So I tried snowboarding the other day. Took a lesson and it was fun. But I'm a bit demoralize because no matter how hard I tried I can never get up on my board while facing down hill. Granted I'm fat and not athletic, but I know I can pick myself off the ground.
Is there any exercise that mimics this motion that I can use to train before I go back up this mountains?
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Doing pushups with your knees on the ground will help develop some upper body strength for pushing yourself upright when facing up-hill. For a lot of beginners it's easier to stand up on your toe side until you gain confidence, strength, and balance to boost off your butt onto heel-side and immediately set off downhill.
edit: Do some yoga, too, there are some great beginner yoga videos on youtube and it'll help your balance tremendously. Poses like warrior, tree, and the lunges are great for balancing from your toes to your core, and will get your calves and groin stretched out before a day on the mountain.
In particular, to get up when facing downhill, I move into a squat on the board and then stand up; it can be a bit fiddly if you're on a slope and start moving off while that's going on, but that's the basic idea. This sort of thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfize5V5yoA
You don't want to get up while the board is sliding. Dig your edge in, then pop up and start carving toward toe or backside. The key to both skiing and snowboarding is to lean forward to pressure the tip for control, which feels counterintuitive.
Alternatively, eventually learn to just launch into motion with a push and short ollie. :P
Keep your heel side dug in while doing it. You will slide a bit, it is unavoidable. Try to use the slope to your advantage too, and then essentially shift backwards and push forwards to build momentum.
Alternatively, you can always stand up facing uphill.
Or you can do the smart thing and add another plank you filthy knuckle dragger.
Just kidding!
Also - first 3 days on a board are hellish, after that the balance gets easier
Very true... When learning to carve, just pretend like your are shit faced drunk and don't worry about how far you have to lean over.
( tho now you have the problem of facing up the mountain instead of down, so your call on if can get a start that way)
Seriously the warning labels that say as such? DO THAT SHIT.
I was fighting hard to improve my fitness, energy and concentration for work but I had problems that could be discovered by some simple blood work. Upon treatment, I lost seven pounds before I met my personal trainer.
like just being bigger and less flexible makes this pretty difficult, especially if you've just fallen and you're really tired
so working out, especially doing squats and full bodyweight exercises (burpees ugh) should give you the strength and stamina to get better at it..but don't demoralize yourself if you still struggle standing up from that position.
Arch,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_goGR39m2k
Really? I thought falling on your ass as fine, as long as you're not landing on your hands. Bracing with your hands and arms is really bad.
He meant it with regards to posture/standing correctly. Falling backwards here is falling towards your back foot, meaning you are putting your weight on that foot. (falling on your ass or on your chest depends on which direction you're facing, not on where your weight is.)
When actual bailing forward ya, unless it's to like redirect yourself from face firsting a tree, you don't want to try and stop with your arms/hands.
If anything soon enough you'll start bailing into like a tuck and roll, which will eventually lead to being able to roll right back up into a boarding position.
This. Once you're at least a solid intermediate you can start leaning back to fall in certain situations, but generally people fall backwards from leaning back when they get scared, which lessens control. If you build your reaction as lean forward, it's one less bad habit.
These guys channel is great, I'm a 20 year + boarder ( even was sponsored for a brief bit in 90's,) and I still learn stuff from them