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Gym routine with Andrea Principi

Wanna be as good as a kiteboarding world champ? This might be your place to start.

Andrea Principi is not just a name in the kiteboarding world; he’s a force to be reckoned with. Next to claiming the GKA Big Air World Championship, he scored the top podium of Red Bull King of the air and Red Bull Megaloop – all in the same year, making 2023 an NBD Trilogy.

Known for his electrifying style, unmatched technical precision, and a daring approach that pushes the limits of kiteboarding, Andrea is the embodiment of grit and passion.

Despite being fearless and an absolute ripper, taking titles like this has its own strain on the body. We sat down with Andrea to uncover his gym routine so you can learn how to train like a world-class athlete and what every day kiters can take away from his routine. If you follow through you might be just as good but be warned: There are no days off!

NO DAYS OFF

Thank you, Andrea, for sharing your secrets with us. Your usual training routine looks like a minimum of 1,5 – 2 hours in the gym and after you’re hitting the water. And that’s to say for every day. Why can’t you just spend all that training time on the water?

I think it’s good for the body because (you know), I want to push the limits. That’s my goal. And to do this I have to give a hundred percent. Because if I push my limits and my physique is not ready to push, it can have some real consequences. With my training in mind, I know that I can push because my body is ready. It’s prepared, you know.

YOU ARE CLEARLY A PRO, BUT DO YOU THINK EVERY KITEBOARDER SHOULD TRAIN OFF THE WATER?

Generally, I think everyone should do it. But it also depends on what’s your goal. If you just want to enjoy kiting and chill on the water, you don’t need these intense preparations. But I also do this because I like to stay fit in general. And I also like to do different sports in general, this is what I have been doing since always.

It’s the same in other sports like Skiing. You can just chill and do the sport anyway but if you are willing to push, you need to put in the work.

WHAT KIND OF SPORTS DO YOU DO?

Well, I like to do Cardio mixed with power lifting as well. That gives you some extra power and explosivity. That’s the right way for me. Because in kiting you don’t have to be huge, you have to be fast! Functional CrossFit stlye training with weights it is. Me and my coach adapt this kind of training to the way it benefits my kiting. Doing CrossFit alone is pretty heavy on the shoulders, and I don’t want to fuck mine up. But if you are training well and you adapt your training to what you do it’s a good way to train. Other than that, stretching is really important as well. Before the training session I do some warming up with some stretches to get the muscles going. And after you do it to relax. You sit down and do 30 minutes of stretching.

LET US KNOW YOUR FAVORITE GO-TO EXERCICES THAT EVERY KITER SHOULD DO

HANG CLEAN

You grab the barbell and have it hanging at your waist. I usually do 50-60kg .
You start with the bar on the ground. Then you do a kind of deadlift where you bring the bar to the knee level. Then you do a kind of pull and catch the bar in a kind of squat (but not so deep) in front of the shoulders. Then you put it down and do it again. You do it fast with no rest in between. This way you get your heartbeat up.

The technique is really important. If you do this wrong, you will really mess up your back. So, you need to be careful.

DOUBLE SNATCHES

This is another CrossFit style exercise. You grab a dumbbell from the ground and basically bring it over your head in one fluid motion. Kind of difficult to explain. Then in the air I give the dumbbell over to the other hand and repeat on this side. You can do it 15 times with 20kg. I like this one because it gives you explosivity.

MUSCLE UP

This one I like a lot. An alternative for most people would be pull ups with alternativ grip width. This is really good for the core stability of your back and your arms.

CORE

Honestly in the gym I do this CrossFit style training, but I don’t specifically train core in the gym. That’s because the muscle you use most in kiting is the core. So, I got my training done on the water already. But when I’m not kiting for some time, I do some exercises in the gym. I do leg raises or toe-to-bars and also try to bring the legs up on the sides to train the side abs.

SQUATS

With a lot of weight! Something that really challenges my power. Just doing normal squats with minimum a hundred kilo on the bar.

SHOULD EVERY KITER HIT THE GYM?

Well yes, for my type of training, I need the gym and the equipment there. But if you don’t want to go to the gym there are a lot of other exercises. You can go biking, which is really good for legs. I used to do a lot of mountain biking as well. Also climbing or basically any other sport that requires muscle, mobility or condition. I used to do a lot of sports and feel like they complemented each other. Like the stability I get through skiing can help you with kiting as well. And the other way around. The more sports you do the more parts of your physique will be developed. Which will make you better in each sport and so on.