Rider Fitness & Diet

S

SJer1

Member
Joined
10 June 2012
Messages
16
Visit site
Hello all,

I have returned to riding (in particular show jumping) after a 2 year break. Although I don't have my own horse yet, I have found a brilliant instructor with lovely horses and riding once a week (soon to also compete twice a month). This instructor I have found is correcting a lot of bad habits and by doing this, jumping 1.10m courses are now easy (confidence wise).

One thing I have noticed is that I am absolutely aching from jumping larger courses, my fitness seems to be fine for 1m but bigger results in very sore lower back, arms, abs (I do not have any at present!) and upper thighs.

Can anybody recommend any exercises to strengthen the lower back, stomach & upper thigh muscles? At present, I run on a cross trainer for 1hr about 4-5 days per week but now realise I need to add strength training to get up to speed with the horses I am riding.

Diet wise too - prior to my recent holiday, I was on the paleo diet which has been great but doesn't give a lot of energy with riding. I was thinking of following the same lines but perhaps adding porridge some mornings or boiled rice with some lunches to balance out the carb/protein ratio?

Any responses appreciated - except mention chocolate or ice cream, major withdrawal symptoms happening at the moment :(
 
Try pilates or yoga. There are heaps of videos on youtube or get yourself to a class if you want (the classes are much better for ensuring you are doing it correctly). But blogilates on youtube is a particular favourite of mine.
 
Thanks EveningStar - they do have classes at my gym so will check it out. How many times a week do you do Pilates or yoga?
 
When I could afford classes I did it once a week but that really wasn't enough to be effective. Now that i do it at home I try for 3 times a week. I did the blogilates beginner calender (you can find it on her website) in Feb and that really made a difference
 
It sounds like some stretching exercises would help you a lot. So as before try yoga or pilates.
 
If you're going to the gym five times a week, you're definitely better off mixing up different types of exercise. I'd do one or two Pilates classes a week, something with weights (I do body pump and love it - much better than trying to motivate myself to do weights on my own!) and try to do some different cardio - swimming, running, bike. You aren't doing yourself any favours, fitness-wise, sticking to the same thing all the time - your body will adapt so you don't get the same benefits, and there will be muscles than simply aren't getting worked by sticking with one form of exercise.

Diet-wise, I've cut out (am trying to cut out!) wheat, potatoes, dairy, sugar, caffeine and alcohol, and I've noticed a huge difference in how I feel -plenty of energy, my skin is better, I'm sleeping better, as well as helping me to lose weight. Adding some brown rice will be good. Are you drinking enough? Dehydration can sap energy levels.
 
SJer1 - I sent you a pm a while bak when you were looking for somewhere to ride - where did you end up going??

With regard to fitness I have been doing cagefitness classes twice a week for a couple of months and my fitness has improved :-)
 
Diet = Die with T on the end.

If you can't do it for the rest of your life, it is a waste of time. I know so many people who were "doing" paleo last year, but, funny, not this year and fatter than when they started.

Just saying.

Eat well, but a chocolate ice cream once a week never killed anyone.
 
SJer1 said:
One thing I have noticed is that I am absolutely aching from jumping larger courses, my fitness seems to be fine for 1m but bigger results in very sore lower back, arms, abs (I do not have any at present!) and upper thighs.

Can anybody recommend any exercises to strengthen the lower back, stomach & upper thigh muscles? At present, I run on a cross trainer for 1hr about 4-5 days per week but now realise I need to add strength training to get up to speed with the horses I am riding.

Diet wise too - prior to my recent holiday, I was on the paleo diet which has been great but doesn't give a lot of energy with riding. I was thinking of following the same lines but perhaps adding porridge some mornings or boiled rice with some lunches to balance out the carb/protein ratio?

Any responses appreciated - except mention chocolate or ice cream, major withdrawal symptoms happening at the moment :(
Click to expand...

From the sounds of it if you are not getting enough energy for riding then adding more carbs in prior to exercise I am not that familiar with the paleo diet but I think sweet potato is good ?? Maybe some brown rice, porridge etc. Maybe you need to increase the calories a wee bit on riding days. Just an idea I am no expert.

I find riding benefits from core stability exercises especially in the areas you are feeling sore (pilates is excellent for this) things like the plank, bridge, side bridge, superman are easy to add in if you have a gym routine (easily googleable lots of physios use them) I also really like kick boxing and combat type classes as an entertaining way of doing strength, cardio and core exercises most gyms have them. Circuits with weights would also help but I find them boring after a while :P Fitness can plateau if you maintain the same routine so it's a good idea to mix it up.
 
