Roll Tack gym workout

[LTFF]

Does anyone know of any guy workouts or exercises I could do to improve my roll tack in the laser? I know practicing in the boat is best but it’s tough to do this time of year when the water and air are barely above freezing and you’re still prone to capsizing

 

[onepointfivethumbs]

Build hiking bench. Use.

Leg and core strength are the biggest physical building blocks in hiking dinghies. 

Planks, crunches, incline sit-ups, med ball twists, back extensions all good for core strength.

Calf raises, flutter kicks, squats, box jumps/step ups are good for legs, especially in the laser where you're mashing your calf into the side of the cockpit.

 

[xonk1]

Do as multi-olympic champion Paul Elvstrom did for many years: Get a hiking bench with similar proportions and shape to your Laser ( he raced a Finn ), get on it in the full-hiked position and eat you breakfast with the plates and bowls balanced on your stomach, read the paper, then just hike for another hour. No one will eclipse Paul's records because no one will work that hard. Enjoy your boat at any level.  

 

[tillerman]

Build hiking bench. Use.

Leg and core strength are the biggest physical building blocks in hiking dinghies. 

Planks, crunches, incline sit-ups, med ball twists, back extensions all good for core strength.

Calf raises, flutter kicks, squats, box jumps/step ups are good for legs, especially in the laser where you're mashing your calf into the side of the cockpit.

 

[martin 'hoff]

First: a standard abs + core workout. There's a ton of them out there.

I'd only go to the custom hiking bench lenghts if I had the standard workout licked. First things first...

 

[LTFF]

Thanks Y’all!! I’ve been lifting regularly for a few months now and I built a hiking bench 2 weeks ago and I have a lot of work to do that things brutal. I’ve only been in the laser for a few months so I’m trying to do everything I can to catch up. What would be a good time to work up to on the hiking bench?

 

[FromTheRail]

I used to have a hiking bench in my youth, used to watch tv from it, read books, study etc, was the exact dimension of my Laser, I even set up a fake mainsheet with bungee system to replicate sailing and the loads as much as possible.

If you want a real workout though, go out sailing on a day when there is no wind, set up a small course and get your way around the course by only roll taking, you'll learn a lot about the technique you need and it's very hard work so will be a great workout.

 

[LTFF]

If you want a real workout though, go out sailing on a day when there is no wind, set up a small course and get your way around the course by only roll taking, you'll learn a lot about the technique you need and it's very hard work so will be a great workout.

Looks like I’ll be making the most of the 1-3kts forecast Sunday 

 

[onepointfivethumbs]

Thanks Y’all!! I’ve been lifting regularly for a few months now and I built a hiking bench 2 weeks ago and I have a lot of work to do that things brutal. I’ve only been in the laser for a few months so I’m trying to do everything I can to catch up. What would be a good time to work up to on the hiking bench?

Standard one-mile W4 Olympic triangle, assuming you're going 4-5 knots, but your VMG is probably closer to 3 kts because of that whole tacking thing means 2x 15-20 minute legs per race. I'd think Goody or Slingsby or Giles could probably go for close to an hour. 

 

[Dogfish4255]

therail is right about the light air work.  Pick a day when the water is finally warm, if your'e doing this right, you'll end up swimming a bunch in the beginning (I'm overdue for this training).  Roll tack is all about technique, timing, and time-in-the-boat.  The gym won't make you better at roll tacking . . . it'll just keep you from actually hurting yourself as often as you might otherwise.

There are a few interesting white-paper style articles regarding hiking, and the interesting thing is that they both point to maximum leg extension strength as a leading indicator of ultimate hiking ability, which is what you get from the bench.  Spend as much time on stretching, flexibility and agility work as you do on overall strength.

Finish every workout with weighted wall sit, 3 to 4 rounds.