year should be used to progressively increase muscle strength and skills, don't push yourself to 100%. Start perfecting those lighter passes or tricks by re-understanding these movement patterns.

Invested in your wetsuit, not only will this help you gain more time on the water but will keep your muscles warmer, reducing the risk of injury while you find your feet.

Off the Water

Dead Lifts- helps put the body under tension, and helps your upper body prepare getting into position.

Bent Over Row - Builds the back muscles most used while on the water.

Dumbbell Chest Press - helps balance the back muscles, and using dumbbells help build those balancing muscles in the shoulders.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press - helps build grip, as this comes from the shoulders, while using DB helps stabilise the shoulders while under stress

Squats- great to build the lower back and legs, that help support us through almost every movement on the water.

If you don’t have access to a gym, or want a quick easier way to improve endurance and stability try this body weight circuit:

1. Over hand close grip pull ups

2. Squats

3. Push ups, hands close as possible!

4. Bulgarian Split Squat

5. Burpees

6. Leg Raises superset with Doral Raise

For more information or specific plans please contact Chris at chris@cjmskiandwake.com