Week 18 - Lightning Strikes

Creating a Challenge 

By Coach Anita

We hear the terms “active” and “exercise” often used synonymously when it comes to movement. While all movement is active and essential to overall health and fitness, not all levels of activity are in the category of exercise. A simple definition of exercise is activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness. Exercise can be cardiovascularly focused or can focus on muscle strengthening. 

So I want to provide some ideas on how to incorporate exercise into your activities. 

WALKING

Hands down, walking is one of the easiest and best things we can do to stay active and get exercise. When walking at a leisurely pace, you are not elevating your heart rate so a longer duration provides you the most benefit. When walking at a brisk pace, the duration can be shorter. But what will really add a little boost to your routine is variety. The body gets acclimated to behaviors and movement so it’s important to incorporate new challenges. If you regularly walk at a brisk pace, consider adding some hill climbing and/or stair climbing. If those are already part of the routine, seek out different routes with these features and/or repeating the efforts multiple times. If you prefer a leisurely pace, strive for a minimum of 60 continuous minutes. Enhance the effort by carrying a backpack weighted with books or carrying hand weights. You can add sets of arm curls, walking lunges, or shoulder presses for muscle strengthening. Adding in bursts of speed from one landmark to another adds a cardiovascular boost to a leisurely walk. Set a goal (5-10 intervals) and see how you feel. Play with the type of options you add and the frequency in which they are incorporated.

RUNNING

Running is a cardiovascularly focused activity. A gentle pace over a long duration focuses on the oxidative energy system (aka aerobic system, long-term energy system). Being able to comfortably carry on a conversation while running is a sign of a long, slow, duration/distance (LSD) run. This type of training is important for developing endurance. Picking up the pace, running for a shorter amount of time, and not being able to say more than a few words at a time trains the glycolytic energy system (aka short-term energy system). Varying the type of running you do keeps your body from plateauing, in terms of training. Hills and stairs are great tools for adding variety to a run, and repeating them at various intervals helps develop stamina in your short-term energy system. Adding in Fartlek work (“speed play”) where you incorporate speed intervals with endurance training is also a great way to enhance a regular running routine. (The link provides a basic Fartlek workout.)  

CYCLING

Outdoor cycling is more gentle on the body than running and also provides great cardiovascular training. Just like with walking and running, the exertion level determines how long you need to do it for the most benefit. A gentle pace where it’s easy to hold a conversation requires a longer duration to receive the most benefit. Riding with sustained effort will yield benefits with a shorter duration. Hills are a natural tool for training. Whether you’re taking a hill at a constant, deliberate pace or sprinting and exerting hard to get to the top, the increased resistance offered by hills always provides a benefit (constant pace builds endurance, sprinting builds stamina). Try tackling a moderate size hill with a hard push to the top, enjoy the descent down and then go back up with a constant deliberate pace. Fartlek workouts are fun and effective on a bicycle, too.

PADDLING

Whether you’re paddling a canoe, an SUP, or a kayak you can work your immediate energy system, short-term energy system and long-term energy system. As I’ve said before, all three are used in dragon boat racing. If you experience muscle soreness after a new type of paddling, that indicates muscle strengthening. You might be using muscles differently than in a dragon boat. If you’ve been getting out on a human-powered watercraft and would like to incorporate a workout into your outing, warm up and do a series of 30-30 sprints (30 seconds at highest intensity, 30 seconds leisurely paddle). If you don’t have a timing mechanism, do 45 strokes. Your series can start at 5 or 10, depending upon your fitness level, and for 3-5 sets. Rest for a minute between sets. Then continue your regular paddle. During another paddle you can try a time pyramid. Paddle for one minute as hard as you can, then leisurely paddle for one minute. Then paddle for 3 minutes as hard as you can, 3 minute leisurely. 5 minutes as hard as you can, 5 minutes leisurely. Work back down the pyramid. (You can make the leisurely paddle a little more intense to increase the difficulty.) That’s a 36 minute pyramid workout. Then continue your normal paddle. If you want to simply ratchet up a regular paddle outing, try beating the time it normally takes you from push off to return. Or striving to see how far you can get before you have to turn back for a time-constrained paddle. 

Anything you enjoy doing is ideal to use for exercise. Using a portion of your allotted time or designating an entire session for exercise will enhance your fitness training. Varying the intensities and types of work you do as well as the frequency are easy ways to keep your exercise efforts fun and beneficial.

The Importance of Stretching

By Suzanne Frank

Stretching is important prior to and following any type of physical activity or sporting events. Stretching loosens muscles, allows for better movement and reduces the risk of injury.There are two types of stretches-dynamic and static.

Dynamic stretches involve slow controlled movements. These stretches should be specific to the muscles you plan to use. For example, do arm swings to stretch and loosen your arm muscles before an upper body weight training session.

