Tuesday, December 10, 2013

My Workout for Kayak Strength Training

This is my current workout, about 90 minutes.  My heart rate will be steady around 130 - 140 bpm.  I pick a weight that will start fatiguing my muscles in the last 5 reps, with the last rep being slower than the rest.  I currently do this three times a week. 


1st Set: Repeat twice, no resting between exercises


  • Lateral & Front Arm Raises: Lateral & Front = 1 rep - 15x
  • Bicep Curl: 20x Slow Reps (SR), 10 count
  • Reverse Wrist Curl: 20x SR
  • Wrist Curl: 20x SR
  • Lateral Wrist Curl (giving a thumbs up): 20x SR
  • Bent Over Lateral Raises or Modified Dumbbell Rows (Upper arm is parallel with my shoulder plane, I have more control): 20x
  • Dumbbell Flies: 20x SR
  • Dumbbell Triceps Extension-laying prone: 20x SR
  • Dumbbell Pullover: 15x SR

2nd Set: Repeat twice, no resting between exercises
On the Cable Machine



  • Rotator Cuff Exercises - External & Internal Rotation: 20x each
  • Straight Arm Lat Pull Down: 15x SR
  • Back Extension: 15x SR - not on cable machine
  • Seat Row - wide bar: 15x
  • Seated Russian Twist - using cable machine: 20x both sides, mimics path of paddle stroke
  • Cybex Leg Squats: 15x 
Water Break

3rd Set: Repeat Twice, no resting between exercises

  • Russian Twist w Medicine Ball: 40x quick, keeping head facing forward while body rotates
  • Crunches with Medicine Ball: 30x
  • Side Plank Hip Lifts: 20x SR
  • Bench Press: 15x
  • Hanging Leg Raise: 30x

Protein Smoothie and Recovery Coffee 1/2 Caf



    Sunday, August 11, 2013

    Getting Started

    I will be the first one to admit that getting started with a training routine for sprint kayaking was difficult.  Between balancing family, house work (my wife may laugh), my part-time job and taking care of the kids, it was not as simple as just plugging workouts and pool practice time into my schedule.  Though I had a goal, I knew to perform well in sprint kayaking, I needed to do more than just paddle a kayak. 

    When getting started, I think we all hit that point in our workout, especially the cardio portion, where we ask ourselves, "why in the hell am I doing this to my body?" or "is this pain worth it?"  This is why having a goal and keeping an eye on it, helped me push through the hard days.  This is a video of my pool training in a Viper 55:


    As easy as I may be making this exercise look, it was one of the most painful exercises we did.  My shoulders would start to burn halfway through the 12, 8, 6 & 4 minute intervals (2 minute rests between).  Fortunately, I capsized the K1, which cut my 6 minute interval short.  Once again, I had to keep focused on my long term goal knowing this would get easier.  It was not until I purchased my new torture toy, a KayakPro Speedstroke, that I was able to improve my conditioning. (Video below as my son eagerly watches)


    This machine was no less strenuous than the pool sessions, it simply allowed me to "paddle" more to build up my endurance.  Though building up endurance, lactate thresholds, etc. were only part of the equation.  I needed to incorporate strength training as well, which would make these sessions on the speedstroke and in the pool less painful. 

    Unfortunately, some ill performed workouts on the rowing erg strained my muscles in my elbow resulting in "Tennis Elbow", which was shortly follow by straining my iliotibial band in my one and only leg while walking down steps in the NC Battleship.  Then in May, I did a silly thing on the kayak erg, sprints at a high cadence, which resulted in straining the long head of my bicep.  I made the grand mistake of trying to shorten the distance to my long term goal; hence, creating a speed bump in my training.  My overzealousness  now hindered my progress.

    Of course these injuries led to physical therapy: the iliotibial band healed quickly, the elbow has almost healed completely, and the shoulder is about 80%.  I did wise up after starting PT in January; I enlisted a friend, Jennifer Jones "JJ", who is an athletic trainer, to educate me a strength training routine that would benefit my performance in sprint kayaking.  

    You can easily get inundated with information on the internet about exercises for various sports and, without the proper knowledge, it can be difficult to filter out the subtle crazy stuff from the beneficial.  Since I was looking for strength training to enhance performance versus enhancing my size, I am glad I went to a professional opposed to winging it.  After the Lake Placid International Regatta, it became very evident that strength training for performance needs to be an integral part of sprint kayak training.  The paddlers at this event were not bulky, they were athletically built for performance. 

