It will require the help of parents, but this year there will be much more pressure on our riders to increase both their level of aerobic fitness and strength in order to become better riders, safer riders, more confident riders, and healthier people.
The best exercise for riding is to ride and ride and ride--trotting, gaiting and with the occasional canter thrown in. Brief amounts of barefoot jogging, conventional circuit weight training, posting on a large inflatable ball, planks and wall sits, farmer walks, pounding a heavy bag and best of all, kettle bell work outs are the best ways to build the power and endurance that will make you a better rider.
And a safer rider. I am not , nor have I ever been, a great athlete. But I remain strong for man of my years. Most of the time that I remain in the saddle during hard spooks or bucks it is because of two things--my body is properly situated in the saddle and I am strong enough to stay on.
A fourteen minute tabata session three days a week will make riding much easier. A fourteen minute kettle bell session with a light kettle bell is even better for riding.
There really is no down side to being in good physical shape. If parents simply removed all electronic devices from teens until after they finished their daily work out sessions the kids would snivel and whine for a while but after about two months they will have to grudgingly admit that they feel and look much better.
This might cause some of our riders to leave the program but this year we are going to produce better young riders who will grow into stronger and healthier adults.
Great advice, although I don't know what most of the things are that you are talking about, being in good physical strength only makes sense!
ReplyDeleteI need to get back to my walking everyday.