You are right - I am trying to mix things up. Tomorrow my gym is hosting this class that is a cross between yoga & pilates, by the sounds of it should be perfect! Bodypump looks a bit scary - can first time numpties join these classes?

Theocat said:
If you're going to the gym five times a week, you're definitely better off mixing up different types of exercise. I'd do one or two Pilates classes a week, something with weights (I do body pump and love it - much better than trying to motivate myself to do weights on my own!) and try to do some different cardio - swimming, running, bike. You aren't doing yourself any favours, fitness-wise, sticking to the same thing all the time - your body will adapt so you don't get the same benefits, and there will be muscles than simply aren't getting worked by sticking with one form of exercise.

Diet-wise, I've cut out (am trying to cut out!) wheat, potatoes, dairy, sugar, caffeine and alcohol, and I've noticed a huge difference in how I feel -plenty of energy, my skin is better, I'm sleeping better, as well as helping me to lose weight. Adding some brown rice will be good. Are you drinking enough? Dehydration can sap energy levels.
Click to expand...
 
Daydreamer, I am going to the place you have suggested. She is absolutely fabulous - 45 min private lesson and I am spent! Brilliant for confidence and she puts the jumps right up :)

I am going to have to google cagefitness as I have no idea what this is!

daydreamer said:
SJer1 - I sent you a pm a while bak when you were looking for somewhere to ride - where did you end up going??

With regard to fitness I have been doing cagefitness classes twice a week for a couple of months and my fitness has improved :-)
Click to expand...
 
I completely agree with you NZJenny - I should mention, due to health issues I do keep to a relatively strict/healthy diet that should follow most rules of the paleo diet. I think I will just add a few more carbs to help keep the energy levels up.

NZJenny said:
Diet = Die with T on the end.

If you can't do it for the rest of your life, it is a waste of time. I know so many people who were "doing" paleo last year, but, funny, not this year and fatter than when they started.

Just saying.

Eat well, but a chocolate ice cream once a week never killed anyone.
Click to expand...
 
Yes, defo add some clean carbs in to try and get more energy.

I will try and add planks, bridges etc to my routine. Remember doing this ages ago from Bootcamp (and I remember being very sore afterwards!). Kick boxing sounds a bit extreme but will look into it :)

ClobellsandBaubles said:
From the sounds of it if you are not getting enough energy for riding then adding more carbs in prior to exercise I am not that familiar with the paleo diet but I think sweet potato is good ?? Maybe some brown rice, porridge etc. Maybe you need to increase the calories a wee bit on riding days. Just an idea I am no expert.

I find riding benefits from core stability exercises especially in the areas you are feeling sore (pilates is excellent for this) things like the plank, bridge, side bridge, superman are easy to add in if you have a gym routine (easily googleable lots of physios use them) I also really like kick boxing and combat type classes as an entertaining way of doing strength, cardio and core exercises most gyms have them. Circuits with weights would also help but I find them boring after a while :P Fitness can plateau if you maintain the same routine so it's a good idea to mix it up.
Click to expand...
 
If your gym has a powerplate give it a try - it was a bit of a fad a while ago, but is genuinely useful for core strength. Ask a PT to show you.
 
You're riding at a much higher lever than I am, but I do quite a bit of fitness stuff. Outside of riding, I also cycle. Try to get out on the road a couple of times a week and I also have a turbo trainer for my bike in the conservatory, and do a road race or time trial training DVD a further couple of times. The Yoga Journal website is great for yoga videos, and you can pick a practise depending on what you want to work on. If you get the right practise, it is good for your fitness and can work you really hard. Some of the core and back strengthening exercises, and the hip openers, are proper workouts. I try to do that a couple of times a week too, and I also do quite a lot of walking.

Even just cycling more, which does require good core strength, has helped my riding enormously. Also helps general fitness - I can now finish my XC course without really being out of breath whereas last summer I was exhausted half way around.
 
Swimming is a great one for getting 'riding fit' - it uses the same muscle groups in your legs, shouders and back when doing breast stroke.

30 lengths 3 x a week will make a huge difference (and only takes 35 mins) :)
 
I echo the swimming comments, I took the kids yesterday and swam quite a few lengths and mucked about treading water, diving etc and I ache all over today, but my tummy definitely looks flatter !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top