How To Warm Up For Snowboarding

We have teamed up with personal trainer JP Fok , to create an on-hill warmup that you can use before you shred. The warm up is designed to be quick, fun and easy. It will improve your balance, co-ordination, focus and flexibility as well. Although it may be challenging at first, persist with this warm up and you'll have it dialled in no time.

(Narrating/Riders: Nev Lapwood and JP Fok)

Warm ups are designed to elevate your heart rate and increase blood flow to your muscles, ultimately preparing them for physical activity. These warm ups are specifically designed for snowboarding and will test your skills and challenge you on your board. These exercises are designed to be done in order. If you don't know how to do any of the trick based exercises, check out our Other Tutorials for more tips.

Trick Tip: Open up those fancy vents. It will release that excess heat.

Exercise 1) Leg Swings

Legs are the most important part of the body to warm up.

1. Grab your board and stick the tail into the ground, so that the board is standing up straight.
2. Grab the tip of your board with both hands for balance.
3. Swing your right leg back and forth 5 times. Switch your direction and swing your leg side ways 5 times.
4. Switch legs, and repeat.

Exercise 2) Arm Circles

Shoulders are injury prone while snowboarding, this exercise will help prevent injury.

1. Swing your arms forwards 10 times, slow and in control. Palms facing up.
2. Swing your arms backwards 10 times, slow and in control. Palms facing up.

Exercise 3) Body Stretch

1. Strap into your board and kneel down in the snow.
2. Grab the heel edge of your board with both hands behind you.
3. Push your torso outwards and hold it for 10 seconds. This will stretch the muscles on the front of your body.

Push your chest out and try to touch your shoulder blades together.

Exercise 4) Toe Edge Hop

This drill is designed to develop balance on your edges and will warm up your legs at the same time.

1. Get into your riding stance, and lean forward on your toe edge
2. Start with small hops, and hop a little higher each time. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise 5) Heel Edge Hop

1. Get into your riding stance, and lean backwards on your heel edge.
2. Start with small hops, and hop a little higher each time. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise 6) Back Stretch

You will feel the burn in your back and legs with this one, but it's a good thing.

1. Reach down and grab your toe edge.
2. Extend your legs to stretch your back and hamstrings. Hold for 10 seconds. Making grunting noises is acceptable. 

Exercise 7) Ollie

1. Do 4 Ollies. Remeber an Ollie is where you load the tail of your board, spring up off it, bring both legs up then land flat (bolts) on both feet.

Exercise 8) Nollies

1. Do 4 Nollies. A Nollie is where you load the nose of your board, spring up off it, bring both legs up then land flat (bolts) on both feet.

Exercise 9) Tail Press

Don't let your back knee drop into the middle of your board.

1. Pop into a Tail Press position.
2. Balance over your tail and keep your body, hips and knees stacked over the top of your board for a few seconds. Pop out and land bolts. Repeat 4 times.

Exercise 10) Nose Press

Don't left you front knee drop into the middle of your board.

1. Pop into a nose press position.
2. Balance over your nose and keep your body, hips and knees stacked over the top of your board for a few seconds. Pop out and land bolts. Repeat 4 times.

Exercise 11) Tail and Nose Hops

1. Hop back and forth between your Tail Press position and your Nose Press position.
2. Hop on each side 5 times for a total of 10.

Exercise 12) Penguin Walk

1. Hop back and forth between the Tail Press position and the Nose Press position.
2. Now apply pressure on your toe edge, learn forward, and walk about 20 Feet. Penguin walk 20 feet back to your starting position.
3. Now penguin walk backwards on your heel edge. Walk 20 feet backwards, then 20 feet back to your starting position.

These next few exercise's are designed to be challenging. If you fail, get up and try again.

Exercise 13) Ollie Into Tail Press

1. Consecutively Ollie into a Tail Press position and hold for a few seconds. Do this 4 times. Make sure your nose stays off the ground the whole time.

Exercise 14) Nollie Into Nose Press

1. Consecutively Nollie into a Nose Press position and hold for a few seconds. Do this 4 times. Make sure your tail stays off the ground the whole time.

Exercise 15) Tick Tacks

1. Pretend you are riding down hill.
2. Lift your nose similar to a Tail Press, shift your board to one side.
3. Quickly do it again but to the opposite side and you will start to move forward, similar to a penguin walk but with your nose forward. Start with small movements and get bigger as you go.

Now you will want to go to an empty mellow run for these next warm up drills. Take your time between each movement and really focus on your form and doing it right.

Exercise 16) Ollies and Nollies While Riding

1. Do 4 big clean Ollies.
2. Do 4 big clean Nollies.

Exercise 17) Tail Press and Noses Press

Have you seen our 6 steps to buttering?

1. Ride into a Tail Press with proper form, ride 3-5 seconds, then pop out.
2. Do this 4 times then switch to the Nose Press. Ride 3-5 seconds, then pop out.

At first, this one will feel like you are falling over.

Nice work! These last couple are all about buttering and spinning on the hill. If you need a reminder on how to do these, check out How To Ground Spin. They're pretty challenging so remember, if you fail, just get back up and try it again.

Exercise 18) Spinning On The Slope

1. Do 4 flatland Frontside 360's, keeping you board on the snow. Take it slow, start on your heel edge and then finish on your toe edge.
2. Do 4 flatland Backside 360's, keeping you board on the snow. Take it slow, start on your toe edge and then finish on your heel edge.

Exercise 19) 360 Butters

1. Get into your Tail Press position, then spin a 360 either Frontside or Backside. Keep it nice and controlled, switching between your edges. Your nose or tail should be 10cms/4 inches off the ground.
2. You can butter Backside 360 on your tail, Frontside 360 on your nose, and Backisde 360 on your nose as well. Start with one of these butter 360's a day until you get good enough you can fit them all into your warm up.

If you do these warm up drills every time you go riding, you're going to improve your snowboarding very quickly. Period.

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