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    Kayaking for Fitness: An 8-week Program to Get Fit and Have Fun
    Kayaking for Fitness: An 8-week Program to Get Fit and Have Fun
    Kayaking for Fitness: An 8-week Program to Get Fit and Have Fun
    Ebook288 pages3 hours

    Kayaking for Fitness: An 8-week Program to Get Fit and Have Fun

    By Jodi Bigelow

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    About this ebook

    This is the essential guide to achieving and maintaining physical fitness and body tone through kayaking.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHeliconia Press
    Release dateDec 1, 2016
    ISBN9781607654001
    Kayaking for Fitness: An 8-week Program to Get Fit and Have Fun
    Author

    Jodi Bigelow

    Jodi has been a competitive adventure athlete and trainer for over 10 years and is one of Canada's best multi-sport endurance athletes. He was on the Canadian Wildwater and Marathon Kayaking teams and has competed in world championships in France, Germany and the Czech Republic. He won the Canadian Downriver Racing Championships in 2006. Jodi also recently completed the Yukon River Quest, a 750 km race in Canada down the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City. Jodi attributes much of his success to the role kayaking has played in his training.

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      Book preview

      Kayaking for Fitness - Jodi Bigelow

      Introduction

      ALTHOUGH THEY ARE PERFECT for day trips, expeditions, fishing and birding excursions, and a terrific way to mellow out at the cottage, the kayak is rapidly gaining popularity as a piece of fitness equipment. Wherever there are suitable places to paddle, kayaking can be built into daily and weekly routines for achieving total body health and fitness.

      The fact is, we’re on the verge of a fitness revolution—and it’s not just elite paddlers preparing for a race or expedition. A whole new crowd has switched on to kayaking, seeking out the general fitness benefits that it offers—to lose weight, build strength and muscle tone, increase health and to look and feel good.

      What is drawing people to this sport now? Many are plagued with injuries from cycling or running. In looking for other ways to stay fit, they discover that kayaking works the whole body, giving an extra workout to the oft-overlooked abs and shoulders. Because kayaking with proper technique works the entire abdominal area, it also develops essential core strength. The importance of core strength as the foundation of total fitness has received a lot of press in recent years. Strong muscles in your abdominal core give you better posture, slim your waistline, and support you physically in every activity from simple everyday movement to running marathons, which also means fewer injuries.

      If you use the right equipment, correct technique and paddle on safe waterways, another appealing thing about kayaking is that it poses little risk of injury or accident while still delivering satisfaction and results. Unlike running, kayaking is low-impact—there is no hard pounding to cause muscle and joint damage. Unlike cycling, there is no chance of high speed crashes and what cyclists call road rash—scraped skin with embedded dirt from the road.

      Kayaking can be used for fitness at all levels and for all ages, from seniors interested in a low-impact sport to younger elite athletes interested in serious competition. Kayaking races are becoming more popular with many short, long-distance and marathon-style events to choose from. Also, multi-sport adventure races, usually a combination of kayaking, mountain biking, trekking and climbing, are ever-increasing in popularity. For those who already participate in these thrilling events, paddling is often the weakest individual element, so time invested specifically in kayak training can bring about the greatest overall improvement in race results.

      Through years of working closely with my clients, I’ve come up with a program that can be used by anyone. Whether you are a fitness enthusiast looking for a daily workout or someone who wants a more relaxed schedule, you will benefit by following the program outlined in this book.

      The first four chapters cover basic equipment, proper paddling technique and safety. Then we dive into fitness and training principles, followed by a detailed 8-week kayak fitness program. You can follow the program like it’s the law or you can pick and choose elements from it to accommodate more relaxed goals and schedules. Whatever you are looking for, the ideas and techniques are there to help you improve your fitness and overall conditioning. We’ll then look at off-season strength and conditioning exercises, and you’ll find suggestions for winter activities that complement kayaking. The last chapter discusses some of the many possibilities that your new kayaking skills and improved fitness will open to you.

      In the end, no matter what your reason is for getting into a kayak, every day on the water is better and a little brighter than a day not on the water. My sincerest hope is that you come to enjoy the benefits this book is designed to offer!

      CHAPTER 1:

      Equipment

      Illustration

      > Your Body

      > Kayaks

      > Paddles

      > Safety Equipment

      > Fitness Equipment

      > Dressing for Kayaking

      Your Body

      As with any sport, your body is your first piece of equipment. It is an amazing thing. With proper care, rest and recovery, it will adjust to almost anything we subject it to. With that in mind, take care of yourself and never work yourself to the point of injury or strain. Listen to your body as you go. If an exercise hurts or is even uncomfortable, consider stopping and trying something different. Proper exercise does not involve pain. As a general rule, focus on quality, not quantity.

      If you are not currently exercising on a regular basis, it is a good idea to consult your doctor before beginning any of the training exercises outlined in this book.

      Illustration

      The Kayak

      There are many different types and shapes of kayaks available on the market today, and each one is designed with a specific purpose and paddler in mind. In fact, I have seven different kayaks hanging in my garage, and I still have to call up my parents to borrow their sea kayaks for my yearly Georgian Bay trip! Kayaking is such an important part of my life that it makes sense to have a quiver of boats. However most people will only need one boat, so in this section we’ll look at the different options that you have and help you choose the right kayak for you.

      Kayaks are typically classified by their function and purpose. For kayak fitness, you will want to choose a boat designed for flat water, not whitewater. Flat water kayaks come in one of three categories: recreational, sea or touring, and racing. Any of these types are suitable for kayak fitness. The descriptions below will help you to decide which one fits best with your particular needs.

      BASIC TYPES

      Recreational kayaks are designed for day trips and are the most stable kayaks out there—having the beginner or safety-oriented paddler in mind. They range from 10 to 15 feet long. Recreational kayaks are available in two self-explanatory styles—sit-on-top and sit-inside—and both are available as singles or doubles (solo or tandem).

      IllustrationIllustration

      Sea kayaks are long and narrow—designed to travel quickly in variable conditions.

      Sea or touring kayaks are all sit-inside kayaks designed to travel quickly in variable conditions, although they do so at the sacrifice of some stability. Sea/touring kayaks are longer than recreational kayaks (between 14 and 19 feet long), and they have smaller cockpits that allow for outfitting features like thigh hooks, which offer the paddler much better boat-control and make rolling a kayak possible. They have built-in flotation created by bulkheads which divide the boat’s interior into separate watertight compartments. These compartments are accessed through hatches on the deck. Not only do these compartments offer a relatively dry spot for carrying gear for day or camping trips, but they also provide valuable flotation in case the boat capsizes. Sea or touring kayaks will also have either a rudder or skeg which is used to help the kayak go straight.

      Illustration

      Racing kayaks are tippy, but they glide through the water effortlessly.

      Racing kayaks are designed to go as fast as possible on flat, calm, protected waters only. They are made of the lightest materials and have hull shapes designed for speed, not stability. Although there are fairly stable beginner models available, they are still not generally suitable for new paddlers. Sprint kayaks are the fastest racing kayaks, but there are also multi-sport racing kayaks which deal better with rougher conditions.

      PARTS OF THE KAYAK

      Although the above-mentioned kayaks vary a great deal, they share many of the same parts. The top of a kayak is referred to as the deck. The bottom is the hull. The front of the boat is called the bow, and the back is the stern. On deck, you’ll often find deck lines that make it really easy to grab the boat, and bungee cords that you can use to secure extra equipment like water bottles or sunscreen. You’ll also find convenient carrying handles at both the bow and stern.

      Some boats have a rudder or skeg to help keep the boat running straight (although neither are essential pieces of equipment). Rudders offer much more control as they swivel from side-to-side and are controlled by foot pedals. Skegs are fixed along the centerline on the bottom of the boat and can be lowered to help the boat go straight in windy conditions. All kayaks have some form of seat and support for the feet, such as foot pedals or foot wells. They should also have some type of lower back support, like a back band or a seat back.

      Unique to sit-inside kayaks is the cockpit—the area within the boat where you sit. Around the cockpit you’ll find the cockpit rim, otherwise referred to as the coaming. This raised lip allows a sprayskirt to be attached to the boat in order to keep water out.

      Construction Materials

      Kayaks can be manufactured from a wide variety of materials, but fall within three structural classes: rigid, folding and inflatable.

      Rigid kayaks are constructed of plastic, fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber or wood. Rigid boats are what most people picture when they think of a kayak. The most common material used to make kayaks is a durable polyethylene (a type of plastic).

      Folding kayaks are collapsible boats made of fabric stretched over either a wood or aluminum frame. Most folding kayaks will fit into a backpack-sized bag when taken apart.

      Inflatable kayaks are made from coated fabrics, and like folding kayaks, they pack down into a backpack-sized bag.

      Illustration

      Sit-on-top kayaks are great for warm environments.

      Illustration

      Sit-inside kayaks keep you drier and protect your legs from sun and wind.

      CHOOSING A KAYAK

      Buying a kayak is

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