Strength Training

by · Published · Updated

Why Strength Train

  • Get strong to paddle faster
  • Get strong to paddle easier
  • Get strong to avoid injuries

If you are not strength training then you might develop great endurance, but it will probably be quite slow endurance paddling. 

How do I train

  • Split your year into blocks and in each block concentrate on improving one thing, whilst maintaining the rest
  • This means that you won’t be trying to improve Aerobic fitness whilst doing Strength training. 
  • Ideally you will do Aerobic training over the Winter and building in more Strength training sessions in early pre-season.
    Start well before the light nights come in and sitting in a Gym is not stopping you paddling.
  • Once you are racing it is unlikely that you will increase your strength much through training. It is too much load on the average body and you are really concentrating on maintaining strength. 
  • The easiest Winter strength training is, in a Gym, lifting weights.
    • The simplest description of this is:
      • Lift a weight that you can do 10 repetitions of the movement with. This is called a “SET”
      • Rest for 30 seconds to a minute
      • Do the Set 3 more times with rests in between each
      • After each group of 4 Sets, have a rest and then repeat with the next movement/excercise.
      • Keep doing this until you are done. 

Approaches to strength training

It depends: 

  • You need to be working each muscle group twice a week to make real gains
  • Once a week is just maintenance
  • How many days can you do strength training each week.
    • 1 Day: Do a generic “ALL BODY” workout
    • 2 Days: Do a slightly targeted ALL BODY Workout
    • 3 Days: Start “splitting” the workouts up
      • There are a lot of ways to split workouts including
        • Upper Body <> Lower Body
        • Pull Chain <> Push Chain <> Legs
      • Look at alternating splits every workout, and don’t stress about WEEKS. This means you will hit each muscle groups twice over 9 days
    • 4 Days: Great. Alternate workouts and reap the benefits
      • Don’t overtrain too early on. 
      • The potential for crippling yourself in week 1 is pretty high.
  • Make sure that you have plenty of rest on Off Days

Splits

Generic All Body

The starting point is the “Big 5”

  1. Bench press
  2. Deadlift
  3. Squat
  4. Shoulder press
  5. Lat Pulldowns (Instead of Pull-Ups)

Targeted All Body

This is also uses the Big 5 as a basis but builds in some more SUP targeted excercises

Do the core 5 every time and build the others in over time

  1. Bench press
  2. Deadlift
  3. Squat
  4. Shoulder press
  5. Lat Pulldowns (Instead of Pull-Ups)
  6. Bicep Curls
  7. Tricep Kickbacks
  8. WoodChops
  9. Dumbell Pullovers
  10. Hip Abductors/Extensors (Cable or Rubber Band)

Pull Chain 

“Pull Chain” are all the “Pulling Muscles”. Pretty easy really.

  • These are mainly the back muscles using to Pull the paddle. 
  • If you only do these muscles then you end up imbalanced and get injuries. 
  • You need to train the Push muscles just as hard

The muscles targeted are: 

  • Lats (Back)
  • Biceps (Arms)
  • Trapezius (Back)
  • Rhomboids (Back)
  • Rear Deltoids (Shoulder)
  • Forearm
  • Erector Spinae (Back)
  • Teres (Back) 

See Pull Chain exercises

Push Chain 

“Push Chain” are all the “Pushing Muscles”. 

  • These are mainly the muscles in the front of the body
  • You use these muscles to recover after Pull activity
  • You also probably use them when pushing the paddle down into the water at the catch
  • They also stabilise you whilst paddling

The muscles targeted are: 

  • Pecs (Chest)
  • Triceps( Arms)
  • Anterior Deltoids (Front of the shoulder)
  • Serratus (Sides)
  • Rotator Cuff (Shoulder stabilising muscles)

Push Chain muscles are often much weaker than Pull Chain muscles in paddlers.
This causes joint problems du e to the imbalance.
It is critical that you don’t neglect Push Chain muscle training.

See Push Chain exercises

Legs

The muscles targeted are: 

  • Quads (Thighs)
  • Glutes (Bum)
  • Hamstrings (Back of the Thighs)
  • Adductors (Hips)
  • Erector Spinae (Back)
  • Core (Strengthening Leg to Body connection)
  • Calves

See Leg/Core exercises

Summary

Get a trainer if you can….but otherwise pick a model that suits you.

Most people don’t weight train more than twice a week so the ultra generic advice is: 

Make sure you do the first 5 and try your best to include the next 5 out of these: 

  1. Bench press
  2. Deadlift
  3. Squat
  4. Shoulder press
  5. Lat Pulldowns (Instead of Pull-Ups)
  6. Bicep Curls
  7. Tricep Kickbacks
  8. WoodChops
  9. Dumbell Pullovers
  10. Hip Abductors/Extensors (Cable or Rubber Band)

Eat enough Protein

  • Most people require about 0.8g of protein per Kilo of body weight every day.
    (Everyone has slightly different measures and all of you have different metabolisms)
  • If you are weight training then you are breaking down muscle in the hope that it will grow back stronger
  • This needs protein (or else you are just breaking down muscle)
  • A good starting point is 1g of protein per Kilo body weight every day.
  • This ramps all the way up to 2g of protein per Kilo if you are training really hard.
  • You also need more protein to support you after Races and Endurance paddles.

p.s. Don’t go too heavy too early. Your body needs time to get into weight training.

You may also like...