Improve Your Flexibility for Snowboard Grabs, Tweaks & Pokes
Diversity of style is a major part of snowboarding, and something that lets us all stand out as individuals when we ride. One way of letting this diversity shine is by tossing grabs, tweaks, and pokes into our freestyle riding routines. This guide focuses on improving your flexibility for these maneuvers, but you don’t have to be a freestyle freak to benefit from the routine that follows. Even riders who prefer carving corduroy to launching off knuckles, will reap benefits from improved flexibility for snowboarding.
- Deep Squat Hold: 1 minute
- Seated Straddle Reach: 30 seconds per side
- Banded (or towel) Hamstring Pulls: 10 reps per side
- Dynamic Pigeon Stretch: 5 reps holding for 5 seconds per side
- Supine Leg Crossover Stretch: 30 seconds per side
1) Improve Flexibility for Snowboarding: Deep Squat Hold
You’ll find squats in many of our snowboard fitness series articles because they’re just so damn effective for improving strength and flexibility for riding. But because we’re specifically focused on flexibility in this guide, we won’t be repping squats, but instead holding ourselves at the bottom of a deep squat. This improves hip, ankle, knee, lower back, and hip mobility while also developing strength in the glutes, quads, and core.
How to do a Deep Squat Hold: Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Begin in a standing position with your feet roughly hip-width apart and your toes turned slightly outward.
Step 2: Lower into a squat, bending at the knees and hips simultaneously, so you can sink straight down. Make sure to keep your back straight, your hips level, and your heels planted on the ground.
Step 3: Maintain a tight core and keep your chest facing forward, do not round your back.
Step 4 (optional): If you can get low enough while maintaining a straight back, place your elbows inside your knees and push outward to open the hips further.
Step 5: Remain at the bottom of the squat for 1 minute, and when finished, stand up straight, maintaining a tight core and straight (neutral) back.
2) Improve Flexibility for Snowboarding: Seated Straddle Reach
Having tight hamstrings hinders your ability to perform grabs, tweaks, and pokes with ease, so we like to incorporate banded hamstring pulls into this routine to keep things loose. Conveniently, this movement does more than just improve flexibility, it also increases hamstring activation, reduces your likelihood of injury, and improves functional strength. That’s a whole lot of benefits.
How to Do a Side Plank Reach-under: Step-by-step Instructions
Equipment: Large resistance band, lightweight full-sized towel, or small blanket.
Step 1: Begin laying flat on your back on a soft surface like a carpeted floor, yoga mat, or grassy field.
Step 2: Using your towel or resistance band, loop it around the bottom of your right foot while maintaining tension so that it does not slip off.
Step 3: Grabbing the band or towel with both hands, pull it toward yourself, allowing your right leg to rise into the air. Make sure to keep your hips planted on the ground.
Step 4: Find the position where you experience a good stretch in your hamstring, but don’t go so far as to cause pain. Hold this stretch for three to five seconds while breathing deeply.
Step 5: Slowly lower your leg to the ground, keeping the band or towel in place around the bottom of your foot, then repeat the stretch nine more times.
Step 6: Now, switch to your left leg and perform the banded hamstring pull stretch ten more times
3) Improve Flexibility for Snowboarding: Dynamic Pigeon Stretch
Pigeon pose is a classic yoga movement for opening up the hips while simultaneously stretching the glutes and hip flexors. Because so many of our movements in snowboarding originate from our hips and pelvis, this dynamic version of pigeon pose is beneficial for us, after, but especially before riding. If your mobility prevents you from performing this movement, you can use a pillow or yoga block under your glutes for some extra support.
How to do the Dynamic Pigeon Stretch: Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Begin on all fours with hands directly under shoulders; knees directly under hips.
Step 2: Maintain a flat back and engage your core, bringing your right knee forward toward your right wrist. Ideally, you should get your shin orientated somewhere in the range of 45-90 degrees to your hips.
*Modification: You can put a pillow or yoga block under your right glute to support your pelvis if you’re struggling to get it on the floor.
Step 3: Extend your left leg back behind you, extending your toes so that the top of your foot lays flat on the ground.
Step 4: Keep your hips squared to your shoulders and your chest lifted, pointing forward.
Step 5: Now we add in the dynamic motion.
- Inhale, slightly lifting your chest.
- Exhale for five seconds, slowly shifting your hips back and down to gently increase the intensity of the stretch.
- Inhale, rocking forward slightly while lifting your hips to release tension and ease the stretch.
Repeat this rhythm five times, taking a full five seconds on each exhale to sit in the deepest part of the stretch.
Step 6: Now switch sides and perform the same stretch on the other side of your body.
4) Improve Flexibility for Snowboarding: Supine Leg Crossover Stretch
The supine leg crossover stretch targets the lower back, glutes, and hips with a gentle, relaxing twisting movement that is performed laying on the floor. It can relieve lower back tension, improve spinal mobility, and promote relaxation. It also stretches the glutes, IT bands, and outer hips, so can be performed before and after riding for a double benefit.
How to Perform the Supine Leg Crossover Stretch: Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Begin laying flat on your back on a comfortable surface like a yoga mat. Extend your arms outward in a “T” position and keep your legs straight with your feet together.
Step 2: Bring your right knee toward your chest, hugging it with your arms.
Step 3: Now, guide your knee across your body toward the floor (to the left of your torso). Maintain contact with your right shoulder and the ground, this will ensure proper spinal rotation.
Step 4: Slowly turn your head to the right to increase spinal rotation.
Step 5: Breath deeply in the stretch, holding for 30 seconds before returning to center.
Step 6: Perform the stretch on the opposite of your body, holding for an additional 30 seconds.