Rider fitness

[Bem55]

Hi,

Is there anyone here who goes to the gym or does other work for their fitness? I am wanting to improve my fitness and have been going to the gym for classes. I want to branch out a little bit more and add in weights and other exercises but I’m unsure where to begin.

Does anyone here do anything similar? What muscle groups do you focus on? I am looking at getting a PT for a while to help get me started - the flip side of that is that I need to be able to explain to her what I want to target and need help with. I’ve been racking my brains but I feel like dressage really requires the help of all major muscle groups plus stability.

For context I also work full time, have two horses in work and ride about 8 times a week!

Many thanks for any suggestions

[hut-ho78]

Betsy Steiner has a book out on rider and horse fitness and promotes Equilates, there are a couple of Pilates books geared for dressage riders. Susanne Von Dietze has a book out Back to Back for horse and rider. I ended up in physical therapy and some Firm tapes came with the ball and stretchy bands. A lot of my dressage buddies do Pilates and Yoga. I have the Betsy Steiner and Susanne Vin Dietz books.

[lorilu]

I do yoga twice a week (an active class, we sweat and stretch… great for my balance too) , a Pilates mat class, and a Pilates equipment session. I added the equipment session last year and it has really made a difference in my strength and symmetry.

[dressagegirl123]

I work out with a personal trainer 3 times a week, because I wouldn’t do it otherwise! We do a mix of things, working on strength, cardio and flexibility. When we started, I told her I needed to be able to jog for a CDI (after a broken knee 2 years ago, I wasn’t up to it), and wanted to be able to get up off the ground with no hands! Weird goals, but we all have our own needs. I feel so much better (started 3 months ago), and its helped me lose 20 pounds. I’m riding much better, and never get winded. I also get on my not-fancy, fat tired bike most evenings and go for a semi-hard, semi-casual ride. Find what you enjoy, or you won’t keep it up.

[xQHDQ]

I work out with a personal trainer once a week. We work mainly on overall strength and evenness in working all muscle groups - and correct form. I also take a class 3 days a week with a bunch of elderly people - they do 5lb and I do 10lb. It has a lot of stretching and I can feel it when I miss a week, so it must be doing something. I am stronger now (40s) than I was in my 20s when I wasn’t going to the gym so much.

Although being strong isn’t in and of itself the key to riding (horse 1500lb, us 150lb), it helps with body control. Being stronger makes everything else easier.

[outerbanks77]

Yes, I try to run 2x a week and hit the gym 2x a week.

At the gym, I mostly do kettlebell work (swings, Turkish get-ups etc) which keeps the heart rate up and works the core quite nicely.

I also like to do balance work on the flat side of a Bosu ball. Standing with feet out at the edges and doing air squats has a similar feeling to riding in 2-point.

If you work a desk job, the psoas and glutes are likely to be weak and not fire correctly, so you might talk to your PT about exercises for that. Also, hip flexibility usually needs work and can help with getting a proper leg position for dressage.

[mydogs]

I was lucky that my physical therapist was also a horse person. I was in the best riding shape while I was in PT. If you are in Maryland, I have a great recommendation.

The biggest area that really helped was strengthening my hip flexors, stretching my legs (calves, quads, and hip flexors), working on balance, and working on my glute and thigh muscles (forward lunges, side lunges w/ resistance bands, etc…). I think working on my hip flexors and glutes made the most impact on improving my riding. I’ve always been active and worked out at the gym while riding, but never knew to work on my hip flexors.

I get my programs from BioRiderFitness.com. I really like them because I can do them at the gym or at home. I have a Bosu ball, resistance bands, and yoga balls. I met with a trainer at my gym to go through them once to make sure I understood each exercise and the proper forms. We also tweaked a few of them so I could do them at home.

Right now I am doing the “sitting trot” program and will do the “light hands” program next. They were super affordable too, less than $10. It also includes videos and tips for each exercise, so you don’t have to use a trainer.

[Lunabear1988]

I have a 7 year old daughter and work so I don’t have time to work out like I wish but I do commit to doing Pilates at home a few times a week as well as the occasional equestrian geared Pilates class. I also try to sneak some cardio in and some weight training but I think Pilates is the most beneficial for me.

[Scribbler]

I am in admiration of people who can do horses and have time and energy to work out as well.

I do my own barn work in self board, and this past winter I have been riding two horses more or less daily, and looking after three, including longing the third. On weekends I would spend a minimum of 5 hours actively working or riding.

I absolutely lost weight and am fitter overall, riding and chores. But there is no gas in the tank for doing extra fitness!

[Llewellyn]

Before I went back to school (and thus stopped having time to do anything fun) I really enjoyed bodyweight fitness. There’s a great set of plans and instructional videos on the bodyweight fitness subreddit, and a lot of the exercises are amazing for core stability.

[merrygoround]

@Scribbler

I am in admiration of people who can do horses and have time and energy to work out as well.

I do my own barn work in self board, and this past winter I have been riding two horses more or less daily, and looking after three, including longing the third. On weekends I would spend a minimum of 5 hours actively working or riding.

I absolutely lost weight and am fitter overall, riding and chores. But there is no gas in the tank for doing extra fitness!

Join the club!! Some of us have inexpensive gyms. I think stall shoveling, wheel barrow pushing, hay bale lifting and throwing (tho I don’t know about the big bales), besides sprinting to catch horses, should count for something.

Lifting saddles onto high backs has to count, too, along with stretching down and picking up, and occasionally hanging onto feet.

Yes, I do some extra-at home -exercises. I do concentrate on core. A rider absolutely has to be fit, and some muscle groups require more attention than others.

