0
Ramzisleiman

How fit should a skydiver be?

Recommended Posts

Just like most extreme sports, physical fitness is very important to handle the sport and stay safe.
So how fit should a skydiver be? I know you can not be overweight and all that, but i am not talking about the general rules for safety, i am talking about a normal skydiver.
I am sure most if not all skydivers practice other different sports, but do you think there should be minimal physical fitness to practice this sport? Like maybe having a strong core? or Legs for landing?
Thanks

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I am 57, not overweight, and not all that fit. If don't keep my core muscles toned, I can do several jumps in one day and it makes me sore. If I want to do 7 wingsuit jumps in one day, packing for myself, with little rest between jumps, I am getting tired at the end of the day and my performance suffers.

Stamina and tone are what I need to do what I want to do. I have seen people younger than me that can't keep the pace, going hard all day. So it does take some stamina. If a person jumps 2 or 3 times per weekend, then fitness is less of an issue.
Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It's kind of self regulating, isn't it?
If you can do 15 tandems a day, day after day, in 30C heat then maybe you do that. If you're older and less fit or are an overexcited newbie and are wiped after 3 jumps (and 3 packjobs!), then that's how much you do.

One could go on about different parts of the body -- suffice to say that generally any level of fitness, strength, and endurance helps. (But leg strength really isn't all that important.) Plenty of pretty ordinary or chubby or older people jump. We're not out to beat Jay Stokes.

You ever jumped??

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

good question...
and we SHOULD be realistic in determining our B|
own "fitness"...
generally speaking,,,, the better condition one is IN... the easier/safer their experience will be.

Chub-a-Lubs can get by, on a tandem, because most of the WORK is done by others....;)
On solo jumps, it's a different story...

Start when you're young & fit, and chances are better, than IF you begin when you Might BE older and Less fit.... ( not to say that Age and UNfitness ALWAYS go together... ) ( I bet Jack LaLanne (sp). could do a great job )

as for What Part of the body ??? needs to be In Good Shape??
easy..... Your Brain !!! :P

jmy

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
jimmytavino

.... Your Brain !!! :P

jmy



Well said, Jimmy. The best asset is clear thinking and quick decision-making ability.
Flexibility is very important, in addition to strength. Yoga conditioning and pre-jump stretching go a long way toward preventing injury.

Kevin K.
_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I'm not in great shape, but I wouldn't want to be much more out of shape than I was when I started either. You do need to be able to walk around and climb up an airplane ladder with a 40 pound student rig on. Freefall and flying the canopy aren't a huge physical effort. High pulls and wingsuit flying are both a bit more work. First time I did 6 minutes in the tunnel I was sore for three days. Now I can do 20 in there and won't feel it at all the next day. A lot of that was me making it a lot harder than it needed to be, though. Freefall's more about balance, precision and control than muscle. If you try to just muscle your way through the air, you're gonna have a bad time.
I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Depends on what you want to do.

High-level competition? Get doing yoga/stretching and have a pretty decent level of cardio fitness.

All you want to do is fall out of a plane, grin at yer mates, and have a beer afterwards? If you're not morbidly obese or too small+light to pull the toggles down, you'll be fine.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ramzisleiman

...I am not extremely athletic but i am flexible and have a strong core and good endurance.
Thanks



You should be fine.

The plane does most of the work, gravity does the rest.

Flexibility is probably the most important thing, but (not too surprisingly) the bigger you are, the less flexibility you need.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Taken from Empuria homepage: http://www.skydiveempuriabrava.com/en/beginners-skydiving-courses/

Quote

You must present a medical certificate specifying that you are fit to do sport.
Minimum age for skydiving is 16 years old. Under-18s must present notarised parental consent.
The weight limit is 98 kg.


Stay within the weight limit and you will be fine. Making a good jump is more about listening to your instructors, planning your jump and keeping in mind that the canopy ride is just as important as the free fall.

