FITNESS

Staying Paddle Fresh

by Doug Haney

Courtesy of USA Canoe/Kayak Training with National Team coach Paul Podgorski in Lake Placid.

It's inevitable: Adirondack lakes and rivers are going to freeze eventually, but the life of a paddler certainly is not over once uncle frosty arrives in town. For most upstate New York locals, winter is simply time to break out the Tele gear, cross-country skis and snowshoes; but for others, it's the off-season from paddling.

"Winter is the perfect time for a paddler to recover from a summer on the water and yet improve their skills and conditioning for the following season," said USA Canoe/Kayak Junior National Sprint Coach Paul Podgorski. "People sometimes forget about their paddling muscles in the winter time and expect to get right back into it in the spring, but those spring aches and pains are telling you something in the early season."

How do you swing it so there is no waking up with sore shoulders, a creaking back and arms so weak you can barely lift them enough to hit the snooze button after your first spring paddle? Easy–get out there and play this winter! Jump on your cross-country skis, head to the gym to pull a few strokes on the rowing machines, and most important of all, get in the pool.

Cross-Training for the Paddler
"Believe it or not, cross-country skiing utilizes many of the same motions as paddling," said Podgorski, whose Junior National Team can be seen training each morning at Lake Placid's Mount Van Hoevenberg sports complex. "Specifically it works your arm and leg muscles, but especially your shoulders, which is extremely important to have that full range of motion in a workout."

With little to no impact on your joints, cross-country skiing is as close as you can get to simulating a true paddle stroke on snow. Whether you're out for a leisurely ski through the woods or skating intervals, it's easy to pick a proper level of skiing to fit your level of paddling.

For the touring paddler, go out for a 15 kilometer (km) to 30 km ski across flat terrain to fill the afternoon with an excellent workout that will tone your muscles, build your cardiovascular endurance and burn calories – all at the same time.

If you're a down river fanatic, choose a trail that involves numerous climbs and descents. This will simulate the bursts of energy that you'll need when negotiating sections of rapids.

How about intervals? If you're a sprint racer and need to be on the top of the game for 200 meters to 1000 meters, pick a 3 km to 5 km loop and run it in intervals. This will help to keep your heart rate and lactic buildup low as you pound through a race.

"I never realized how much of an improvement skiing could make in my paddling," said U.S. Sprint Elite Team member and 2000 Olympian Angel Perez, who attended a two-week winter training camp in Lake Placid. "It's nearly the same motions in my arms and shoulders, but I also get that abdominal and lower body workout that most people don't realize is important to becoming a solid paddler."

Paddling for Gym Rats
It's February and you're a paddler, what do you do? Hit the gym and stick to it. Despite all of the modern contraptions that are out there to entice you during 3 a.m. infomercials, there is no substitution for classic weight training.

"Never underestimate the benefit of a good old-fashioned gym workout," adds Podgorski. "I have my athletes in the gym six days a week conditioning their biceps, triceps, abdominal and shoulder muscles. It's important to do your basic free weights for arm strength, but don't underestimate the importance of your abs."

The abdominal muscles are critical to paddling and there is no magic trick that goes along with working on them; the classic sit-up still reigns. But, make sure you are doing a proper sit-up by lying on the ground with your hips flexed at about 45 degrees and flat on the floor. This position isolates the abdominal muscles and neutralizes the hip flexors. Don't be afraid to rotate your torso across your body from side to side as you sit-up, this will help you strengthen the oblique muscles of the abdomen that help you rotate your boat during a sweep, reverse sweep or a deep brace.

If lucky enough to score a rowing machine at your local gym, don't let it sit there and gather dust. Like cross-country skiing, a rowing machine exercises and strengthens both the upper and lower body with a motion that is smooth, rhythmic and impact-free. It also promotes flexibility in your muscles and joints and allows you to adjust your workout to be as hard or as easily as you wish. But, for the sun-soaking paddler, the most rewarding benefit is that you are able to get a solid workout without enduring the legendary sub-zero temperatures and biting winds that come with winter in the Northeast.

Get in the Pool
Swimming has long been classified as the original total body workout with the least amount of stress on your muscles and joints. Truth be told, it is. One hour in the pool at least three to four days a week will do wonders for your body's overall tone and it will increase your physical energy level.

"Swimming is the best way for me to cross-train," says Perez. "It's low-impact and it works all of the muscles that I use for paddling. Plus, if one part of my body is injured or if I want to focus my workout on a particular half of my body, I can do that with swimming."

But, there can be no substitute for straight up paddling and believe or not, you can paddle in the winter. Do a bit of research at your local community aquatics center or paddle shop and you may be surprised to find that they offer weekly pool sessions.

For the whitewater paddler, if you didn't have a bombproof roll before, the pool is the best place to learn (pool water usually idles around 80 degrees). There also is no better way to practice your open water paddle stokes than in the water, so grab your boat, paddle, and skirt, and get in the pool.

Bid your springtime aches and pains goodbye. It's time to get paddle-conditioned this winter and have a great time doing it.

See you on the water!

Doug Haney is the media and public relations manager for USA Canoe/Kayak in Lake Placid, the national governing body for canoe and kayak racing in the United States, most notably the Olympic programs.

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