Ideas for out of shape rider, but mentally engaging

[Lipsmackerpony88]

My process of getting back into riding shape after 7/8 months off has been painfully slow. I work out nearly every day switching from cardio, pilates, weight training. But I get so incredibly worn out in the saddle.

I'm just now getting back into lessons again. The horse I'm riding in Dressage lessons is a bit of a push ride which just adds to my fatigue! I thought the Dressage trainer took it a bit to easily on me (to be understood though, new student, clearly out if shape.)

I'm building up more fitness but I definitely need lots of walk breaks. But I need make sure that when I'm working, it's quality work. Or mentally engaging.

I'm thinking of asking if we can be a stickler on making sure my transitions are quality, adding more lateral work in the walk, different exercises and patterns. It's tough because I feel like my body is behind my mind here. I need more though, I like to be challenged.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

I love lunge lessons too, I hope I can arrange a few... They are hard to get around here.

[StraightForward]

Lateral work at the walk is a great idea. I really find that transitions between lateral movements in the walk are helpful, so SI to renver. SI to CSI, LY one way, HP back. To me, this kind of demystifies the lateral work so it is easier to use it as a tool in all gaits later. Rather than OMG, we're going to attempt HP! it's just something you can casually ask for a few steps of, and the rider gets more supple and responsive, as well as the horse. You can always incorporate transitions with short bits of trot and canter (and halt and RB too).

[Tanga]

Agree with straightforward. You can get a lot of work done in the walk. Do you have access to trails and something to ride there? That's a more passive way to get in shape for riding longer. Half steps/piaffe is a way to work easier, too.

I've been riding pretty much straight for 45 years, so I don't think I've ever been out of shape. But, I do feel how much harder it is as I get older. I usually do my Zoom kick ass class 3/4 days a week for an hour plus a lot of other hard work (shoveling wet sand in the arena, lifting and carrying a lot of 50 lb sacks at the food giveaway) and I feel like I'm barely able to keep up with the fitness I'm losing as I get older.

Can you ask the trainer to push you more? I always direct what I want in a lesson, and I have to get after them about getting on me about my position. Just tell her you want to be really tired and challenged at the end.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Straightforward, great idea. I've done some similar things in the past. It's great and really mentally engaging to do lateral work that way. I love lateral work too. It's challenging but so rewarding when you get it right and see the difference in the horse's afterwards.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Tanga, I was planning on telling her I need to be challenged. It is tricky with my fitness level currently but I still think I can be challenged abd pushed more, even on short bursts.

sometimes I really want to take charge and a lesson now so I'm trying not to be too demanding right off the bat haha!! But at the end of the day, it's my money and time.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

No access to trails right now with anything I catch ride or lesson on. But I did find a a little place that offers trail riding and I think I might go with my family! Obviously it's just a meandering on a trail type thing in a western saddle but it's time in a saddle. If not helpful, at least relaxing with my husband and daughter.

Piaffe and half steps are so over my head unfortunately! One day...

[blob]

I have been trying to add more fitness to my life outside of the saddle to get me fitter in the saddle. It's definitely not a perfect system because nothing really gets riding muscles going like riding. But I've often found that there is a level of overall fatigue/lack of stamina that I have been struggling with. So, adding more fitness has helped. And I've found rather than straight cardio, it's the strength based work that gets my heart rate up that really helps.

With COVID, I've mostly been using online videos. I've found bar and pilates workouts to be the most useful so far.

[silk]

What about tapping into resources such as building fitness for eventing? This has a horse focus, but I imagine a search on triathletes or similar could give a human perspective.

https://www.britisheventinglife.com/art ... triathlete

Here is a dressage-rider-focussed one: https://dressageridertraining.com/dress ... -workouts/
a more in-depth eventing-rider focus https://eventingnation.com/what-is-the- ... n-eventer/

[silk]

and (my fourth link so had to remove from previous post) some specific exercise ideas https://eventingconnect.today/2017/08/2 ... -on-track/

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Blob, I do pilates (ab focused) at least 4 or 5 days a week. But I do think there is a strength issue sometimes but more in my glutes. I know that your glutes play a big role and stabilizing your pelvis and hips so I think that adds to some crookedness in the saddle for me. And fatigue trying to overcome said crookedness! So the last week I've been really focusing on targeting my glutes in a Pilates type way.

