Snowboarding works many different muscles in your body. It’s a great lower body workout that involves your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. It also activates the core muscles because you need to stay balanced and engaged while riding.
I’m a lifelong snowboarder, and I plan on riding until I’m old and grey. Part of the reason I love the sport so much is because it’s a solid workout. I know through first-hand experience what muscles it involves.
In this post, I’ll explain what muscles snowboarding works. I’ll explain how different types of riding can affect your muscle groups and provide you with some information to keep in mind when you’re riding.
Let’s get after it.
Contents
The Muscles Involved in Snowboarding
Snowboarding can be a pretty strenuous activity. And that means you will put a lot of your muscles to work when you are riding.
The muscles in your lower body are the main ones used when snowboarding. You are engaging your legs nearly the entire time you ride, so all of the muscle groups below your belt will get worked out on the slopes.
Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves are part of the lower body that gets worked out really well when snowboarding. Think about your snowboarding stance. Now stand up and get into that stance. Do you feel all of these muscles engaging?
As you crouch down and lean into your turns, you’ll use slightly different muscles. But they all work together to keep you balanced and in control. Many snowboarders will have sore legs after a full day of riding.
But your lower body muscles are not the only ones that snowboarding works. Riding also affects your abs, core, and even your heart. That’s right, your heart is a muscle – and a crucial one at that.
Your abs work when you are balancing on your board. Just the simple act of standing up requires some ab strength to see how this increases when you stand up and start sliding down a mountain.
And your heart gets worked out because snowboarding also involves cardio. The harder you ride, the harder your heart needs to work to pump blood to your muscles. This is especially true at higher elevations.
Snowboarding as Exercise
Any way you look at it, snowboarding is good exercise. You will get your lower body muscles and abs a good workout and can also make it a pretty strenuous cardio workout if you want to.
But it’s also one of my favorite forms of exercise because it is so much fun. It’s a lot better than just running on the treadmill or going to the gym, right?!
FAQs
Here are a few short answers to some of the most commonly asked questions relating to what muscles snowboarding works.
Is snowboarding a good workout?
Snowboarding can be an excellent workout. The harder you go, the more results you will see like any other activity. But snowboarding will give the muscles in your lower body a great pump while also building cardio endurance.
Is snowboarding good for building muscle?
Snowboarding can help you build muscle and tone up. It will not give you the same results as getting in the weight room, but your legs and other lower body muscles will benefit from getting out there on the slopes.
Does snowboarding build abs?
Snowboarding can be a solid ab exercise. You need to use your abs to help you stay balanced and in control of your board. Many people think that snowboarding only affects your lower body, but your abs also often come into play.
What is a better workout skiing or snowboarding?
There isn’t a straightforward answer to this one. Both skiing and snowboarding can be a great workout, but it always depends on how hard you can go. If you are a snowboarder, that will be a better workout than skiing. They are both pretty similar as a workout.
Final Thoughts
Snowboarding is a strenuous activity that works out all of your lower body muscles. It also works out your abs and heart, muscles that most riders don’t think of when they are out in the snow.
Snowboarding is always good for your body and mind, so get out there and have some fun!
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