Lifting Weights & Wakeboarding

LSEGHATCH · Outlaw Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Posts: 114

I've been lifting since late March and have heard that building strong leg muscles can prevent or help prevent injuries such as torn ACL's and others. Anyone else hear this, I know it can help with riding and such but not sure about preventing injuries.

-relk- · Newbie Joined: 24 Jul 2006 Posts: 20

stretching will help you prevent your injuries. It will make you more flexible therefore your muscles wont be as prone to injury.

koltman · Addict Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 902 City: Sydney/Orlando

yep stronger muscles and flexability will greatly reduce your chance of injury. Plus its good for general health. But one thing to keep in mind is to build up those stabaliser muscles, so things like balance boards and medicine ball excercises are really good.

option21105 · Criminal Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 59 City: Chattanooga

i have heard this too from multiple soucres

tonality · Soul Rider Joined: 20 Aug 2004 Posts: 435 City: DFW

I have one word for you:

one-legged squats.

wait...that didn't work like i thought.

Anyway, start small (no weight), stick one leg out in front (might want a wall handy to balance) and do one legged squats. Give me the guy pumping 600lbs with squats, and have him try one and his leg will shake like a crack baby. The stabilizers around your knees will go NUTS, and once those are steady, you can kiss knee injuries goodbye..your chances of them are severely reduced.

Work your way up, start with what i said above, then work up to one leg with the olympic bar ( a good tip here is to have a chair or something behind you, squat down till your butt touches and lift back up...much safer if you're alone) as well as doing 2-legged squats on the stability ball (start VERY light, possibly no weight on those as well at first)

You'll be surprised by how weak you really are at first Smile

but they gain very quickly.

Additionally, this will take away any prior knee pains, reduce chances for arthritis and tendonitis, etc...because it's all muscle doing the work and very little tendon, which is only supposed to be there as a backup and support structure, not as the primary restraint. Think of tendons as the airbags of your legs...you still want the muscle (seatbelt) attached and working first and foremost.

BoarderX · Posted: Jul 27, 2006 1:24 pm Post subject:

Yes that was the first thing my doc told me after i wrecked my MCL.. more leg workouts. Not too much weight but high repitition. Full range exercises too. Make sure you get the stablizer muscles built up and not just the big guns or you're not doing yourself any favors.

5280HighButter · Soul Rider Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 258 City: Littleton

You also need to lift heavy weight to really build your muscles. Once you are used to lifting start doing 5 sets of 5 reps or so. Stay away from machines they won't build stabilizers at all, Squat, Squat and Squat. Don't use a smith machine for squatting either cause it doesn't work stabilizers. Now if only you could strengthen an ankle.........

kmagnuss · Posted: Jul 27, 2006 6:09 pm Post subject:

For an ankle, just spell the alphabet in the air with your foot while you are sitting around doing nothing. It helps nagging injuries.