[eponacelt]

I run 3x per week, try to swim 2x per week, and do strength training 2x per week. One of my strength days is with a personal trainer. He is the reason I’m as strong as I am now, and the ONLY reason I’ve not had to see a chiropractor for my back through last year’s training for two half marathons. His strength work has also meant the knee pain that used to plague me when I ramped up running distances has almost entirely vanished.

We focus on core, hips, glutes, quads, and hamstrings. He has also given me several routines for upper body work, and we will incorporate chest and lats into our workouts. Marcus has taught me how to push myself hard, so now when I travel and need to use the hotel gym, or am working out on my own at my regular gym, I have a never-ending series of exercise to hit the key areas.

I got serious about fitness and strength when I started riding second level. It was the most physically demanding work I’d ever done in the saddle, and realized that if I didn’t take my own fitness seriously, I’d never make it past that level.

I’m happy to say that we did make it past that level, all the way to PSG, and my core strength and fitness has stood me in good stead as I bring along a fancy young warmblood!Schedule

[Wanderosa]

I think it’s imperative. There’s so much benefit offered to both the horse and rider by increasing your functional strength and fitness. You don’t need to target any particular muscle groups. An easy way to get started is to pick up a few magazines targeted towards female weightlifters. (Something like Oxygen magazine rather than Shape) These magazines typically publish well-planned whole body workout series. Some are a week’s worth of workouts; it’s not uncommon to find a 30 Day Challenge type deal, though. If the Body for Life book is still in publication, that’s a great starting point, too. Bill Phillips gives you all the tools to walk into a gym and get an efficient, effective workout. He alternates cardio days and weight days. Weight days are alternated between upper body and lower body. (i.e. - Monday/upper; Wednesday/lower; Friday/Upper) He gives you a list of machines and simple free weight exercises and has you pick 1 or 2 per smaller muscle group. It’s simple, takes maybe 30 minutes, and is effective. While weight machines aren’t as effective as free lifts they lower the risk of injury for those new to working out.

I recommend trying to find someone who is an expert on weightlifting form and not a regular gym personal trainer if you feel that you need in-person support. A personal training certificate is too easy to get, IMO. Whenever I go into a regular gym, I cringe at the coaching I see. Ineffective and often dangerous. A lot of Crossfit gyms aren’t much better. Instead, look for something like a Physical Therapist who works with athletes to prevent and rehab injury.

[Scribbler]

Well, the second horse I started riding this winter is definitely solid 3rd level with some higher stuff, and I don’t find her tiring to ride, but she is an Andy cross and very comfortable

[hut-ho78]

Haha! I found using a bicycle pump to keep my trailer tires alt the right psi is pretty good exercise too.

[JLR1]

Cardio for stamina and core for stability are probably the key ingredients to ride 2nd level and above where sitting trot is needed, There are several online fitness coaches with programs geared to equestrian fitness. It might be worth a short membership to see what type of exercise programs might be worth following. It will at least point you in the right direction if you have someone local to work with. Bridget Braden of BioRider comes to mind. I believe she works with Stefan Peters in the gym. https://bioriderfitness.com/

[slp2]

Yes! I think it makes a huge difference in my riding too. Like you, I have 2 horses and work full-time. In a normal week (when I’m not traveling for work) I ride at least 1 horse a day, 2 on Friday, Sat. and Sunday. Right now I am taking a Spin class once a week, and do one more spin session on my own another day a week. I’m really lucky because the classes are held in the gym at my work, so it makes it easier to fit it into my busy schedule. I also try to do a circuit workout --kettle bells, etc.) one day a week. I love Yoga for riding —it really helps me to be more flexible and that is a problem for me. A really good yoga routine that you can find free on YouTube is “Yoga for Equestrians with Adrienne”. It takes 30 minutes—but really helps loosen my back and increase my hip flexibility. Pilates is another good practice for riders. I have a DVD with routines as short as 15 minutes.

There is a good workout series (available on DVD) called: Success in the Saddle. The workouts are 20 minutes each (so not very long) and quite good. They have 6 different workouts which focus on different areas. These are workouts designed for riding and can be fit in around a busy schedule. I was really diligent about them for a while and then I started doing some circuit classes just because I liked trying something new. But these are a good place to start if you are looking for something specific to riding fitness.

[Cowgirl]

I bought a farm last year and take care of three horses here. All that barn and farm work (on top of riding and a full time job) has really transformed me physically. I now have such a strong core that when winter came and kept me from riding for a few weeks, I got on and rode as if there was no break after my arena was rideable again. I can say from this, work anything that works your core (and also your balance–they are interconnected).

I did planks for years and could plank up to 5 minutes–still, I never had a core this strong until I brought the horses home! LOL! (Yes and I cannot believe how much they poop–how did I have horses all my life and not know this?) If you board, this is barn hand appreciation day! HA!

[CanteringCarrot]

I do cardio and weight training 5x a week. I focus on a lot of muscles that I use in riding. I do need to refocus on my flexibility and stretch more, as I can still be tight in some places.

I think it’s necessary to have fitness as a rider. I cannot for the life of me understand why we expect our equine partners to be fit or to be athletes but not ourselves, in some cases. It’s not fair that way.

@Scribbler

Well, the second horse I started riding this winter is definitely solid 3rd level with some higher stuff, and I don’t find her tiring to ride, but she is an Andy cross and very comfortable

Side note here: I always find Andy’s/Iberians to be way less physically demanding than Warmbloods

[Bem55]

Thank you everyone! This has been very helpful. I did a yoga class today - I have veeeeerrrry tight hips and hamstrings!
I have definitely noticed some difference between when I wasn’t doing classes compared to now and I want to keep improving. Sitting 40 hours a week is getting to me!