Staying in shape is just a bonusB|

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ramzisleiman

Just like most extreme sports, physical fitness is very important to handle the sport and stay safe.
So how fit should a skydiver be? I know you can not be overweight and all that, but i am not talking about the general rules for safety, i am talking about a normal skydiver.
I am sure most if not all skydivers practice other different sports, but do you think there should be minimal physical fitness to practice this sport? Like maybe having a strong core? or Legs for landing?
Thanks



Just because we all participate in an "extreme" sport, it sure doesn't make all of us "extreme" athletes. I think the jumper's mind has to be in much better shape than the jumper's body.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
While it's not regulated like being the pilot of an aircraft, it's probably not a horrible idea to use that as a basic guideline. There will always be exceptions, but as a general guideline reasonable eyesight, free of neurological and heart conditions.

I'm not sure eyesight needs to rise quite to the standard of a class 3 medical for pilots (correctable to 20/20), but it should be reasonable to expect eyesight good enough to spot and avoid traffic. There have been blind skydivers, but RARE exceptions.

Heart and neurological should be fairly obvious.

A person probably also wants to be in at least good enough condition to run out a landing. Ultimately a person can get by with less mobility, but being able to run out a landing it's an unreasonable personal requirement. Having to slide in on your ass all the time has other risks involved.

A person should have reasonable strength in their upper body. Enough to hang on rear risers for an extended period of time if required. Again, it's possible to get by with less, but the one time you really need to hang on rear risers, you'll be happy you can.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
jclalor

Just because we all participate in an "extreme" sport, it sure doesn't make all of us "extreme" athletes. I think the jumper's mind has to be in much better shape than the jumper's body.



Look around the DZ. We'd be winning in many places if we kept pace with the fitness of baseball pitchers, car racers, perhaps bowlers and many golfers.

Yes, I do take exception with the word 'sport' for skydiving - same as the above list.

but that's "is" vs "should" (I'd prefer my students show up fit. But I prefer everyone on the planet take health and fitness seriously, didn't stink of cigarettes and coffee, etc. But that's a losing battle also.) No matter what the activity, health and fitness and flexibility is a benefit. Skydiving disciplines are no exceptions.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Skydiving is a piece of cake physically compared to my experiences driving 60 laps at a time around Talladega multiple times at 180+ mph or 80 laps at Bristol. I cannot speak for baseball pitchers, golfers, or bowlers because I just don't have enough experience with those activities.

Judy
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Fitness is important. The first and most obvious is keeping a reasonable weight (which you have) which makes buying gear a lot easier since big boy rigs don't sell very frequently but the real critical issue for exit weight is being able to fall at a reasonable speed when deploying your canopy.

Aside from that, fitness is good for accomplishing your goals and avoiding injury. Fitness is more than just cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength. Generally being athletic is important because athletics (whether running, aerobics, crossfit, weight training, or team sports) build and maintain neuromuscular junctions and your nervous system is a key component to strength since the muscle is useless without the signal to fire that muscle. Aside from having good muscle tone and coordination, you will have higher bone density from working out especially if your workouts involve some impact. Even low/no impact training will help since contracting muscles contract against your skeletal system. A good bone density can mean the difference between breaking a femur and walking away with a dirty jumpsuit. Coordination is built through repeating specific activities frequently. I having a semi weekly regimen of using weights and PT bands to mimic skydiving inputs so I can build muscle memory for free instead of 24 dollars for 50 seconds of training. I'm hopelessly addicted...

You don't need a high level of fitness to obtain a license, but you will enjoy skydiving a lot more and be a lot safer by being fit.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
GLIDEANGLE

Quote

How fit should a skydiver be?



The skydiver should fit in the plane.



PIISFISH

Being epileptic is not recommended




two winning answers

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
skyjumpenfool

***

Quote

How fit should a skydiver be?



The skydiver should fit in the plane.


Sure! But, the problem is, some don't leave room for the rest of us to "fit in the plane". :P

Yeah.

We had a guy (instructor actually) who we used to kid for "increasing his wingloading without changing canopies."

And when he was one of 4 stuffed into the 182, we'd often sing "Fat guy in a little plane" while taxiing out (Anyone else remember "Tommy Boy"?)
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0