Paddling fitness

If you own a boat, you own a gym.

For any strength based training you want to do for paddling use the things you own.

A boat can be used for bicep curls, weighted squats, lunges, bench press, dead lift to name but a few.

The majority of the time the weight of your boat and kit is the best thing to train with. It also allows you to figure out the best way to awkwardly handle a big lump of plastic, which is handy at the side of a river or rescue. It also teaches you the best way to carry your boat and strengthens the right muscles.

Generally kayaking is less about raw strength but more about repetition, keep using the same muscles all day. So when training you should mimic this by going for amount of reps rather than max weight. You also don’t want to build up Arny style muscles as this hinders flexibility (a whole different article)

So save your pennies on a gym membership, make use of the sunshine and walk around your garden with your boat, practice picking it up. Practice squatting down with it on your shoulder picking up a paddle. Do some lunges with it, imagine crashing through the foliage to get to river. Mimic lifting it on a roof of a car, carry it on both shoulders.

With a bit of imagination many of the things you do getting to and from the river can be built into a training session, so next time you turn up to the river after a long portage your fresh and good to go rather than ready to take a nap. It also allows you to figure out if you really need all that stuff in your boat. If you can’t lift your boat in the garden you will struggle to lift it off the water at the end of a day paddling, although this is were paddling friends come in handy.

So next time you have a spare few minutes go and work out with your favourite kayak, just try not to drop it too many times.

For more adventurous activities think of what you might do in a normal work out just add a kayak or canoe.
Hint. Press ups are easier in smaller boats

Disclaimer – if you are not sure how to lift ask someone who is qualified for advice, also if things start to hurt, especially your back STOP.

I wrote this several years ago but now with restrictions on travel thought it might be useful to help keep people active.