Kitesurfers are now in the Olympics. Sure thing, to compete at that level one needs to be strong and have much endurance. You might have seen kitesurfers riding giant waves and jumping super high in strong winds, sure thing that looks cool, but that is not where you start. If you pick the place that has easy conditions with light and steady wind and flat water, ideally only waist deep, so you can walk instead of swimming, then extra strength is not required. If your schedule allows, you will build your muscles as you learn and improve your riding skills. You can start with short sessions, and then extend them as you go. For the first few sessions with a trainer kite, you would benefit from a strong… grip, as you will be practicing with the control bar without the harness. When you start riding the board you will need your quads as we usually ride with one (rear) leg being bent slightly, and then we switch legs as we change the direction of the ride. So, if you’d like to be prepared for your first kitesurfing session, practice hanging on a chin-up bar and do plenty of sit-ups. How many? The stronger you are – the longer you will enjoy your kitesurfing sessions. And overall endurance is not going to be needed much until you start riding waves. Until then – focus on the technique and do not wrestle that kite, as kite never gets tired! J