I'm slowly seeing an improvement in my last two lessons (one dressage, one jumping.) I'm glad to see there's improvement I was honestly a little worried that something was wrong with me lol

[Lipsmackerpony88]

@ silk, great links thank you! I'm taking some jumping lessons too, so might as well train (myself) like an eventer

[StraightForward]

Kettlebell swings are great for getting that posterior chain working, and the short, high intensity bouts are similar to typical trot and canter periods in dressage training. I need to get back after it myself!

[mari]

Fitness is obviously a major factor, and you're working on it. But how is your breathing when you're riding? If I'm concentrating (which I do while riding but not while running), I tend to hold my breath a bit, which is EXHAUSTING. So it would be a weird feeling of being utterly out of breath while knowing I was fit enough for the work.

[Kyra's Mom]

Lipsmakerpony88...I got really out of shape about 10-12 years ago. OMG it was sad when I started back into lessons with Kyra. Not only was I out of shape but she was one hot tamale and took a lot of riding. I eventually found out a lot of the hotness was due to a pain issue but in the meantime, she was what I had to deal with. I just was up front with my instructor that I had not lessoned in years and that I would need more breaks. She was fine with that and if she hadn't been, I would have found one that was.

I just got serious about exercise. I can't remember exactly what I did but did work out off the horse at least 4 days a week. I think I did a lot of recumbent bike because I had a bum foot. My problem back then was my aerobic capacity...I had none. I think it took about 5-6 months to get where I did not have to ask for additional breaks. It was not a quick process. I was so proud of myself the lesson I didn't have to ask for additional breaks and my instructor didn't even notice .

Fast forward to now and after 6 surgeries in the last 7 years...one being the tailbone issue and subsequent surgery that pretty much kept me off the horse for 2+ years. I am worse than above because I am that much older and both feet are less that happy after having surgery on both of them. Having moved my mother in with me and getting her settled kind of put a kink in what exercise I was doing but things have settled a bunch now that her house is sold. I am up to 15 minutes on my rowing machine 4-5 days/week and I also got this hinky little recumbent lateral trainer that is supposed to specifically target all the hip muscles that don't get used in forward/back exercise like walking, jogging, biking or rowing. I am up to 12 minutes on that also 4-5 days per week. I would like to get a kettle bell and add that for strength work.

I am not sure I will ever get back to the person that lessoned 10-12 years ago but I am going to keep plugging away. I would like to do a century ride in 8 years. Kyra will be 27 and I will be 73. We will see .

Susan

[blob]

Core stuff is great. But I don't find that helps me with stamina. I think you'd benefit from mixing up for usual workout with something that really gets your heart rate up.
Also squats. Lots of squats.

[piedmontfields]

For glute strength and hip stability/mobility, I'll again recommend quality barre instruction. I do mine online through AloMoves.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Mari, I could see me holding my breath! Especially during a lesson when I'm concentrating so much! Yesterday during a Dressage lesson I worked on relaxing my position. I work too hard at trying to perfect my position.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Kyra's mom- yep that timely sounds about right! I think I was expecting too much too quickly. I'm slowly making some improvement. I'm just shocked because I thought some of my fitness routine off the saddle would carry over. I'm sure it does a little, but clearly not much!! Lol

You are an inspiration to keep pushing through after all your obstacles. I'm 32, so guess I need to push through this!!

You will do that century ride!! And we will be here cheering you on!

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Blob, yeah I've been incorporating cardio and some strength workouts. Maybe I just need to up the frequency. Usually it's something like this: Monday do a HIIT workout or tabata workout followed by pilates abs. Tuesday do something for my arms with weights and a glute workout (squats, kickboxing, whatever) Wednesday do another cardio workout, followed by pilates. Thursday, yoga stretch and pilates. Friday cardio and abs. Saturday and Sundays it depends.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

For glute strength and hip stability/mobility, I'll again recommend quality barre instruction. I do mine online through AloMoves.

Barre is so challenging for me, probably because of my weak glutes, I need to do more! Thanks!

[tlkidding]

A lot of the leg exercises end up working quads more than glutes because it's such a large and strong muscle group. I like the Les Mills CX class - you can find a bunch of them on YouTube and look for ones that are 30 minutes. The glute exercises they use really don't let you cheat much.

