Where Oh Where Did Those Workout Links Go ?
Just in case you have lost track the Pinks Stay Strong Workouts link has been renamed Workouts and Resources. This Google document has all the links to the workout videos and other resources we have posted in this blog. The link is : Pinks Stay Workouts and Resources
If you need to find the link at any time it is on the right hand side of the newsletter page under the heading Workout Videos and Resources.
Did you know that getting to the blog is pretty easy: Just type into your browser https://pinkphoenixfitness.blogspot.com/
Starting Training in the New Year
by Coach Anita
Muscular conditioning is done by athletes in all sports whether they are brand new to it or have been training for years. While the needs are not the same for every sport or every athlete, there are some basic principles applicable to all athletic training.
After an athletic season concludes there is a transition time where athletes recover by taking time off from their sport and reduce their training volumes. This transition time varies between sports but typically lasts 2-4 weeks. After the transition time (like at the beginning of a new year), athletes begin again with a general preparation period - often before they get on the track, field, court or water. Even for professional athletes, the general preparation period begins with an anatomical adaptation phase, which is the period that lays the foundation for the other phases of training. The purpose of the anatomical adaptation phase is to “prehabilitate” in hopes of preventing the need for rehabilitation. The main objectives are to strengthen tendons, ligaments, and joints; develop overall core strength, improve cardiovascular fitness and establish general muscle strength. The anatomical adaptation phase can last between 4-12 weeks depending on the training age of the athlete (e.g. how many years they’ve been training in the sport). Most amateur athletes benefit from at least 8 weeks. This is why it’s so important to begin training BEFORE we get on the water.
After a good foundation has been established, the focus can be narrowed to more sport specific strength training. In training for dragon boat racing, the sport specific goals of strength training is to develop power and muscular endurance.
Power is the ability to apply the highest force in the shortest time period, and is the result of both strength and speed of muscle contraction - think of the start sequence in a race. Muscle endurance is a muscle’s ability to sustain work for a prolonged period of time - this is everything after the start. Power requires intermuscular coordination (the ability to synchronize all of the muscles in a kinetic chain involved in a movement), intramuscular coordination (ability to recruit and quickly activate muscle fibers) and hypertrophy (size of the muscles involved).
There are four types of muscular endurance: power endurance (10-30 seconds), muscle endurance-short (30 seconds to 2 minutes), muscle endurance-medium (2-8 minutes) and muscle endurance-long (more than 8 minutes). Dragon boat paddling requires mostly muscle endurance-short when racing 500 meter distances.
All sports have different compositions of what are called biomotor abilities - speed, power or endurance - which relate to both energy system training and strength training. Dragon boat paddling requires muscular endurance-short, acceleration power, and starting power. The energy system usage in a 500 meter race is roughly 60% aerobic, 25% glycolytic, and 15% ATP-CP.
Understanding the needs of our sport directs the training focus, but the timeframe available for training ultimately dictates what can be accomplished. The more time we spend off the boat preparing our bodies for what is needed when we get on the boat, the more time we can spend in sport-specific training when we get on the boat.
The Truth About Stretching
By Suzanne Frank
Question: Do you need to stretch prior to and following a workout? It's a good idea according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
In general, stretching is a great practice to incorporate into your daily routine even if your don't exercise often. Stretching keeps your muscles flexible and able to perform their entire range of motion. If you aren't flexible enough, your muscles won't extend to their full length, and you will face a greater likelihood of muscle strain, joint pain and injury.
Stretch to de-stress. These are stressed out times, and stretching can help. During times of emotional stress, the muscles in your body contract. Gentle stretching of tensed muscles provide relaxation to the mind as well as the body.
Believe it or not there are 7 types of stretching. The two I will focus on are dynamic stretching and static stretching.
Dynamic stretching involves running a muscle through its range of motion 10-20 times like swinging a leg back and forth or rotating your trunk to warm up the back.
Static stretching involves striking a pose and holding it for 30 seconds, like the classic touching your toes or holding one arm across your chest to stretch your shoulder.
What type of stretching should you do prior to and following a workout? You should alway start with some mild aerobic warm up to get the blood moving to the tissues before doing any stretching.
Once this is completed you will then want to perform dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching improves range of motion and decreases injuries by getting your muscles properly prepared for the exercise and helping them achieve full functionality. Many strained muscles happen when the muscle is forced into movement it is not ready for. Some examples of dynamic stretching are leg swings and walking lunges before a run and arm circles prior to upper body weights. Consider Yoga, try 2 minutes of sun salutations to stretch multiple parts of the body or downward-facing dog dynamic by pedaling your feet or lifting alternate legs.
Following a workout you should do static stretching. Static stretching is beneficial to do after you finish your workout to help your muscles recover. Following exercise your body temperature is higher than normal and your blood vessels are dilated. Stretching can help reduce the buildup of lactic acid, which can lead to muscle cramping and stiffness.While stretching won't make you less sore the next day (the microscopic damage that causes sore muscles has already happened), research suggests that it helps improve blood flow to the limbs you stretch. The blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to the affected muscles, helping aid in recovery and rejuvenation. It is also associated with helping your nervous system calm down. You never want to stretch to the point of pain and do not bounce. Breathe while you are stretching. Exhale as you stretch, inhale while holding the stretch.
Although all this warming up and cooling may seem like a waste of time, properly easing into and out of your strenuous activity is vitally important for warding off injury and decreasing stress on your heart and other organs. So, if you are really crunched for time you might want to consider shortening the actual workout in order to get your stretching completed. Your health and wellbeing will thank you in the long run.
The Decision
Chapter 2
Fast forward to 2016. I had heard about international dragon boat racing but had never thought it was something I wanted to do. Then some other teammates and our coach mentioned the race that was coming up in 2017. My ears perked a little bit. So many fears of the unknown started to fill my head. I had absolutely no idea what competing for a seat on an international dragon boat team meant. That became quite evident when I decided to just go for it.
So where did I start? Well, it was August of 2016 and some of the coaches from the USA team were going to come to Vancouver lake to do time trials on a OC1 in August for anyone interested. I was interested. I had never been on OC1 but I thought, what the hec. I had two weeks to get ready. Thinking back to that time now, I was so nervous. I got out in an OC1 two times before the tryouts. Was I ready, no, but I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
This is where the real journey began, when I said yes to me and yes to the commitment!
Coach Oden
