who would have guessed wind tunnels are so exhusting :)

[alp27 0]

prior to me starting AFF in the summer I did 10 minutes in a wind tunnel @ Airkix in Manchester yesterday to try and learn a good arch and stability. First off I can highly recommend the guys and girls there. Awesome tuition and a great bunch of people. Plus Cat our instructor has MAD freeflying skills as she proved at the end of the tunnel time.

What suprised me though was how tiring it is doing 5 x two minute sessions over 20 minutes. By the final 2 minutes I was aching and was almost too knackered to maintain concentration, its a good job freefall is no longer than a minute ;)

Also all today my lower back and arm muscles are aching like i've been punched... is this normal? and which exercises can I do to build the muscles up that are most used in free fall?

Cheers alp27

Everyone dies.... not everyone lives!!

[Joellercoaster 6]

The aching is definitely normal. You're using your body in ways that normal life just doesn't do.

Like you say though, tunnel is a lot more extended than skydiving, and the demands are different in terms of endurance. You won't get that pumped from jumping.

Press-ups help with the arms and chest. So does yoga or Pilates, for the lower back stuff (and warming your back up before tunnel is definitely recommended).

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[rehmwa 2]

"knackered" is a funny term

with just a little general fitness, the tunnel stuff shouldn't be too bad for 15-30 minutes a day - more than that, it depends on the individual and how they deal with it

ibuprofen isn't a bad idea ahead of time

a BETTER idea is lots of water and stretching and getting fit ahead of time in whatever way gives you results

...
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

[alp27 0]

Thanks for the advice guys...

knackered is a british term LOL... i guess it is knida funny.

I will try and work on the muscles and get them used to the stresses that will hopefully be common place after AFF.

I gotta say tho it was wicked to get the chance to practice a good arch and stable body position prior to doing AFF 1... its a totally different sensation to tandem in that the slightest movements have great effect.

heres a pic of my poor attempt LOL

Everyone dies.... not everyone lives!!

[SPAWNmaster 0]

Wait till you start freeflying in the tunnel. I didn't realize how out of shape I was until I started sitflying in the tunnel...10 minutes of sit and I was "knackered" last time I was at SVNH...was playing on my back for the rest of my 15 minutes.

[d123 1]

Unless you're doing back!

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

Yep!! Also, the walls are really hard! Once you get more than one person at a time flying... the walls take on much more significance!

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[simplechris 0]

I've been doing 30 mins a day at SVCO. 10 min sessions flying 5 2 min sessions in each. All sitflying for 3 days. Well that is unitl I cant sit and then I go to transitions from back to belly for a few mins. Needless to say after 3 days I'm beat lol. Stretching is a really big help as well as water.

[alp27 0]

Quote

I've been doing 30 mins a day at SVCO. 10 min sessions flying 5 2 min sessions in each. All sitflying for 3 days. Well that is unitl I cant sit and then I go to transitions from back to belly for a few mins. Needless to say after 3 days I'm beat lol. Stretching is a really big help as well as water.

Thanks for the advice... I think I will try and do a further 10 mins prior to starting AFF. :)

Everyone dies.... not everyone lives!!

[Chrisky 0]

When first starting to fly sit in the tunnel, I was wiped after 20 minutes. Stretching, as painful as it may be makes it much easier. Adding a bit of magnesium to the water you take into the tunnel also makes a big difference. Hydrate often.

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[soulbabel 0]

A large factor that tends to tire you out, is you aren't used to using your muscles in that manner. This usually causes you to fly really tensed up and you end up overusing your muscles to maintain whatever posture your trying to learn (especially in sit and hd).

As you progress, you learn to fly your body more efficiently, and use only the muscle input you really need, while the rest of your body flies pretty relaxed.

I'm not saying conditioning isn't important (it helps alot), but that technique will definitely prevent you from tiring out too quickly. For instance, sitflying used to leave my arms completely weak after a short period of time, but now, I can fly sit almost all day long. This is because I rely more on my back and head to maintain the majority of the lift, while my arms are there to fine tune my flying, take docks, etc.

[GrahamClarke 0]

Agreed 100%! It takes a while to stop fighting the wind and instead to go with it.

I've done 4 hrs over 3 days recently without any issues, when I first started even 15 minutes was tiring. Several times now I've also flown 30 minutes without even leaving the tunnel.

[alp27 0]

I've just got some great advice and it appears I have been arching my chest and not at the hips, no wonder I hurt lol. Cheers for all the advice guys. Can't wait to put it into practice during aff :)

Everyone dies.... not everyone lives!!