Here is what many of you have been waiting for: the OFF SEASON WORKOUT. Now, to specify, these are still exercises I do during the season as well, but more often and using heavier weights. So, this could actually just be called the Paddling Workout.
Also, this program is NOT coach or doctor approved, but they work for me. I’ve been doing these types of ‘bundles’ for the past two seasons, and it got me the second fastest time trial in the club by .5 seconds (damn you, Jim Hinsvark!) and to the World Championships in Hungary in August. So, I’m just saying these exercises work for me.
The general components are:
Cardio: This helps weight loss, of course, but also helps build a solid base for the intensity you’ll need during a 500m race. I think just a general running foundation will get you about 200m without tapping out, and a more rigorous workout plan during the season will get you to about 400m. And even the fittest athletes will start to get tired for the last 100m, but that’s where strength training comes into play and you learn how to dig deeper.
The Erg: Yes, everyone hates the erg, but I just can’t quite understand why. As competitive paddlers, we are measured by how we perform on it. And thus, we should look to it as a tool to make ourselves stronger.
Weight Training: This is obvious, but the key is focusing on the muscle groups that are employed while racing. I will list out sets, and if they are done close together, it will be like extending your cardio workout and therefore build an even better cardio base. It also replicates what we do during a race, which is a very intense combination of both strength and cardio.
The thing is, you’ll need a gym. Anyone who is interested in making themselves a better paddler, both for yourself and for your team, needs to belong to a gym. I have developed plans that are built around workouts at the boathouse, but to really move yourself to the next level and be truly valuable on the boat, you need to get to the gym.
Stretching: We’re not 17 years old anymore, and I’ve learned this the hard way. I’ve spent a LOT of money going to back specialists, and the only thing they tell me is to stretch more. Really? So yeah, as mundane as it is, stretching has kept me on the boat and on the road.
The All-Over Approach
I firmly believe in working on each major muscle group during each workout. This comes from my playing basketball 4-5 days a week -- we were running, jumping, muscling through the lanes, boxing out, using our entire bodies, not just a couple parts at a time. It also heralds back to the prehistoric days as hunters, where we ran, jumped and fought. No one was worried specifically about their lats or their biceps, they were worried about feeding their clan.
So, that's the approach I take, and it was reinforced by taking Les Mils’ Body Pump classes. It’s essentially a “Down/Up” approach, which means I start from the top of the body, move down, then move back up again. The order is this: chest, back, legs (down), biceps, triceps, shoulders (up). Then finish with abs and stretching.
I will, however, do focused workouts for two week stretches every few months, or so, just to confuse the body.
The Routine:
Everyone has their own general routine, which days to workout, how many days a week to workout, working out in the morning, in the evening, etc, so I won’t speak to that. I think that you can run every day and be all right. My rule for weight lifting, though, is that I might do the same muscle group two days in a row, but I will not do the same exercise for that group on consecutive days.
With this in mind, I will list out routines for Day 1 and Day 2. The third day is entirely up to you, when you can do any one of these three options: a) start again with Day 1, b) take a day off, c) get on the water.
The muscle groups I focus on are the main muscles for racing: back, legs, shoulders, core. I will even it out with biceps, triceps and chest work.
Make sure you vary your weights and your reps, to keep your body guessing. For the first month, start with 4x15, lower weight. For the second month, increase the weight and change to 3x10. If you feel yourself getting stronger, on the third month, go 4x15 again, but with higher weight than Month 1, and then for Month 4, increase the weight again and go 3x10.
DAY 1
Cardio
Day 1: run, 3-4 miles
This is intentionally a shorter, attainable distance. No need to go out for an hour at a pop. These distances are nice and digestible and you can push yourself the whole time. No need to save your energy to get through it.
I also suggest running outside. Skip the treadmill. No matter how hard it is to get up and out in bad weather, it is always extremely rewarding when it is said and done, and you’ll be in better shape to boot.
Also, record your times. Take a stop watch with you and write down the times for a specific route when you’re done. It will keep you motivated and you can see how you do after a couple good weeks, or if you do worse or better after a couple days off, etc.
Weights:
Chest: 3x10 Bench Press. Moderate Weight
Back: 3x10 Lat pulldowns. Heavy Weight
Legs: Quads and alternate with hamstrings, using machines. This means, one set of ten on quads, then move straight over to do hamstrings for one set of ten, repeat two more times.
Legs are key for a couple reasons: 1) This will maximize your leg drive during practices and racing. 2) A strong foundation is key for maintaining a strong back (this is straight from the doctor’s mouth, btw).
Biceps:
Curls. Either
a) 3x10 or
b) 3x21 (called “21’s): 7x bottom half curls, 7x upper half curls, 7x full range curls. These are obviously to be done with lower weight.
Triceps: Either pushdowns or extensions
Shoulder Combo: 3 x forward raises, side raises -- lower weight, forward x 10, side x 10.
Abs: 300 sit-ups. (300 is my rule of thumb per workout. Vary them up, use weights, include oblique crunches, etc.)
Stretches: Just go stretch.
(Part 2, plus a few extra goodies will be coming shortly)
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