Static stretches provide a slow cool down period and are held for 15-30 seconds at a time. This type of stretching helps to reduce soreness. An example of a static shoulder stretch would involve standing straight with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Position your left arm across your chest so that it is parallel with the floor. Place your right hand under the left elbow and move the arm closer to your chest until you feel your shoulder stretch. Hold for 15-30 seconds. Repeat with the right arm.

Here are some common errors that people may make during stretching and how to fix the errors:

• Holding your breath- it is not uncommon to hold your breath when you are stretching. This can cause our bodies to remain tense and and our muscles to remain contracted. To fix this inhale deeply before you start stretching and exhale as you gradually move into the stretch. Continue to breathe slowly as you feel your muscle stretch.
• Stretching for too long- people may believe that the more stretching you do the better the result. this is not the case. To properly stretch a muscle group you should hold the stretch between 10 and 30 seconds. Each stretch should be done 2-6 reps per muscle.
• Pushing a stretch too far- this can cause injury to the muscle or the surrounding joints or ligaments. Try not to stretch beyond what is comfortable.
• Avoid stretching cold muscles- before stretching for any reason, warm-up for 5-10 minutes to prevent injury (example: a short walk while swinging your arms as a warm-up).

Finally, listen to your body and don't push a muscle too far. If it hurts STOP!

Pinks Stay Strong Workout Week 18

With Coach Oden 

This workout uses some weight.   Two full gallon water bottles are about 8 lb each.  If you have weights you can use those as well or do the exercises without additional weight. 

Just for Fun 

by Coach Pat 

I am excited about how many different ways Pinks are finding to stay on the water.  I know we have kayakers, SUP's, OC's, tradional canoes and maybe someone has a surf-ski.  I am right there as well trying my hand at OC.  

I love the water and I love paddling on just about any craft.  I find when I feel confident on a new craft my next thoughts go to how to improve my stroke so I can use my body more efficiently.  This helps move the craft faster and avoids injury.   

This week I tried hard to write something worthwhile, and for every 100 words I found myself wandering back to this subject of stroke, efficiency and type of craft.   The similarities in stroke,  the parts, and the differences.  Here are a few short YouTube videos that look at the components of each stroke.   You will feel right at home here, you already know the basics and have the strength to  adapt to a new craft.  Have fun!   

John Puakea Tahitian Outrigger Stroke : If you are SUP person you will want to watch this too. 

Bio-mechanics of Tahitian outrigger stroke

Kayak Tips:  

Flatwater kayaking for competition.   The sroke elements are so familiar

SUP getting more power in your stroke

Using your core with SUP stroke 

Read More

Week 18 - Lightning Strikes

Creating a Challenge 

By Coach Anita

We hear the terms “active” and “exercise” often used synonymously when it comes to movement. While all movement is active and essential to overall health and fitness, not all levels of activity are in the category of exercise. A simple definition of exercise is activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness. Exercise can be cardiovascularly focused or can focus on muscle strengthening. 

So I want to provide some ideas on how to incorporate exercise into your activities. 

WALKING

Hands down, walking is one of the easiest and best things we can do to stay active and get exercise. When walking at a leisurely pace, you are not elevating your heart rate so a longer duration provides you the most benefit. When walking at a brisk pace, the duration can be shorter. But what will really add a little boost to your routine is variety. The body gets acclimated to behaviors and movement so it’s important to incorporate new challenges. If you regularly walk at a brisk pace, consider adding some hill climbing and/or stair climbing. If those are already part of the routine, seek out different routes with these features and/or repeating the efforts multiple times. If you prefer a leisurely pace, strive for a minimum of 60 continuous minutes. Enhance the effort by carrying a backpack weighted with books or carrying hand weights. You can add sets of arm curls, walking lunges, or shoulder presses for muscle strengthening. Adding in bursts of speed from one landmark to another adds a cardiovascular boost to a leisurely walk. Set a goal (5-10 intervals) and see how you feel. Play with the type of options you add and the frequency in which they are incorporated.

RUNNING

Running is a cardiovascularly focused activity. A gentle pace over a long duration focuses on the oxidative energy system (aka aerobic system, long-term energy system). Being able to comfortably carry on a conversation while running is a sign of a long, slow, duration/distance (LSD) run. This type of training is important for developing endurance. Picking up the pace, running for a shorter amount of time, and not being able to say more than a few words at a time trains the glycolytic energy system (aka short-term energy system). Varying the type of running you do keeps your body from plateauing, in terms of training. Hills and stairs are great tools for adding variety to a run, and repeating them at various intervals helps develop stamina in your short-term energy system. Adding in Fartlek work (“speed play”) where you incorporate speed intervals with endurance training is also a great way to enhance a regular running routine. (The link provides a basic Fartlek workout.)  

