Welcome to the real world.

Mate,after 417 posts, you should know that you are opening yourself to abuse like a sacrificial lamb.

May as well share the burden,I have the same issue but I will still tell you to HTFU you sissy

Consider it a good work out. Keep doing what you doing, your body should get used to it. This happens to alot of people at the beginning of the season. What I`m trying to say in the best way possible is HTFU.

not one serious reponse!.I can't believe how this forum has changed over the last couple of years, I should have known I would get cut down with this Q here. What does that say about this little community?

whats wrong with sore abs or is it stopping you from keeping the missus/bloke happy and satisfied?

Hi Bennie, As DEVO once put it,

"Don't be tricked, by what you see
You got two ways to go,"

In other words, although hardening the **** up is surely a wonderful thing, and not at all related to any deep-seated insecurities concerning one's masculinity, there is another approach that I have found successful.

So as to make the transition easier for those who are still reading, how about we call my suggestion the "smarten the **** up" option, combining the charms of abusiveness with the benefit of some actual information.

When I first learned to boost my abs did get sore; very sore. I knew that wasn't sustainable so I gave it some thought, some practice, and now I jump better and with a lot less soreness. Here's my analysis:

A. Generally speaking, the more you practise anything the less effort you'll require for a similar result. How tense did you get when you first learned to drive a car? How tense do you get now? Obviously the initial tension wasn't necessary to driving, it was just a primal defensive fight-or-flight engagement of muscle under stress. As you get used to driving, attending to the car's controls and the outside road and traffic conditions it becomes more automatic, less stressful, and you get less tense, using only the necessary effort for steering, braking, changing gear etc.

B. Beyond this generalisation, some factors specific to boosting: You have two sources of force to get you into the air: the kite pulling you up, and the board pushing you up. If most of the upward force is coming from the kite, then your abs will have to do some work to bring your legs and the board along with your upper body. This amount of work can be minimised in three ways:

1. Bending your legs more and pushing off harder as you take off so that the upward momentum of your legs comes from below. (This also gives you a larger total upward force which means bigger jumps.)

2. Timing your push with your legs to more accurately coincide with the maximum initial pull of the kite. Practise doesn't mean doing it the same way over and over again. Deliberately experiment with different combinations of load and timing to find out more of what's possible.

3. (The most technical bit) Go hang off a clothesline or something with your legs just hanging below you for thirty seconds. Then try it with your knees raised and a board on your feet. More work for your abs eh? So, even if some of the work for lifting your legs and board off the water comes from the kite, via your upper body, your abs have less to do if your legs are relatively straight, as the moment (engineering term) required to lift them is less if their centre of gravity is more in line with the force through your upper body (arms and harness). Conveniently, if you've followed step 1. then your legs will already be straightish and heading up from having pushed off firmly, like jumping off the ground.

If you watch the good guys boost large, they only bring their knees up once their upward momentum is already established. I don't expect they've analysed it like I have, but that they just work it out by trial and error??

An important point on safety. Part of why our abs tend to contract when learning to boost is a protective reflex that prevents hyperextension of our lower backs. If you pick a kid up under his/her arms too quickly or when they're not ready, they get the same reflex kicking in. It's there for a darn good reason, so please don't try to bypass this wonderful bit of evolved safety by any direct means. As your timing and pushing off through the board improve you will become more comfortable, know more about the sequence of forces you are about to experience, and the protective reflex will no longer be necessary. Your abs will do minimum but adequate work to get your legs and board coming along with the rest of you, and your boosts will be bigger and less stressful.

Of course, if this all sounds a bit gay, a bit soft, you could just swallow that daily cement and resign yourself to a life of sore abs and increased chance of hernia and spinal injury, not to mention the generally reduced life-expectancy that most of the hard (or is that numb) men in our society can look forward to.

"I'll say it again, in the land of the free,
Use your freedom of choice!"

See you in the air,

Dojo

I would stick to the cement, that djdojo guy has far to many helpful tips for an internet forum, it's like he's actually trying to help or something... I'm scared.

Trade in your keg for a six pack.

No offense, but its like saying "I've been running marathons but i keep getting sore legs". Everyone saying HTFU is just saying that of course you get sore, the best way is to keep doing it and getting sore and eventually you will get less sore as your fitness and/or technique gets better.

I always hurt my abs real good and proper if i havent been out for a while, particulary during big boosting winter sessions when i haven't kited for weeks. I blamed my harness for a bit, but its just a case of toughening up.

its called DOMS Delayed onset muscle soreness

Swelling in the cells of your muscles i think.

Is no idea why and no cure.

I cant walk well for the 2nd day stright from doms.

my sunburn huts also lol

Thanks to the people with constructive posts, especially dojo, it seems you have put alot of thought into this. I get the impression most think that this is related to learning/ and or lack of kiting activity. I have actually been kiting since 2003 and kite on average twice a week, so it's neither of these, I also have no problem boosting,often thats pretty much all I do. It's just been a niggling thing for a few years, obviously down to some "quirk" with my technique.
Dojo I think you hit the nail with: "Practise doesn't mean doing it the same way over and over again. Deliberately experiment with different combinations of load and timing to find out more of what's possible".
so that is what I will do

bennie said...

not one serious reponse!.I can't believe how this forum has changed over the last couple of years, I should have known I would get cut down with this Q here. What does that say about this little community?

mate, sore abs means a f%$^fantastic session. i have sore abs now and its a greeat feeling. enjoy the sore abs