4 Exercises With A Skateboard That May Or May Not Make You a Stronger Paddler... But Will Spice Up Y

Alright, These videos are all about spicing up your strength work a bit. Not all of us have access to fancy gym equipment, but many of us are board sports enthusiasts and have at least one skateboard laying around. So why not use it to make out bodies a little stronger for paddling.

The 4 videos below contain 4 different exercises working different parts of the body. I actually chose these 4 exercises due to their potential for strengthening a few of our SUP specific muscles and movements. These are not recommendations, just me playing with movement and keeping entertained. There are a lot of ways you can strengthen these muscles that do not involve a skateboard. Try them at your own risk..

Exercise 1:

The skateboard push up. In this video you will see 3 push up variations starting at easiest and ending at the hardest. The thing I like about this particular push up for paddlers is that the arm that is on the skateboard will maintain a constant downward pressure. On the way out it is about control and deceleration. As you engage and bring the skateboard back towards you the Triceps, Lats and Core engage very similar to the downward pressure we keep on our paddle from the catch all the way through the power phase of the stroke. Bonus the arm you can not see is doing a traditional push up motion, making sure you do not miss chest day bro..

Exercise 2:

This is a take on a classic knee tuck and pike exercise. Again in this video I progress the exercise from easiest to hardest variations. The knee tuck/ pike will help strengthen core stability along with strong hip flexion. Again from the catch of the paddle stroke through the mid power stroke we are creating downward force on the paddle. Watch any great paddler and you will see them using their core and strong hip flexion to create that force.

Exercise 3:

The skater lunge exercise is progressed through increased range of motion. Start small and progressively challenge how far you can slide the rear leg back while maintaining a strong and stable front leg. This lunge has several benefits to paddlers. First it has a bit of a balance challenge to it. My favorite part however is the stretch and strength combination of this movement. The front hip goes through full hip extension at the standing position not unlike the finish of a strong paddle stroke. We are constantly hearing engage your hips for power. This will strengthen the glutes and hammys well for that specific purpose. This exercise also stretches those sometimes over used hip flexor muscles that we get from spending too much time in the flexed position from paddling.

Exercise 4:

The skateboard hip bridge and hammy curl. Again an exercise that focuses on our posterior chain. These muscles are the power center of the human body in many ways. Strong glutes and hammys equals less knee and back issues over time. Again in this video I demonstrate 3 progressions. The last is a bit subtle. I start with just a basic hip bridge. I then move into a leg curl. Notice on the leg curl both my hip and knees are bending. In the final version my hips stay straight while I focus solely on bending at the knees.

So if you have a skateboard laying around give them a try. In all honesty these can all be done with a dishrag on a hard floor or really anything that can move or slide. I am just a board sports guy so I figured why not include one of my favorite pass times into my home gym.... Have fun and get Strong!!