After Aerobic Training
By Coach Anita
*** NOTE: The energy system pyramid is imagery I created to try to make understanding the body’s energy systems easier. It is not a formal or academic concept. The terms power, speed and endurance reflect what we train for in dragon boat practice. I have previously equated the ATP-CP (immediate energy system) with speed, which is not correct. It is used for power. The glycolytic (short term) energy system is trained to improve speed. I have updated the previous entries, but want to correct my error for those of you following along more closely.
We have completed building the aerobic portion of our energy system pyramid. This portion of the pyramid is the base for two reasons: it takes the most time to develop because aerobic conditioning sessions involve longer work pieces, and it is necessary to develop the aerobic base before building power or speed.
For the imagery of the energy system pyramid, the glycolytic energy system uses longer work intervals (15-60 seconds) so it is the system that sits above the aerobic system. I’m calling that speed work. The ATP-CP energy system uses the shortest intervals for training (5-15 seconds - think of the first three strokes of our start sequence), so it sits at the top of the pyramid. I’m calling that power work. Speed and power work are done after an aerobic base is established, but can be trained concurrently. In contrast to aerobic work, speed and power work both require a lot of rest between pieces so the body can recover for additional efforts. Both types of work are performed at maximum intensity (90-100% max heart rate), and are important in successful dragon boat racing.
After the initial training of the aerobic energy system and technique at the beginning of the season, we prepare for racing by training the glycolytic and ATP-CP (short and immediate) energy systems for the purpose of developing speed and power. Every athletic activity has sport-specific speed and power. For example, developing speed on the soccer pitch is different from developing speed on a dragon boat, and one can’t be substituted for the other. While movements can be approximated and simulated in artificial environments, neuromuscular training for any particular sport requires physical training with equipment in the actual environment. That said, a system trained in an artificial environment will be much better prepared to perform than an untrained system. If you have spent your off-water time doing various workouts on a rowing machine, stationary bike, outrigger canoe or running, your energy systems will be well prepared to adapt to the specific training done for dragon boat paddling.
While the body has three energy systems, you will see there are many more than three types of workouts. There’s lactate threshold, performance threshold, endurance, aerobic capacity, aerobic power, anaerobic power, strength, speed, strength endurance, speed endurance, and more. They reflect the desire to achieve something specific with the particular workout. Sometimes terms are used universally and sometimes terms for the same thing differ between sports and coaches. My goal is to provide you with some basic understanding of the body’s energy systems to help you understand why we do what we do in practice, and help you make more educated decisions when it comes to how you train.
What you’re doing today will make an impact when we get in the boat “tomorrow.” Keep it up.
Evidence-Based Weight Loss Tips
By Suzanne Frank
With the holidays upon us and a change of lifestyle due to Covid I have started thinking about ways to take off those couple of pounds that have been acumulating. I keep telling myself it must be all muscle from all of the exercises and cardio I have been participarting in. While some is likely to be increase in muscle, I'm not going to kid myself that taking off a few pounds would not be a healthy choice for me.
I know that the weight loss industry is full of myths, many which have no scietific evidence behind them. This led me to investigating some weight loss tips that actually have the science behind them. Scientists have found a number of strategies that seem to be effective. I found several tips and will share just a few with you today. Here are some that you may want to try if you are looking to shed some pounds.
1. Drink water, especially before a meal. Drinking water can boost metabolism by 24-30% over a period of 1-1.5 hours, helping you burn off calories. One study showed that drinking 17 ounces of water about 30 minutes before meals helped dieters eat fewer calories and lose 44% more weight, compared to those that didn't drink the water.
2. Drink your quality caffinated coffee black. Studies show caffiene in coffee can boost your metabolism. Adding sugar or high-calorie ingredients will negate any benefits.
3. Cut back on sugar. Please refer to last weeks blog where I covered the topic of sugar.
4. Lower your refined intake of carbohydrates. Eating refined carbohydrates (such as white bread and pasta) is strongly linked to obesity.
5. Keep a food diary. Anything that increase your awareness of what you are eating is likely to be beneficial.
6.Exercise. Aerobic exercise (cardio) is an excellent way to burn calories and improve your physical and mental health.
7. Lift weights. One of the worst side effects of dieting is that it tends to cause muscle loss and metabolic slowdown (starvation mode). Studies show that weight lifting can help keep your metabolism high and prevent you from losing precious muscle mass. It's important not just to lose fat-but you also want to build muscle.
8. Get good sleep. Studies show that poor sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity Poor sleep is linked to a 55% increase in obesity in adults.
9. Chew more slowly. Some studies show that chewing more slowly and thoroughly can help you eat fewer calories and increase the production of hormones linked to weight loss. These are components of mindful eating.
10. Dont't Diet-Eat Healthier. One of the biggest problems with diets is that they rarely work in the long term. People who diet tend to gain more weight over time, and studies show dieting is a consistant predictor of future weight gain. Instead of going on a diet, focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it. Weight loss should than follow naturally.
Most scientific evidence points to incorporating dietary and lifestyle changes that you can commit to as a permanent part of your daily life.
Coach Oden's Workout
https://youtu.be/jlOhnRVLNLo
Strength for Every Part of the Stroke
by Coach Pat
Last week we looked at the muscles needed for set-up, entry and propulsion. This week let us finish the stroke. The Exit phase , simply getting the paddle out of the water uses top shoulder abduction involving the deltoids. Then the rotator cuff stabilizes along with the rear deltoids. At the same time the obliques are starting the counter rotation of the torso. When the paddle is out of the water we think of Recovery or 
some call it the Glide phase. This happens in two parts. The first part , phase 1, requires the top shoulder front deltoids along with the pectoralis and biceps. The top wrist extensors are also assisting. 
Phase 2 of recovery is getting ready once again for setup. As this happens the obliques are engaged to rotate the torso with the glutes and hip flexors. The top arm continues to use the biceps and front deltoids as the bottom arm extension fires the triceps and wrist extensors. Strength training allows us to perform this intricate group of movements over and over. It takes strength to lift the paddle and exert pressure against the water. Building muscle endurance in the larger muscles of the back and shoulders will help protect the smaller muscles from injury.
