A kayak can give paddlers the thrill of traversing a challenging river, but it also can bring people closer to nature by providing a means of transportation through undeveloped countryside. Paddlers may miss out on fully enjoying the scenic panoramas if the exertion put forth by propelling their boats leaves them exhausted and out of breath. Kayakers can perform conditioning exercises throughout the year to help them prepare for their next excursion.
Strength Conditioning
Paddling a kayak requires upper-body strength, but core strength and leg strength also play roles. The legs are anchored in the kayak and work to provide balance. Exercises to improve strength conditioning can focus on the upper body, but all of the muscle groups should be included. Pull-ups, sit-ups and push-ups are all exercises that work on strength conditioning. Do arm and leg curls with weights to also work on strength. Other weight room exercises include the bench press, pull-down, squat and leg extension. Medicine ball exercises, such as twisting left and right while holding the ball chest level, help improve upper-body strength.
Aerobic Conditioning
You should consider any exercise that improves aerobic conditioning when working on improving kayak conditioning. Jogging, swimming, bicycling and tennis all can help to improve aerobic conditioning. Tennis provides an added bonus: not only does it improve aerobic conditioning; it also works on upper-body strength.
Muscular Endurance
Strength conditioning exercises help build strength in muscles, but the strength will not last long if muscular endurance isn’t considered when working on conditioning for kayaking. Weight room exercises that target muscle groups should have weights set so that you can perform eight to 12 repetitions. In general, weight room exercises for muscular endurance are the same as for strength, except that the amount of weight is lowered so that more repetitions per set can be performed.
Flexibility
Strength conditioning will help provide the muscles to propel the kayak through the water with less effort and strain, but the muscles can get tight and become less efficient if flexibility isn’t added to the training regimen. Target all of the major muscle groups for stretching. The stretching exercises should not be hurried so that muscles are allowed time to fully stretch, which helps make the body more flexible. Flexibility movements that help kayakers include toe touches, torso twists, shoulder stretches while leaning hands against a wall and arm reach movements.
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