leg strength

hey guys
i was wondering how important leg strength is when it comes to wakeboarding
for instence would someone that can squat 200 lbs get a ton more air than a person that can only squat 100
i know when it comes to wakejumps you really need good form but wut if your legs aren't very strong?
would this make much of a difference in your air?

I think so...but maybe not so much on leg strength...but vertical. But strengthing your legs by squats is a rly good thing. I do squats 2x a week. And i think it helps out.

its more technique, you can get plenty of air with weak legs, but landings might be harder and injuries will come quicker

^ what he said, strong legs mean strong knees, and strong knees mean more resistance to injuries. Im not sure it has as much to do with leg strength, but overall I am stronger than my friends and you can definitely tell who is more of a finesse rider and who can power through tricks when they might be sketchy... also you can ride longer when you are stronger

i don't think leg strength is all that important. but like Delta said, 'overall' strength will help you pull out of some things that would otherwise be falls. i'd have to disagree with the "strong legs mean strong knees", statement. i know plenty of people who have extremely strong legs and have bad knees. if you want strong knees, do one legged squats (no weight needed) and other balancing exercises. for knees you need to work on the stabelizers (acl, mcl, pcl, cartiledge). and i'm not saying that regular squats won't help your knees...those are always good, they work everything.

I have tree trunks for legs and I ride with a bunch of toothpicks...most of them get a good bit more pop than me. I say technique trumps power. But take a look at the guys killing it today...Danny, Rusty, Parks...all these guys are built pretty solid (Yes, even Parks ). In other words...technique is probably the most important but strength + technique is the total package.

(Message edited by xbones on July 25, 2007)

If you're only squatting in the 100-200lb range, more leg strength might be helpful. Personally, the exercise that has provided me the most wake-specific benefit is the rowing machine. Rowing has really built up my arm and leg endurance and that's helped me more than any strength gains.

Jay - Strong legs GENERALLY do mean strong knees. Yes, I know lots of people who have very strong legs but bad knees but it is usually a result of what they did with their strong knees... i.e. football, hockey, skiing, etc.

That being said, your ability to jump is more in your rate of force development, not your overall leg strength. I know plenty of guys with stronger legs than me but I can still jump much higher because I can reach my maximum force a lot faster than they can.

However, I still think your jumping ability off a wake lies largely in your technique until you reach a pretty high level of wakeboarding. Until you reach that point, continue to strengthen your legs to prevent injury and to increase endurance.

Dante, I wouldnt say it like for teh squats, kinda depends on your age. Im 14 and squat 205 and my legs are able to hold up while riding w/ no problem

if you are 14 and squat 205, thats pretty good I'd say, unless you are like supersize for your age... general leg strength definitely will help with knee injuries... Jay I could be totally wrong, but Im fairly sure your ligaments are your ligaments... you dont make ligaments stronger by lifting weights or doing one legged squats, you do the supporting muscles, so if you do balance exercises then the supporting muscles will help keep the knee in line... anyways, stronger legs, not always more pop... but i sure wouldn't want my legs to buckle under my weight trying to get pop...

Delta - you are definitely right (I shoulda clarified more). When saying stronger legs I guess I was thinking most would associate that with the Hammy's, Quads, Calves, and Glutes. Someone could do the Leg Press and Calf Raise "machines" all day...but that won't generally do much for your knees because your need to stabalize is minimal. So yeah, your 14...work your legs as much as the rest of your body. It will benefit everything you do.

(Message edited by ironj32 on July 25, 2007)

(Message edited by ironj32 on July 25, 2007)

Delta - Jay was correct saying that resistance training does increase your tendon, ligament, and even bone strength. This has been scientifically proven. I won't get into the mechanisms here.

Bottom line, resistance training will help your wakeboarding by making you less injury prone and hopefully more explosive!

amount of weight squatting isnt nearly as important as your athleticism.

i.e. squatting 400lbs 5 times in nothing compared to doing jump lunges back and forth across the gym.

if you were talking to me, jay, I do work the rest of my body as much, we have a summer strength and conditioning program we are on for football. And im not supersized, only 5'7" 127.

Cade, I agree, I just didn't know that strength training increases tendon and ligament strength that much... I mean I can see where stretching lifting and doing balance exercises helps, but ligaments and tendons dont respond like muscles to weight application, do they? IE your ligaments won't grow because of lifting???

It probably helps a little bit, but prolly no rly big changes.

Yes, recent research has shown that resistance training triggers collagen (what tendons and ligaments are made of) synthesis after bouts of exercise. This results in increased size and strength in your connective tissues. So yes, you get some really big changes in the strength of your tendons and ligaments.

The same is true for bone strength; resistance training has been shown to increase calcium production and increase bone density and diameter as a result of resistance training.

I am not pulling this stuff out of my rear end, I have a masters degree in exercise physiology.

thats good news! I have a weak ankle and knowing teh tendons n ligaments can get stronger will help! what are some exercises that help w/ the ankle ones?

Justin - do a google search for "ankle inversion and eversion" and some exercises should pop up. Some of the best that I know involve standing on a bosu ball and doing single leg squats. The squatting helps strengthen your legs while the instability provided by the bosu ball works your ankles.

Another good one involves sitting with your back to a wall and rotating your ankes inward and outward with a resist-a-band.

thats cool, you learn something new every day! I strength train and I am glad to hear its paying dividends in more than just muscle/bone strength!

Hmm, I am coming off an MCL injury and am very interested in finding good knee exercises, primarily injury prevention. Any links to ones you all find helpful?

SQUATS, SQUATS, SQUATS, SQUATS, SQUATS

did I say squats? sorry I just really believe squats are the best leg workout.

My .02 Best exercises are compound movements which are those that use several or many different muscle groups and multiple joints. Ex:Squats or deadlifts. Also plyometric type and agility exercises that mimic wakeboarding takeoff and landing are very helpful. Ex: box jumps or 4square patterns.
Geez i gotta get to the gym more!

im 15years old 5'11" 140lbs. and squating 365lbs. and there's a bunch of little'r guys that get a bunch more air than me! idk for sure though, im guessin' technique may have more to do with it?