Most of your paddling power, if you use the proper technique, comes from your legs, which is where many paddlers tend to focus their workouts. However, sitting or standing upright for extended periods of time while making paddling motions requires waist rotation by using your core and abdominal muscles. A regular conditioning program that includes exercises for your core and abs will help you become a stronger paddler and avoid back injuries.
Straight Arm Standing Lat Pulldowns
Courtenay Schurman, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and co-author of "The Outdoor Athlete," recommends straight-arm standing lat pull downs for paddlers to condition abs. Use a cable stack weight machine with a rope attachment or lat bar. Bend your knees, and align your body straight from shoulders to feet. Use a light weight; keeping your abs tight, grip the bar with your arms extended straight out from your body. Use a loose grip so that you are pushing more than pulling. Exhale as you bring the bar down in an arc to your thighs. Hold for two beats. Slowly allow the bar to push your hands back to the start position. Avoid leaning forward as doing so shifts the exercise from your abs to your lower back. Keeping your arms straight focuses the exercise on your abs rather than your triceps.
Oblique Curls on a Swiss Ball
Rocky Snyder, author of "Fit to Paddle," which is one of the few fitness books dedicated to paddle sports, uses a Swiss ball in his paddler-specific abdominal exercises. One such routine is a set of oblique curls. Lie face up, using the Swiss ball to support your lower and middle back and hips. Bend your legs to a 90-degree angle with feet flat on the floor and knees aligned directly over your ankles. Bend your arms, and place your hands near your ears. Raise your mid back off the ball, rotating your waist so that the tip of your elbow crosses the midpoint of your body. Perform an equal number of reps on each side.
One-Arm Prone Bridge
The one-arm prone bridge, using a Swiss ball to support your feet, is an abs exercise that Rocky Snyder recommends for paddlers. Place your feet and shins on the Swiss ball, and assume a pushup position. Align your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Start by balancing on your right arm as you lift your left hand an place it on your hip. Once balanced, swing your left arm forward in a slow arc until the inner elbow reaches your left ear. Hold for two beats and slowly return the left hand to your hip. Release and repeat the exercise on the other side.
Abdominal Crunch on Swiss Ball
According to Rocky Snyder, performing an abdominal crunch on a Swiss ball is more effective and better for your back than doing crunches on the floor or a mat. Lie on the Swiss ball, using it to support your mid- and lower back. With your legs bent at a 90-degree angle, knees directly above feet, cross your arms across your chest so that your hands touch the opposite shoulders. Lift your mid-back off the ball as your hips and low back remain in place. Hold for two beats and release. Repeat for several reps.
Member Comments