Equestrian Facts

Jul 19 2010

The Rider’s Fitness Program

13 responses so far

13 Responses to “The Rider’s Fitness Program”

1. # Chrison 18 Aug 2009 at 9:52 am

   4.0 out of 5 stars
   Great reference and useful book
   As a personal trainer specializing in equestrian fitness, I go through a lot of resources for ideas for my training programs. I really like this book.

2. # Yamkaon 18 Aug 2009 at 11:37 am

   5.0 out of 5 stars
   Helpful and easy to understand.
   This book is very well written and can be appreciated by novices and experts. Exercises are well demonstrated and explained.

3. # Eteniaon 18 Aug 2009 at 12:21 pm

   As a week-end rider, I eagerly anticipated the release of this book because I wanted to target my riding muscles to help me improve.

   The first disappointment came when I realized I needed to belong to a gym. They do give you home alternatives for some, not all, of the exercises but many are not workable, requiring anchor points at specific heights for the resistance band alternatives. I supposed I could tap a bunch of screw eyes into one wall and the ceiling, but I bet my landlord wouldn’t be too happy!

   There was also a pretty complete set of equipment you were expected to own; benches, free weights, weight bars, ankle and wrist weights, exercise balls, medicine balls, resistance bands, tilt boards, rollers, etc. The helpful web link to sources of the equipment took me straight to one of the author’s equipment sales web page. I had about half the equipment needed and am being resourceful for the things I don’t have. Free weights, exercise balls, medicine balls, resistance bands and tilt boards are all going to be needed.

   The second disappointment was most of the exercises were the same old same old. Some of them were packaged a bit differently and toward the end of the six week series, the exercises look more interesting, combining strength, balance and posture in one exercise. (I have read the whole book and have completed week one)
   At first, I thought the layout of the book was a bit awkward, but as I began to use it, it bacame clear the variations in routine (One of the things I really like about the book) makes the layout necessary. There is a warm-up/stretch section without a lot of instruction, so I just used what I thought was appropriate for that days workout.
   A good bit of information is included in the Introduction so read it carefully.

   I was hoping for something a bit more revolutionary, but if you are lifting weights and doing a core based workout such as Pilates, you won’t find anything different in this book.
   I am planning on doing the whole six week series as directed, so if something exciting occurs down the road, I’ll come back and amend my review.

4. # Xexiliaon 18 Aug 2009 at 1:23 pm

   As an avid huntseat competitor, I try to stay in shape and maintain a level of overall fitness. However, I’m not very good at coming up with my own exercises to do at home or at the gym. Nor do I practice Pilates or Yoga. I just want some exercises to help me maintain my riding strength and stamina as I reach the “mature” riders division. Thankfully, this book does just that. I do belong to a gym, so I was able to make use of those suggestions. For someone like myself who’s motivated but just needs some guidance for appropriate exercises to do out of the saddle, I found Ms. Dennis’ book very worthwhile.

5. # Xantion 18 Aug 2009 at 1:31 pm

   4.0 out of 5 stars
   Riders Fitness Program
   This is an interesting book with loads of excersizes but a bit too many gadgets are involved. In order to follow the program it means buying alot of equipment if you do not have a…

6. # Walton 18 Aug 2009 at 3:20 pm

   I am a very competitive weekend rider who knew that I needed to do something to improve my fitness level. I bought this book with the hopes of getting into a routine that was flexible, convenient and easy to understand and this book offers this and much more.

   The information in the book provided me with an understanding of the areas of fitness I really needed to improve, such as balance and flexibility. I found the workout routines were very easy to follow and even though I don’t have all of the equipment shown, I have been able to creatively improvise and get the benefits talked about in each section. The descriptions of the exercises along with the accompanying photo provide a great reference for following along. The pull out fitness guide provides an excellent way to track my routine. Even though the exercises are some I have been doing, the combination and diverse pattern keep it interesting and fresh. I am half way through the six week program and have been achieving the results I have been looking for.

7. # Cwenon 18 Aug 2009 at 4:08 pm

   5.0 out of 5 stars
   Great workout
   I very much like the varied workouts from this book. They are easy to complete at home and have helped me improve not only my riding, but my skiing, too!

8. # Athertonon 18 Aug 2009 at 4:59 pm

   5.0 out of 5 stars
   A real comprehensive fitness program for riders
   Most of the riding fitness books I’ve seen have been very basic and rather generic. This is a real comprehensive weight training program targeted at equestrian athletes.

9. # Josueon 18 Aug 2009 at 7:28 pm

   4.0 out of 5 stars
   It’s good
   Has some good exercises that you can perform without going to the gym. However it does rely heavily on a lot of high end gym equipment.

10. # Anonymouson 18 Aug 2009 at 9:09 pm

    5.0 out of 5 stars
    good for others then just riders
    The exercises in this book are very good for a rider but also for the non rider as focus on balance and the core of your body. Easy to follow and explained well.

11. # Xanthuson 18 Aug 2009 at 11:00 pm

    5.0 out of 5 stars
    The Rider’s Fitness Program
    Very helpful, great to have a resource focused on the rider!

12. # Vion 18 Aug 2009 at 11:03 pm

    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Interesting
    I got this book from the libary and I like it enough that I am here to muy it.
    I am and old hand at working out..I have belonged to gyms , had personal trainers..

13. # Falanon 19 Aug 2009 at 1:19 am

    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Awesome book.
    I took this book to my physical therapist who thought the book was awesome. I wanted to see if I could do all of the activities in the book, since I’m in therapy for shoulder…

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