    The Lake Placid event has re-focused my goals of strength training and the continual endurance training.  I will let my wounds heal properly and focus on working out smarter not necessarily harder.  As a friend reminded me, my overall goal is to be healthier and physically fit, with 2016 Paralympics in Rio lying on that path.  I may have to take little bites for now, knowing I will be able to be more zealous on performance goals of faster times and winning races in the near future.  So for now, I will exercise my patience as I miss the work out and the feeling I had after them, something I would have never thought I would have said 8 months ago when I started training. 

    Stay focused on the your long term goal, it will get easier.  More importantly do not believe everything you read or hear on the internet.

    Monday, July 15, 2013

    Lake Placid International Regatta - 2013

    A Little Information:

    For the USA Paracanoe team, the Lake Placid International Regatta was the team trials for the 2013 International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, Germany.  The top paddler in each event classification will represent USA Paracanoe at the world championship.  Para-Paddlers are classified into three categories; Leg-Trunk-Arm (LTA), Trunk-Arm (TA), or Arm (A).  Para-paddlers either paddle a kayak or a outrigger canoe for a distance of 200m. 

    My classification is TA.  For all intents and purposes, the fastest time for a LTA & TA paddler have about one second difference between them.  So I am aiming for LTA times to push myself to be faster and meet a higher standard.

    The Trip
    We started our journey to Lake Placid, NY at 8:30 a.m. on July 1st and arrived 20+ hours later at 4:00 a.m. July 2nd.  Aside from the yelping dog at 6:00 a.m., we all crashed until noon.  Tuesday became more of a scouting day to check out our launch site and make plans for Wednesday's training camp.  This is our humble stake out throughout the event:

    Wednesday: Day 1 of Training Camp

    We focused on starts, which was something I needed to practice as this was the 4th time I had been in my new Nelo Paracanoe K1(PK1).  Allan from the Gig Harbor club was coaching us that day and had some positive feed back for me, which was great.  He said I had a lot of power with about a 110 stroke cadence, which was evident when I checked my data on my Garmin and I had peaked at 10.7 mph on one of my starts (~30 m total).  So I was very pleased with the results.  

    Of course, the 4th time in the PK1 meant I was bound to flip and I did during one of my starts.  More impressively, especially to my fellow parapaddlers, I rolled her back upright only to flip again when I reached for my Carolina hat, priorities.  This is what happens when you put a sea/whitewater paddler into a kayak.  

    Thursday: Day 2 of Training Camp

    We did 5 x 100 m sprints after paddling the full length of the 1000 m course.  I must say Mirror Lake, which main street Lake Placid borders, is the cleanest lake I have ever paddled.  You could see the boulders 4 feet down as if they were on the surface, which is a far cry from Lake Crabtree that requires giving my PK1 a good cleaning after every paddle.  

    Friday: Day 3 of Training Camp

    We did 3 x 100 m sprints down the lanes at about 80% effort, several sprint starts, and called it a day.  

    Race Day: July 6
    I had a hard time getting to sleep Friday night, missing my family and visualizing my starts off and on all night.  I was even dreaming about them.  Saturday morning was no different, I was nervous and anxious about flipping on my first race.  My first race was at 9:50, which may have been too much time to ponder...I just wanted get the first one over.

    1st Race
    At 9:30, I paddle out and check in with the start boat, which was followed by some warm up pacing to get the heart rate up.  We are called to the race line, I am holding my PK1 center of the lane as a slight breeze nudges her to the left, draw stroke, draw stroke, announcer "lane 4 [me] move up", "lane 4 & 5 hold, lane 6 back", "hold your boats", "Ready, Set, horn blast", my heart is pumping, adrenaline flowing.  I have a great start. I see no one in my peripheral vision, buoys are passing faster and faster. My boat begins to veer, I correct it, but I over compensate. I edge to correct her...it is working. Then, I have a mis-stroke and I feel the PK1 going over. I slap a low brace and recover, but I know that my race now is no longer about being the #1 TA, it is about finishing strong.  I say a choice "word" and focus on recouping my speed and finishing my first race upright.  I fumble a little at the 190m mark, perform a corrective stroke, and push my boat through the finish.  First race complete and upright, though my emotions were flowing.  This was not the race I wanted, but I completed it successfully in 1:00.49 (US Paracanoe National Standards).  My big mistake would not reveal itself until my second race.

    2nd Race
    The nervousness is gone and now I am pumped.  We are called to our lanes.  I pace forward and backward to keep the heart pumping - announcer "paddlers to the line...Ready, Set, horn blast". I have another great start, but the kayak begins to veer, but I am able to edge her to correct her. The edging leads to a mis-stroke, so I pull on my foot to gain control. My foot floats from the foot board, and my grand mistake for both races is revealed: I forgot to strap my foot into the foot board to maximize my stability, power and control! At this point I want to finish the race upright, so I cruise to the finish the last 15 meters.  I have accepted that my time for this race will be at least 1:10 to 1:15, but I was wrong, my time was 1:02.93. 

    My Reflection

    Once the emotions subside and I receive reassurance from my coach and other parapaddlers, I realized that this was a good first race.  Since this was my 7th time in my new K1, I did very well adjusting to a K1 less stable than the one I have been practicing in for the previous 3 months.  My 2nd race, which I thought was terrible, was only a little more than 2 seconds slower than my first.  So with more practice in my new K1, honing my outfitting, adapting rudder control (thanks to advice from my fellow parapaddler, Nick Miller), and remembering to strap that foot into the footboard or replacing it with a pull bar to ensure a solid grip; I should see times below 50 seconds within the next year. 

    The best result from the race was meeting my fellow parapaddlers: Greg, Ann, Nick, David, Megan, Kelly, and Bob, who have all overcome adversity to accomplish their goals.  Moreover, my teammate, Carol Rogers, from Bridge II Sports Parakayak team made the national team heading to Duisburg, Germany.

    Thursday, May 30, 2013

    K1 Training: week of 5/27



    This week, we went from conditioning to more intense interval training.  I was introduced to Tabata intervals on Tuesday and we timed three 200m sprints back to back on Thursday.

     

    Tabata intervals are rough, but effective in long term goals.  My intervals were 20 seconds of sprint speed followed by 10 seconds of a paddling rest period done eight times.  My Garmin showed my speeds above 8 mph for the first 3 - 4, but my speed started tapering to around 6 mph for the last 4.  Though, I was happy to be able to complete all 8 and after about a 2 minute rest period my heart rate finally came down to the 140 range. 

     

    My coach said I would probably need a day of rest, but I did not think anything of it, since I was feeling fine after the interval.  Though the next morning, I was corrected with a slight burning/sore sensation in my abdominal, chest, and back muscles.  My body's delayed response, thanking me for torturing it the day before. 

     

    Tabata intervals increase aerobic and anaerobic efficiency with high intensity for a small period of time and in my case 4 minutes.  My goal will be to increase my last intervals speed above 10 mph.  To put this into perspective, the 200m K1 sprints is over in 43 seconds for the fastest paddler; hence, I need to reach at least 15 mph in the first 20 seconds to finish the 200m sprint in 40 seconds or less.

     

    On Thursday, we timed our 200m sprints, which were into a cross wind.  My first time was 1:06.00, second time was 60.3 and the third was 1:10.  I seemed to always perform better in my 2nd run versus my 1st.  For the third run, I was spent.  The biggest challenge today was around the 100m mark there was a squirrely eddy current, which made keeping my balance difficult.

     

    I also tried a different paddle on Thursday, a Jantex.  Though still not the length I need, I liked how it paddled. 

     

    As for the rest of the week, I am hoping to get in some strength training along with teaching a kayak lesson at Bond Park and organizing 81 safety kayakers for the Iron Man 70.3 at Jordan Lake Sunday morning. 

     

    It will be all worth it in the end.

    Have A Jolly Day,
    Wes

     
     

    Monday, May 13, 2013

    Sub-lactate Training


    15 - 30 minute warm-up, focusing on stroke technique and glide phase

    Repeat the following twice:
    30 sec at 90%, then 30 sec rest
    60 sec at 90%, then 60 sec rest
    120 sec at 90%, then 60 sec rest
    120 sec at 90%, then 60 sec rest
    120 sec at 90%, then 60 sec rest

    5 - 10 minute Warm down, maintain good stroke technique.