Your Training Aims and progress chart 
Training blog 1 Measuring your fitness
Training blog 2 Flexibility and stretching exercises
Training blog 3 Aerobic Endurance
Training blog 4 The Core
Training blog 5 Hydration
Training blog 6 Hydration cont.
Training blog 7 Goal Setting
Training blog 8 The Five Tibetans
​Training blog 9 Brain Work
Training blog 10 Winter Work out

​ Here is the first of my training blogs. I hope you have all started to fill in the monthly exercise sheet I sent out for you.
John’s Training Blog. 1
How fit are you? How fit should you be?
I have a couple of ideas for you to measure your present fitness and what you should aim for if you are not there yet.
You need to have some basic fitness before attempting some of the more challenging ideas to come!!
Always do a warm up first – a gentle 5 min on the spot jog is fine for today’s work out.
Method 1
This is sometimes used as the base level fitness for athletes so don’t expect to be able to reach the target straight away.
There are 3 activities. Your target is to be able to do 60 repetitions in 1min for each. (you can rest between each).
1) Press ups.
2) Burpees.
3) Sit ups.
 
It is VERY important that you do these exercises correctly. You can hurt yourself if you do them incorrectly esp. the sit ups.
Press ups can be done with your knees on the floor at first. You should aim for the arms to be lowered to 90 degree bend each time.
Sit ups are very often done incorrectly leading to lower back pain. Although called sit ups we do not actually sit up. Lie down with knees bent. Look at the ceiling, lift your head and shoulders off the ground then lower – keep looking at the ceiling -don’t bend your neck. You can put your hands on the side of your face but do not put them behind your head. You do not want to be pulling your head with the hands.
Method 2
This is great for the more mature club members who do not claim to be athletes.
There are 2 activities.
1) Stand and sit – on a firm dinner type chair
 
With arms across the chest how long does it take you to stand up and down 10 times.
Target times.
Under 35 years 10 sec.
Under 55 years 13 sec.
Over 55 years 18 sec. or less.
2) Step ups/ downs - on a stair.
 
Do this as many times you can for 3 min. When the time is up, take your pulse.
Under 35 years pules about 105
Under 55 years pules about 110
Over 55 years pules about 115.
To aid your progress a gentle 30 min jog, or better still 3 x 10 min jogs, each day will do the job.
Record all your activity on the record sheet sent out earlier.
Head coach
 
 
 Jgs 30/03/2020

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John’s training blog 2
Flexibility and stretching exercises.
Good flexibility helps us paddle well and avoid injury – but if you do the exercises incorrectly you will injury yourself .
To improve flexibility you do stretching exercises.
When?
The exercises stretch your soft tissue (muscles tendons etc ) and must only be done when you have had a really good warm up.
After strenuous exercise you are warmed up and ready to do the stretches. Also after hard work your muscles tend to shorten so some stretching is needed to prevent this becoming permanent.
Hold a stretch so it is not painful for 15 – 20 sec. Do not ‘bounce’ the stretch. Deep breathing during the stretch will help extend the movement.
Should you stretch before exercise / paddling ?
Good stretches may temporally reduce the protection the soft tissue gives you against injury, (like an over stretched rubber bungee). Before exercise – warm up – loosen joints and soft tissue with bends, rotating limbs etc. but not stretching.
There are many books and websites on exercises and stretching and Canoe England produced a set of 10 stretches for paddlers - which I find really good. I sent these out with the last blog – I hope you have had a go at these!
Flexibility and teenagers
As children grow the different soft tissues and bones often grow at different rates. This increases the chance of injury during exercise. A good program of stretches carried out regularly will reduce this danger.
Like any exercise using your muscles a good warm down is needed after stretching. The enables the body to disperse any waste produced in the muscles during exercise so preventing aches and pains the next day.
If in doubt ask for help.

Aerobic Endurance.Below are a few ideas for you to develop endurance without getting too out of breath!! and without just going for a run. It’s aerobic if you can still talk while doing the exercise.  
For juniors please read the ‘Physical training for young people’ info. first. found below this article.
Interval training can be best described as bouts of exercise interspersed with short rest intervals. It is based on the concept that more work can be completed at a higher relative intensity compared to continuous-type training.
The intensity and duration of the work intervals and the length of the rest periods dictates the training response. Very short, all-out bouts of work coupled with longer rest periods are used for speed and speed endurance development. ( short sprints )
We need first of all to work at aerobic endurance. This is so we can keep going for the length of a race!! This is best achieved with 2 – 5 min work intervals with the same rest intervals, repeated 6 times. Start with short intervals and work at a rate that you can keep up for the 6 repetitions.
 
Fartlek training was first practiced in Sweden in the 1930s, with its literal translation being speedplay. In a fartlek session, typically, the athlete will vary the speed at which they are moving at different stages of a run for set periods of time with faster, slower and sometimes intermediate speed runs.
Sometimes you will be flat out, then slow, then intermediate. The aim is for your body to learn to adapt to changes. This training helps you cope with Lactic acid so increases the speed and time you can go without hitting the wall !! You can do it on you own or in a group taking it in turn to decide the speed. You MUST allow a minimum  of 2 mins after going flat out to give your body a chance to clear out the lactic acid.
 
Pyramid training is a pig!!! – until you get used to it then it is a challenge ! It involves reducing repetitions but increasing distance till max distance is reached and then reversing the cycle.-clear as mud ?
Eg. 1 min on 1 min off  x 4   2 min off on last rep
       2 min on 2 min off  x 2   4 min off on last rep
       4 min on 4 min off  x 2  
       2 min on 2 min off x 2
       1 min on 1 min off x 4
 
You should not do this training more than 3 times a weeks. The rest days between sessions may be rest periods for you but not for your body. This is when your body responds to your work by building its systems to make you fitter so it is easier next time. ( unfortunately the opposite is also true, after 3 days of no exercise you start to loose the gains you have made.)
 
Lots of info on training can be found on the net but keep it simple.
 
Start at work rate you know you can cope with and slowly build up over weeks not days. It’s no good being so full of aches and pains that you can not manage your next session.
If in pain there is no gain
 
Always warm up   work out   stretch out    warm down

Physical training for young people.
As the young body develops it’s ability to respond to exercise changes. Damage can be done if the incorrect type of training is attempted before the body has developed an ability to cope with the stresses it is subjected to.
Below is an outline of development with age and the ‘window of opportunity’ indicates where efforts should be focused.  
Pre-adolescents             under 12 +/- 2 yr.
No need to ‘train’ – OK with general sporting activity to develop – flexibility, agility, balance and co-ordination. Low intensity aerobic activities.                       -skill and speed ( 5 – 15 sec. ) window of opportunity.
Early adolescents            aprox. 12 – 14
Higher intensity exercise – improving lactic acid tolerance.  NOT to work in the 20 – 120 sec range as this puts stress on an underdeveloped anaerobic system. A good time for aerobic and short speed work. Light strength training. Children’s muscles will not increase with weight training until puberty is reached (light weights high reps. could be used to increase endurance).               -Speed and aerobic window of opportunity.
Late adolescents         aprox. 15 – 17
Physical development slows. Higher intensity work now possible especially in the 20 – 120 sec. range. Increase strength demands.                                                  -strength window of opportunity.
To help identify the stage of development of a young person make a height chart to see the time of max. growth – this is when more exercise can begin. Take a measurement every month, same time and place. 

​The Core.
Over the years, in all branches of sport, more and more importance has been given to training ‘the core’.
What then is the core and why and in what way can we train and develop the core?
The core is the torso and its associated abdominal and back muscles. It has a number of roles in the execution of movement.
1) It is a firm base for the limbs to leaver from to produce forward movement. If not firm power will be lost in the transfer from limb to boat.
2) It is used for balance – so our limbs can put all effort into our boat’s movement – rather than stopping us fall in!
3) The powerful core muscles give the rotational power needed for both endurance and sprint paddling. (casual recreational paddling will often use arm muscles for power but if you engage the core you will tier more slowly).
There is a mass of information about the core in books and online which you can look up if interested. Here are a few pointers to help you on your way.
Firm Core. Sit up in the boat as if you were at an interview or a string was pulling from the top of your head – then pull your belly button in to your spine as hard as you can and release about 50%. You will notice that by doing this you are tilting your pelvis and activating your abdominal muscles. This results in a slight tension or firming of the core but will not tier you.
Balance . The best way to improve balance is to get in a boat that you find too wobbly for comfort. After half an hour get back in your regular boat and you won’t believe how stable it feels! Do this regularly. On land there are lots of Swiz Ball routines but I just stand on 1 leg for 1 min. then the other leg – too easy – try it with your eyes shut and arms by your side. Still too easy – eyes shut and paddle action with a broom stick  - then  wave the free leg as well – then get a swiz ball.
Rotational Power.   Lots online. At the club the ergo is great for this and all aspects of paddling technique. At home, and in the club ‘gym’, I use a bungee or bike inner tube. Sit on the floor with one leg straight and the other with a slight bend. The elastic you have chosen should be in a loop that will go over the foot of the bent leg and held in the hand on the same side with torso upright and turned with straight arm to the loop. Now, with core firm, push the leg straight as you turn the torso so the straight arm and shoulder pull the elastic. You may need to try a few different forms of elastic to find something that stretches far enough and still needs effort all the way. I found a racing bike inner tube or a physio band work well when looped a few times. Be sure not to lean back as you pull so all the effort is from the twisting action of the torso.                                                        

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John’s Training Blog
 
Brain Work - Mind as well as body
As the first race of the season is this coming weekend this is a reminder that it’s not just a physical activity – the way you think and cope with the situation in your mind is often more important that how good you are at paddling.
 
The way you think and use your mind affects your performance in training, practice and racing.
Be positive – think why you can do it, not why you can not do it.
 
Imagery   
Imagine you are paddling to victory with style and grace !! or looking at the results sheet with you name at the top.
Close your eyes and visualize yourself doing the race, each bend, what you will see, the finish whistle. Some paddlers do this as part of their race preparation just before the start.
 
Concentrate or ‘think about’
External things – weather, other paddlers, kit, water conditions.
Internal things – what you feel like, what may happen, hopes, fears.
 
Arousal
Low arousal = asleep
High arousal = extreme excitement – butterflies, sweating, etc.
You need to be somewhere in the middle to paddle at your best.
You can control arousal
Increase arousal – exercise, imagery, splash face, music.
Reduce arousal – relaxation, imagery, calm music, deep breathing.
 
Getting in the ZONE 
Using the skills above will help you focus on your performance and will result in you doing your best.