humanflite 0 #1 July 9, 2010 Apart from the obvious one of doing loads more tunnel.....(meaing loads more $$$) does anyone have any good exercises or exercise types to do for tunnel strength and fitness. I do all round cardio and situps, pullups etc but Im wanting more specific stuff relating to long sessions of head up flying in the tunnel. meaning more bang per buck when I go!! thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skreamer 1 #2 July 14, 2010 I think high intensity interval cardio training (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training) can be invaluable for a quick recovery when doing 2 in 2 out rotations. Steady state cardio is good for stamina for long days training. For strength training anything that works the shoulders (particularly pushups and pullups, safer than maybe using too high weights) and helps protect the rotator cuffs would be good. For general flexibility and strengthening the core something like yoga or pilates would be good. You can buy a foam roller cheap and do some basic pilates exercises at home that would be good for strengthening the lower back. As your technique improves your shoulders will take less strain flying head up, however anything you do to protect the rotator cuffs now will benefit you down the line (particularly if you use risers when flying your canopy). Any good flying is initiated from the core not the extremities (it doesn't matter what the wings are doing if the fuselage isn't presented correctly). For me cycling to work gives me a pretty good basic level of fitness, I just add some gym time to supplement it strength wise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itchy 0 #3 July 14, 2010 flying in the tunnel works out so many different muscle groups at once that its hard to pinpoint a particular group to work out... however, i would recommend trying non-conventional exercises... think of the relative wind and where it is hitting on your body in a certain body position... drawing this out (stick figures) in the position your body would be in helps a lot as a point of reference, then draw vertical lines (as if it were the wind) throughout to see where the wind would be hitting your body... after that, come up with an exercise that would counteract the "wind" ex: for working out your shoulders for sit-flying: hook up resistance bands/ bungee cords to the roof which in this case would simulate the wind (2 for each arm ) one band goes around your forearm and the other around your bicep with your arms bent at a 45-90deg angle(put padding or wrap the bands with a towel, so it doesnt kill your arms) then squat down as if you were sitflying, causing the bands to stretch and pull up... remain in the sit position and move your arms up and down at a slow speed, as if you were flopping your wings doing repetitions... by remaining in the sit position, it would also help you develop those upper back/shoulder muscles you never knew existed and will work out your thighs... I hope this helps... let us know what you decide or what ends up working for you... Blue ones *ItchyLife is all about experiences... Luck, is when opportunity and preparation meet... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pedrinr656 0 #4 August 20, 2010 Itchy it's look like a very good exercise could you please post a picture of it? I'm interested in doing it, maybe that help a lot when training in the wind tunnel, and thanks for the tips Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itchy 0 #5 August 21, 2010 i`ll see wat i can do as far as a pic... it may be a few days though as i am currently out of town...Life is all about experiences... Luck, is when opportunity and preparation meet... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrdiko 0 #6 September 18, 2010 I would imagine doing some trampoline time would help. The key is to train intervals similar to that of your tunnel times. And then you must ask, why are you doing the tunnel training. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wicodefly 0 #7 June 29, 2015 I know that this is an old thread. Since then there are some new things available. These are more oriented for freeflying/static and dynamic. IBA Website Tunnel Fitness http://tunnelflight.com/flying-fitness/ Body flight Exercise DVD available at a a Chuting Star and probably elsewhere. It is from Brazil but you can select English by using SAP. I am still working in through it but it seems good so far and is a quality production. https://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/body-flight-exercises-dvd In general some Yoga or something similar is good for balance. Cardio, strength and mobility work help too as does soft tissue work like foam rolling and bands.Chance favors the prepared mind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wan2doit 6 #8 June 29, 2015 Maybe go swimming in a river with very bad rapids. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
achikin 0 #9 June 29, 2015 +1 for swimming pool. I find it very useful for increasing tunnel stamina. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigBUG 0 #10 June 29, 2015 1) loose weight. 2) anything that increases your flexibility, general stamina etc. You do not need big muscles to fly in the tunnel and you shouldn't rely much on your physical strenght to do it. 3) there shouldn't be 'long head up sessions'. As soon as you exhausted, there is no reason to continue and you are wasting your money. Good coach will switch to less energy-consuming exersices, while still developing your body awarness and better feet/lower legs/head control. For example, flying good back-belly and belly-back transitions, doing barrel rolls and flying low-speed headup carving will increase your head-up flying skills way more that just trying to sit-flying over and over again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cruelpops 0 #11 June 29, 2015 There are a lot of different exercises you can do but one suggestion is to include more stretching exercises; especially those concentrating on your back. Whether you're in the tunnel or in the air - your back is the key. Arch, de-arch, sit-fly (straight back); exits and head-down all are contingent upon back strength. As you get older your back takes the extent of the beating which causes additional injuries to your lower extremities and it can definitely create problems for your neck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites