Pinks Stay Strong™
This week your Fitness Team is helping you build momentum by providing more tools to keep you ready to hit the water. Each article is aimed at helping you understand how your activity now will help your paddling performance and overall health. If you have any question about the workouts or information, please leave them in the comments section so our answers can help others as well.
Energy Systems in Dragon Boat Racing
by Coach Anita
In the last issue I provided an overview of the body's energy systems and a little about how they work. Information is most valuable when you understand how to use it. So let's talk about how these systems work in a dragon boat race.
Why should you want to train your phosphagen (adenosine triphospate-creatin phosphate aka ATP-CP) energy system? Consider this question: Is a race easier or harder after a good start? The ATP-CP system is where we get our initial burst of 100% power. It's what allows us to quickly lift the boat and slingshot powerfully forward. Just as everyone has a body, everyone has this energy system. Whether we are able to perform at a competitive level is dependent upon training it.
As I said before, training this system is not comfortable - it is HARD because you are pushing yourself to a maximal level. It is through this pushing of yourself that you are able to generate more power through continued training - in other words, by doing it you are able to do more of it at a higher level. When done properly, it might feel like you didn't accomplish anything because you feel so exhausted. That's a GOOD sign. Your body will recover, and like a muscle that breaks down because of a workout and is stronger after recovery, so too will your phosphagen energy system become more powerful and efficient.
TAKEAWAY: By training your ATP-CP system, you are able to generate a higher
maximum output during the start sequence. (Answer to the above question: a race is
always easier after a good start!)
After the initial burst from the phospagen energy system, the glycolytic system (aka anaerobic lactate or lactic acid system) activates. It is predominant for about 1-2 minutes. How well and how long you can perform at a high intensity for the body of the race is directly correlated to the training of your glycolytic system.
This type of training also requires you to work hard. You are training so you can perform at your highest level for 1-2 minutes. Therefore, you need to be exerting at a high level for a prescribed period of time, recovering, and repeating.
The duration of an activity is a factor in determining how hard you can sustain work. When you are asked to work at 85% you need to know for how long. Running as fast as you can to a table 10 meters away, and running as fast as you can once around a track do not look the same, yet they are both 100% efforts. The same is true for the 100% you give during the start sequence when the rate starts out slow then increases over race pace and then levels to race pace. The maximum effort you are giving at race pace needs to be sustained longer than what was done during the start sequence. We are training our glycolytic systems in order to generate the highest output of power and speed that we can sustain for a period of time.
An unconditioned individual will experience a high accumulation of lactic acid where they can no longer sustain the intensity or have to stop all together sooner than a conditioned individual. By training the glycolytic system the body produces, uses and becomes more efficient at tolerating and removing lactic acid which allows you to work at more intense paces for longer.
TAKEAWAY: Increasing the amount of time you train at high intensity is training for your
glycolytic system. This directly translates to your ability to maintain a high intensity for
the duration of the race.
Remember, your energy systems are always working with each having its own time to shine. Like bulbs on a dimmer switch, it depends upon the activity intensity and duration as to which bulb is shining the brightest at a given time.
The oxidative system (aka aerobic system) becomes predominant after 2-3 minutes of intense work. Oxidative refers to the fact this system breaks down fuels (mainly carbohydrates) for energy. The body has a much greater capacity to produce energy through the oxidative process than it is able to store or create through the other two energy systems. "Oxidative processes, as related to endurance activities and recovery from anaerobic activity, rely on the body's ability to effectively deliver and utilize oxygen in the working muscles. Vigorous activity could not be extended beyond several minutes, and recovery from anaerobic efforts would not be possible, if not for the long-term oxidative system." (Brooks, D.S. 1997)
Developing the aerobic system is the best done through varying intensities, with shorter distances for higher intensities, and longer distances for lower intensities.
TAKEAWAY: Performance dragon boat paddling requires development of all three
energy systems as well as muscular conditioning. Aerobic conditioning takes longer
to develop than anaerobic conditioning, but anaerobic conditioning relies on aerobic
fitness for strong high intensity performances.
References
Brooks, D.S. (1997) Program design for personal trainers: Bridging theory into application, Human Kinetics.
Rest and Recovery
By Coach Pat
Recovery isn't inactivity. There will be days when passive rest is what your body needs but most of the time taking a more active approach is the best way to boost recovery. Active recovery means including low-intensity exercise that promotes blood flow to the muscles, helping them to recover better and faster. By moving your body you're speeding up the recovery process. You need to be active enough to increase blood flow, but gentle enough to allow your muscles to heal. You should finish sessions of active recovery feeling refreshed, energized, and ready for the next days training.
An exercise target for a breast cancer survivor would be a minimum 3 cardio sessions per week plus 2 additional strength training sessions. (https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/updated-exercise-guidelines-for-cancer). Exercise is prescribed for anxiety, depression, fatigue, lymphedema and physical function.
On the days you need to dial back to active recovery try doing the Pink Phoenix warm up, then add in one or both of these routines:
Hydration
By Suzanne FrankLast week we talked about the benefits of water. This week I will be discussion hydration and preparing for race day.
Hydration is important because our bodies are composed mostly of water. The proper balance between water and electrolytes determines how our bodies function including our muscles.
Drinking fluids serves a range of purposes such as removing waste through urine, controlling body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure as well as maintaining a healthy metabolism.
During dragon boat practice/racing we may have excessive fluid loss through sweating and evaporation from breathing. When you lose up to 2% of body weight through fluid loss, physical performance and mental concentration will start to deteriorate. Other symptoms may be muscle cramps, headaches, and increased body temperature and heart rate.
Unfortunately, there is no consensus on how to assess hydration. Nonetheless the following can be used to assess hydration: urine color (the darker the color the greater degree of dehydration) and sensation of thirst (thirst develops once dehydration is already occurring).
We have heard for many years that we need to drink 8-eight-ounce glasses of water a day. There is no scientific evidence to support this, although this is not a harmful rule. "You should be drinking enough so that you urinate every two to four hours, and that the urine is a light color," says Clark, author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. "If you go from 8 a.m. till 3 p.m., and your urine is very dark, that's a sign that you haven't had enough to drink."
Staying hydrated with water works well for most athletes but you need to ensure that you are also replacing electrolytes if needed. There are many ways to replace electrolytes such as electrolyte tablets, sport drinks and some foods. Also, research has shown that milk is another good choice for staying hydrated as it stays in your body longer. However, it should be used in moderation due to the calorie content.
If you have intensive workouts or multiple races you want to be sure you arrive well hydrated. That means that you must pay attention to your fluid intake on a daily basis and not just the day before practice or races.
It is important to begin focusing on hydrating at least 5-7 days prior to a race. If you are traveling to a race via airplane you must over hydrate as airline travel causes one to dehydrate due to low humidity in the plane.
So drink up and stay hydrated!!!
With Coach Oden
Link to Week 2 Video
Week 2 Workout Document
Pinks Stay Strong Workout Week #2
With Coach Oden
Link to Week 2 Video
Week 2 Workout Document
This Weeks Challenge - Balance Act
By Coach Pat
This week your Fitness Team challenges you to stand on one foot for 30 seconds without touching the foot in the air down. To start training, stand on one foot and then the other for 10 seconds, then 15 seconds, 20 - you get it. When? Start with while brushing your teeth, maybe do a second set while watching TV or standing at the sink. When you can stand on either foot, balanced for 30 seconds record the challenge as complete. This is a great start to a more complex balance routine. To make it harder do this after you have completed your workout, when you are tired. See how you do and have fun!
Quick Links
Link to Week 2 VideoWeek 2 Workout Document
Energy System Training Workouts
Warm-Up Sequence
Workout Video Week #1
Fitness Tracker
Until Next Time - Pinks Stay Strong!
Your Fitness Team
