Training at the appropriate intensity is a key element to improving your performance and staying injury free. Harder is not always better. A majority of workouts should be performed at an easy to medium intensity with short intervals of high intensity. Use the information in this article to help gauge your intensity during your training sessions.
All of the elements of fitness are important, but balance training for paddlers certainly has a special place for those who find themselves constantly falling in the water. Balance is a key factor in becoming an well-rounded paddler in all water conditions. Your entire existence as a stand up and outrigger paddler requires you to have some level
Mobility refers to your ability to move your body and limbs freely and painlessly through a desired movement. Mobility training for paddlers has a wide range of benefits and should be incorporated into your paddle training and racing schedules. Without proper mobility, we create body movements and habits that can lead to poor posture, muscle
Speed is the ability to travel a specific distance in as short a period of time as possible. It is not the same as power. Power is the ability to generate high amounts of force over a short period of time. The difference is that speed is independent of force. As long as a movement
While strength refers to how much force your muscles can exert, power refers to how quickly that force can be exerted. When completing a strength movement, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to complete the task. All that matters is that the task gets completed, no matter how fast or slow it is done.
Strength training for SUP and outrigger paddling is an important part of most successful paddle training programs. Simply put, strength is the ability of your muscles to move things. These things might be a barbell that you are moving through a heavy squat or a board that you’re moving through the water. You use muscles throughout your body
Sport specific paddle training is important and highly efficient, however, endurance cross training for paddlers off of the water can also be a valuable paddle training tool. Paddle Society coaches will often write these kinds of workouts into member's customized training plans depending on their goals, athletic background, time constraints and ability to paddle through the winter.
The essential elements of fitness that help create a well-rounded paddler include cardiovascular endurance, strength, power, speed, balance and mobility. Before learning how to optimize these elements to paddle faster, we must understand the energy systems that help them function. Without properly training the energy systems, improvement on the water cannot be maximized and you
Rest is the most under-rated training tool at your disposal. Rest during paddle training and racing is critical for peak performance, yet it is often used improperly. A common approach from endurance athletes is to think, “more is better.” For example, "If paddling four miles is good for me, seven will be better!" Not exactly.
Once you establish training and racing goals, it's important to asses your paddling speed and current physical fitness before starting any kind of training program. These assessments give clear indications of the effectiveness of training and allow you, or a Paddle Society coach, to plan, monitor and adjust the program. This approach helps you reach peak performance