CYCLING

Outdoor cycling is more gentle on the body than running and also provides great cardiovascular training. Just like with walking and running, the exertion level determines how long you need to do it for the most benefit. A gentle pace where it’s easy to hold a conversation requires a longer duration to receive the most benefit. Riding with sustained effort will yield benefits with a shorter duration. Hills are a natural tool for training. Whether you’re taking a hill at a constant, deliberate pace or sprinting and exerting hard to get to the top, the increased resistance offered by hills always provides a benefit (constant pace builds endurance, sprinting builds stamina). Try tackling a moderate size hill with a hard push to the top, enjoy the descent down and then go back up with a constant deliberate pace. Fartlek workouts are fun and effective on a bicycle, too.

PADDLING

Whether you’re paddling a canoe, an SUP, or a kayak you can work your immediate energy system, short-term energy system and long-term energy system. As I’ve said before, all three are used in dragon boat racing. If you experience muscle soreness after a new type of paddling, that indicates muscle strengthening. You might be using muscles differently than in a dragon boat. If you’ve been getting out on a human-powered watercraft and would like to incorporate a workout into your outing, warm up and do a series of 30-30 sprints (30 seconds at highest intensity, 30 seconds leisurely paddle). If you don’t have a timing mechanism, do 45 strokes. Your series can start at 5 or 10, depending upon your fitness level, and for 3-5 sets. Rest for a minute between sets. Then continue your regular paddle. During another paddle you can try a time pyramid. Paddle for one minute as hard as you can, then leisurely paddle for one minute. Then paddle for 3 minutes as hard as you can, 3 minute leisurely. 5 minutes as hard as you can, 5 minutes leisurely. Work back down the pyramid. (You can make the leisurely paddle a little more intense to increase the difficulty.) That’s a 36 minute pyramid workout. Then continue your normal paddle. If you want to simply ratchet up a regular paddle outing, try beating the time it normally takes you from push off to return. Or striving to see how far you can get before you have to turn back for a time-constrained paddle. 

Anything you enjoy doing is ideal to use for exercise. Using a portion of your allotted time or designating an entire session for exercise will enhance your fitness training. Varying the intensities and types of work you do as well as the frequency are easy ways to keep your exercise efforts fun and beneficial.

The Importance of Stretching

By Suzanne Frank

Stretching is important prior to and following any type of physical activity or sporting events. Stretching loosens muscles, allows for better movement and reduces the risk of injury.There are two types of stretches-dynamic and static.

Dynamic stretches involve slow controlled movements. These stretches should be specific to the muscles you plan to use. For example, do arm swings to stretch and loosen your arm muscles before an upper body weight training session.

Static stretches provide a slow cool down period and are held for 15-30 seconds at a time. This type of stretching helps to reduce soreness. An example of a static shoulder stretch would involve standing straight with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Position your left arm across your chest so that it is parallel with the floor. Place your right hand under the left elbow and move the arm closer to your chest until you feel your shoulder stretch. Hold for 15-30 seconds. Repeat with the right arm.

Here are some common errors that people may make during stretching and how to fix the errors:

• Holding your breath- it is not uncommon to hold your breath when you are stretching. This can cause our bodies to remain tense and and our muscles to remain contracted. To fix this inhale deeply before you start stretching and exhale as you gradually move into the stretch. Continue to breathe slowly as you feel your muscle stretch.
• Stretching for too long- people may believe that the more stretching you do the better the result. this is not the case. To properly stretch a muscle group you should hold the stretch between 10 and 30 seconds. Each stretch should be done 2-6 reps per muscle.
• Pushing a stretch too far- this can cause injury to the muscle or the surrounding joints or ligaments. Try not to stretch beyond what is comfortable.
• Avoid stretching cold muscles- before stretching for any reason, warm-up for 5-10 minutes to prevent injury (example: a short walk while swinging your arms as a warm-up).

Finally, listen to your body and don't push a muscle too far. If it hurts STOP!

Pinks Stay Strong Workout Week 18

With Coach Oden 

This workout uses some weight.   Two full gallon water bottles are about 8 lb each.  If you have weights you can use those as well or do the exercises without additional weight. 

Just for Fun 

by Coach Pat 

I am excited about how many different ways Pinks are finding to stay on the water.  I know we have kayakers, SUP's, OC's, tradional canoes and maybe someone has a surf-ski.  I am right there as well trying my hand at OC.  

I love the water and I love paddling on just about any craft.  I find when I feel confident on a new craft my next thoughts go to how to improve my stroke so I can use my body more efficiently.  This helps move the craft faster and avoids injury.   

This week I tried hard to write something worthwhile, and for every 100 words I found myself wandering back to this subject of stroke, efficiency and type of craft.   The similarities in stroke,  the parts, and the differences.  Here are a few short YouTube videos that look at the components of each stroke.   You will feel right at home here, you already know the basics and have the strength to  adapt to a new craft.  Have fun!   

John Puakea Tahitian Outrigger Stroke : If you are SUP person you will want to watch this too. 

Bio-mechanics of Tahitian outrigger stroke

Kayak Tips:  

Flatwater kayaking for competition.   The sroke elements are so familiar

SUP getting more power in your stroke

Using your core with SUP stroke 

Read More