Dec 212009
Me and some friends are going on a big camp out and we have a kayaking race planned. I’m 15, in great shape, and i can go pretty fast already, but i was wondering if any of you pros out there could give me some tips. The weight room at my school is available.
It’s a short race, not anything long distance. it’s gonna be 100% all the way. Thanks!
If you are paddling a kayak correctly and for the most power, you should be paddling from your core, in other words your oblique abs. Anything that gives you a good torsional rotation resistance would help that. And if you’ve got access to resistance rowing machines, like a Concept Ergometer, that helps with your arms and with endurance and breathing. You can tell if you are getting good rotation in your stroke (and not just paddling with your body locked forward and only moving the paddle with your shoulders) — your side abs nearest the paddle should be tightening and the cheek of your butt on the opposite side on each paddle stroke feel like it is slightly lifting off the seat with each stroke. If you’ve got that down you should be good to go.
The best training would be to actually go kayaking, but of course that’s not always possible. Next best thing is to work on your core and abs with situps, crunches, and the like, since that’s where your power should be coming from. If you want to work your upper body with weights, do light weight and lots of reps since you want to tone, not bulk. Don’t forget to focus on technique at least as much as conditioning (see http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090422092803AAzL4Ev for tips).
First learn to kayak. Kayaking is a peculiar skill. Knowing how to paddle may be more important than physical prowess. Racing kayakers practice or train using weighted paddles while seated. You can do this in your living room. Be careful.