Workout / off season training

being 28 years it is getting tougher to hang with the 20 year old guys with the tricks. So I have been trying to tailor my workouts to wake boarding. So far, I do the following excersizes:
row machine
squat
butterfly machine
stairmaster/step climber

any other ideas?

my workouts involve 20 min cardio then work on each body part per day. Chest-Tues, legs-Wed, back-Thurs, and arms-Fri. I usually do one solid core exercise per day, Bench or incline w/ barbells, Squats, Pullups, then I so a few isolation exercises as well. At 37, this helps me keep up with the younger guys...

if you dont do back and cardio....your gonna be hurting...BAD!!

Sit ups!!!! and I second the back

www.crossfit.com

3 things...

Get on a workout program that incorporates everything you need to be a strong rider. This one, for example, is my favorite (link below). I've been doing it for around 3 years now, and it's got this 37 year old outlasting most of the young 20 somethings that I ride with. It is a five-step program that covers endurance (cardio), strength (a weight program that focuses on your core), flexibility (yoga, that's right, yoga), speed and power, and balance and agility. It is awesome.. http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200205/200205shape_of_your_life.html

On top of that, start riding a skateboard (if you don't already). If the little boards scare you, pickup a longboard. They're a blast to rip through parking garages with. Personally, I use both.

Finally, trampoline training is fun and increases your air awareness. If you don't have access to a trampoline, go to your local gymnastics place and ask some of the coaches if you could get a half hour training session once or twice a week. You'll be learning from a pro in a safe environment. The place we went to the guy only charged us $25 for half an hour for a group of 3.

You're tailoring your exercises to wakeboarding and you're not even mentioning cardio? All the strength in the world will be useless if you can't ride for more than a few minutes. First, do plenty of cardio in any way shape or form you can. I like rowing machines but am starting to take tennis lessons that are also good in this respect. I used to play racquetball a lot but finding a court and good players is a bit of a dilemma in my area.

Second, don't overthink your weight training. Working the big muscle groups also works the smaller ones. Do the big workouts like bench press, squat, rows, etc. While you're working the big groups, rotate out a few small group exercises like curls, triceps extensions, calf raises, etc. Also do pull ups, crunches, etc. Weight training with free weights can also be important. Free weights really force you to learn balance while you're lifting the weights. That's a very good thing when wakeboarding.

The most important thing to do is exercise and exercise often. There are many different kinds of workouts and most of them do work when you actually do them. Just make sure any workout program you choose emphasizes both weight training and cardiovascular trianing. Also remember that when weight training, proper form and technique is far more important that what you can max on any exercise. A solid 180lb bench press is better for you than a sloppy 200lb bench press.

Plyometrics for cardio and lots of core.

dry suit or trip to florida

28 isn't old and it's still August for crying out loud! Enjoy the rest of the season before you start talking off season.

I second the dry suit, Much funner than the gym loaded with posers.

Kevin, I dont know where you work out, but where I go its usually 3-1 woman to man ratio. Lots of eye candy and tight clothes. Sorry if all you have to look at at the gym is other men....

Kevin, how exactly can someone who is at the gym working out be a poser? Wouldn't they have to dress like they workout a lot and never go to be a poser? Seems like you wouldn't find those folks at the gym on account of that whole them not going thing.

Wow 3-1 ratio, I need to go to your gym, It could also be that I live in Orange county, CA. It always seems to be tons of Guys standing around talking with biker shorts on doing 1 rep then talking again. I'd rather Ride a Real Bike, Wakerboard, or surf to get the workout I need.
If you go to the Gym and "WORK OUT" that is Great, but I would rather be out doors doing what I love and getting exercise at the same time.

I second the outdoors mentality kevin. I much prefer doing active excercises than going to the gym. It's just the whole machine, stare at the walls, let my mind wander thing that I like to avoid. However with Canadian winters being everything you hear about out here in the prarie provinces it's not the easiest thing to do. One of my fav activities in the off season is to hit up the local swimming pool, usually only once every 2 weeks (so I don't get bored) and I'll spend 1-2 hours playing around on the diving boards practicing inverts and air sense. It might not seem like too much work just jumping in, swimming 20-30 ft and doing it over again, but when there's only 1-4 people hitting the diving board it gets tiring. Snowboarding is also a tool one can use that I haven't seen mentioned yet. Just get out there and exercise! Be it the gym or something more active.

However all this talk of winter is reminding me summer is coming far too quickly to an end and I'm going to shut up before I get depressed.

trampoline

It never has mattered what I did in the gym in the off season - The day after the first ride of the year I'm always sore. I think working on your core will help lessen the pain quite a bit. Deadlifts, crunches, rowing, curls, squats, etc. Now that I'm in NC I'm looking forward to adding snowboarding as part of the off season excercise