While it is true that the best exercise for kayaking is kayaking that’s not to say that there aren’t different disciplines that can help us prepare our bodies for another kayaking season.
If you are one of those passionate people who paddle year round whatever the weather then you are probably in good paddling shape as a result. But for many the paddling season revolves around the warmer months of the year and so after the off season we may need to help our body get prepared for paddling.
As we get older our body takes longer to recover from injury and so using specific exercises to target those injury prone areas can help make our paddling more comfortable and hence more enjoyable.
Generally speaking kayaking is a low impact sport carried out at a fairly relaxed pace but it is often carried out for a long period of time, whole days or multiple days in succession. This can lead to stresses and strains on the body which become cumulative in effect.
So how can we help get our body into shape for the paddling season and also help maintain our muscles to prevent injury? There are many different fitness regimes and methodologies available to us nowadays and I want to suggest a few starting points that you can explore as you see fit.
One downside to kayaking as a form of exercise is that it is not immediate, it takes a certain amount of preparation to get ready then the travel to the water, unless you are lucky enough to live right on the water with boat storage in place. Then there is the time to set up the boat and dress appropriately. So it is very easy to think that you don’t have the time to get out there. So our all round kayaking fitness can be improved by adding in sessions of moderate exercise that are more immediate, walking, jogging, cycling all require us to do no more than step outside our front door.
Some form of strength training will help us in several ways: a) Strength training helps to build the muscle tissues needed to give you more power in your strokes. b) It helps to build endurance for those long trips. c) Strength training also aids in developing muscle coordination, balance and “body awareness”.
Strength training will use some form of resistance training , the resistance being provided by weight either your own body weight or separate weights. This article lays out some good basic exercises to build up a routine that will work and develop all the key areas of the body for paddling or you could use elements of them to target particular areas.
http://theseakayaker.com/sea_kayak_exercises/kayakers_workout.html
If you are not confident or keen with weights then maybe use an exercise ball to help develop strength and stamina. This article gives some useful exercises targeting the core and legs.
http://www.seakayak.ws/kayak/kayak.nsf/0/92e0356cda312a60852570df00485010
One part of the body that is particularly at risk when kayaking are the shoulders, especially if you are practising or using some of the more dynamic braces and rolls. So this article offers a few simple exercises to target and strengthen shoulders.
http://www.paddlinglight.com/articles/shoulder-exercises-for-kayaking-and-canoeing/
In order to maintain flexiblility stretching before and after paddling can be very important. I like to perform a few pre paddling stretches both before and after getting into my boat to improve my flexibility and to involve my core more in my paddling. This article outlines the need for stretching and gives a couple of very simple stretches that are easy to perform before and after paddling.
http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?531
If developing flexibility, core strength and balance is a desire then I found using yoga to be really beneficial to my paddling, especially in terms of my flexibility when I was learning to roll.
These articles outline a couple of sequences of postures selected especially for kayaking.
http://yogaforkayaking.com/?p=157
http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/2009/FA09/yogaforkayakers.html
Hopefully this has given you some ideas to help get into shape for kayaking and to maintain strength, flexibility and endurance for paddling. Remember to seek advice before beginning any new fitness regime. Consult your doctor and also consider getting training from a gym, fitness centre or yoga school before attempting any new activity.
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