Asides from plenty of carbs (beer) and and balanced diet (Curry and beer), I resolved to ensure that come the beginning of this season I would have gotten myself into shape.

Does anyone know of any training regimes that have been developed for dinghy sailing or can anyone suggest the most suitable balance of wieghts/aerobic excercise and what types of aerobic training are best (bikes, runnign etc)

The best thing is to go rowing but if not possible then go on the rowing machine at the gym for about an hour averaging about 150 watts depend on age and fitness. But it can be boring so brong an mp3 player or something.

Running and cycling are also really good but do not give as full a workout as rowing which would exercise alot more muscles and tone the body better.

How do you lot all have Hiking Benches????

I want one!!!

For aerobic exercise I would recommend swimming it uses a good variety of muscle groups.

You build one waverider. yeh i do situps and press ups, pull ups is a good one too. Don't lift weights if you're still growing, can stunt your growth.

o rite

How the hell do you make one and what do they look like??

instead of a hiking bench you can use a gym ball and a pull up bar. You set it up so when you are hiking the pull up bar and ball are the about the same as when you are sailing your boat - as in the difference between the top of ball and bar. It works very well because it also helps with core stability.

I have don't do it because I find that the rowing machine and core stability exercises works very well with me. It veries hughly on the type of boat you sail, if your a 49er crew then you should be doing at least 6 hours aerobic training a week but if you sail a topper or laser then you can do alot less because you don't tend to come of the water out of breath!

I know I should do more exercise - my sailing would improve no end.  I've sailed a 49er a couple of times.  They require good agility and strength - after 20 minutes I'm knackered (well certainly when crewing).

I told my fit 20 year old son about this, he said,"agility and strength - they call that athleticism - that's something you haven't got".

Hiking bench:

Go to an apple farm and acquire a proper apple box (1/4" thick wood not the namby pamby 1/8" rubbish from the fruit stalls).

Put the box upside down on the floor.

Nail a 6 ft length of 4 x 2 to each short side to stop if falling over.

Screw some toe strap material to the 4 x 2's at a suitable distance away from the box to match you boat.

Put 1/2" foam padding on the top to make it comfy.

Install infront of tele where it will annoy anybody else who lives in the house.

If you are really keen, fix up a rope on each side attached to some bungy cord to pretend to play mainsheets with...

And if you are a computer genius, hook it all up to the latest version of Sailing Simulator so you can even pretend to sail at the same time...

hey

This is my first post! Does anyone kno if and where you can buy a hiking bench because to be honest i dont have the time n effort to make one. thanx for da help!!!

As any skiff or cat sailor can tell you, the training regime of champions is a quick sprint up to the bar  after you de rig.  Then work on your upper body lifting those schooner glasses.  Later in the night you should finish up working those abbs whilst your hear is in the bowl

How charming.

Originally posted by Phil eltringham Head in a bowl Stephen?  Once again proving that Aussies can't handle their drink!!

Mate....  Us Aussies CAN handle our drink.  You just have to make room for more and you can only pee so quick.

Anyway of to a cocktail crawl in Newtown (Sydney)

Back to the original topic of fitness.

We are trying to get a bit less lardy for the sailing season and were thinking about setting up a 'trapezing bench' in the garden. The idea is that it would be simillar to a hiking bench in that we could do a few minutes each day, teaching our cerebellums where the kickbars and gunwhale are, and how much to duck to get under the boom on the tacks and gybes.

We were going to put down four wooden planks at the right distance apart, fix a hook to the balcony for the trapeze wires and put up one horizontal bar at boom height.

Has anyone seen or used anything like this? Any suggestions about alternatives to digging up the garden?

i was in the welsh national laser squad for 3 years and i'm very good at wave sailing

I think if you sail a laser either get fit or put up with the pain.

So stop whinging or get a boat that is supposed to have a hiking aid like a trapeze or a sliding seat!!!!

Do not try and cheat by sliding hinged planks of wood down your trousers.

he should be footing off to avoid waves like that because they can dramatically reduce your boat speed,

I have loads of respect for Iain Percy but could not resist this

"he should be footing off to avoid waves like that because they can dramatically reduce your boat speed,"

was tlking about jons laser clip not the star

Originally posted by stuarthop star hiking doesn't look very comfortable

Look closely - the crew has a lovely harness on so he is basically hanging back in an armchair ride...sounds more comfortable to me that laser sailing...

"Forget the mast! Where is the  keel?!?!?!?"