For your cardio, do you use a heart rate monitor? An accurate chest one? It wouldn't hurt to get some baseline from your different cardio workouts and riding lessons. I was doing mostly 30-45 minute HIIT cardio for a while and then started some easy biking (flat paths) this spring. I found that I was comfortable with my heart rate up in the yellow zone for about an hour, but my body would get very tired and eventually run out of gas if I went longer. My cardio exercise was all about intensity and no endurance - I needed to add in some lower intensity endurance efforts. Biking and hiking (3.5-4 mph) for 2 hours once a week really helped my endurance. Running would have helped too, but my knees can't tolerate it anymore.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Tlkidding, I need to get a heart rate monitor. I do suspect, like you, that I'm focusing too much on high intensity and not enough on endurance! Running would be hard to fit in right now, but I could get my daughter to do bike rides with me! She's doing online school so that's created another schedule challenge but biking would be good for us all.

[Flight]

I don't understand why you get that worn out riding, when you do clearly quite a bit of exercise? Does the exercise exhaust you too? In that case a blood test to check how you are going might be worth it. (I had very low iron and B12, I just thought I couldn't get fit).
At the moment I do no extra exercise, and I don't have any trouble riding.

My thoughts are like Mari said -breathing. Sometimes concentrating hard in lessons and definitely nerves in competitions I dont breathe normally so I can feel a bit exhausted.

The other thing is balance. When you find your balance in the saddle, you dont have to use much muscle strength. Maybe try that in your walk breaks, find that perfect balance spot?

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Flight, I wonder about that too and have thought about seeing a doctor just to make sure. Sometimes I wonder if I'm low iron or something. I do have Elher Danlos Syndrome so I do not do really long workouts focusing on just one think. If I overdo it, I pay for it later! I do think sometimes it can cause some exercise tolerance issues but don't feel very fatigued in workouts usually. But that might because I switch it up a lot.

I think performance anxiety and trying to hard (and maybe not breathing enough) is all a factor. One thing too is sometimes I'm riding in saddles that are just not a fit for me. In my recent dressage lessons I'm riding in a saddle that really seems to fit me really well and I definitely had more endurance/relaxation overall.

[goldhorse]

I started a thread on this exact subject a year or two ago. It's in the Fitness forum. Someone there asked me why I was working so hard as a lower level rider on a small horse. BINGO!
I had fallen down a trap thinking that I could ride better if I could just get strong enough and muscle my way through a ride. So I had hit the gym and gotten plenty strong. I was lifting heavy heavy weights and did cardio on the bike or rowing machine. God I miss the weights, but I digress. That increase in strength made me more stable in the saddle but didn't help the stamina.
Fast forward, moved to a new barn and a new trainer and her first words were something along the lines-why are you working so hard? I had confused brute muscle with muscle tone. It was tone that I needed to maintain in the saddle and not the ability to heft 50 lb grain bags like they were confetti. Once I let go of that huge tension that I was putting in my body, I could ride for longer and better.
On my own after my knee replacement, I would set a timer and trot for 5 minutes non-stop Then 10 minutes. Then 15 minutes and so on. However, in my lessons, I do fatigue earlier than on my own. I think Mari hit the nail on the head. It's breathing. When I'm getting a rapid fire onslaught of instructions from my trainer, I forget to breathe. I need to add that back into my riding checklist and reestablish a regular deep belly breath pattern.
As for strength exercises, there are a zillion programs and you tube videos. I've done all 3 of the Dressage Rider Training programs and they're not bad IMO especially now with gyms closed. My bias is that the hip area has multiple muscles and they need to be strengthened in unison. So you need to think about quads, hamstrings, glutes (there are 3), adductors, and abductors. If one of those is weak, the others may not function optimally. Suggestions: clamshells, bridges, squats, lunges, stairs or step ups.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

@goldhorse thanks so much!! I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'll use these suggestions. I've just started clam shells and adding lunges too.

I think breathing is such a big thing for sure. It is starting to get better, but it was taking forever to feel capable of anything for any length of time!

[mari]

Re the breathing, I did a lot of work on that during the course of last year. I do a lot of exercise (both strength and cardio), but it never really carried over to improved stamina while riding. So last year I just knuckled down, I would canter a lot. My main aim for months was just that Odin keep the canter unless explicitly asked for a downward transition. So I would go up into canter, keep my legs quiet and relaxed, focus on relaxing my whole body, stacking my spine, and BREATHING easily. Not caring where his head was or if he was through or round or pretty. Going large, circling, going large, circling. He would get a sharp whack if he broke into trot, but that was the only thing I expected of him - just keep cantering at a steady pace.

And it has helped unbelievably. I can now cope easily with lessons that are mostly canter work, and I'm convinced for me it was definitely learning the ability to breathe properly and efficiently while concentrating on riding. Good luck on your journey!