AMC Outdoors, June 2008
Practical advice from an expert kayaker
A breeze buffs your face as you stand at surf’s edge. The lapping Atlantic water, winking in the sunlight, numbs your feet while the ocean pulls at the bow of your boat.
The warmer months are here, and as you prepare to slice through gentle saltwater swells and explore the outlines of bays and beaches, ask yourself if your body is as seaworthy as your boat. Kayaking can be enjoyed without a host of intense on-shore fitness regimens, yet certain exercise habits can heighten your paddling pleasure and keep you primed for a long season on the water.
HEAD-TO-TOE Any experienced kayaker knows that one’s arms are responsible for only a fraction of the experience; kayaking is more of a total body sport. Laurie Gullion, AMC member and clinical assistant professor of outdoor education at the University of New Hampshire, says, “All parts of your body are fully engaged when [paddling] through the water because…your lower body provides a very important platform upon which the upper body moves.” Gullion, an avid canoeist and kayaker, has logged nearly 10,000 miles in her boats and authored four paddling books, including an edition of the American Canoe Association’s Canoeing and Kayaking Instruction Manual.
Gullion takes a generalist’s approach to exercise, focusing on land-based activities like running, exercise walking, and cross-country skiing, which are fun for her and are natural conditioners for paddling.
She also recommends finding activities that can specifically aid in strengthening abdominal muscles, because “the torso is really what drives the paddle in the water. Think about using your abdomen and your back muscles in order to rotate your torso. Those large, strong muscles will give you more power and a longer distance without tiring,” she says. Two of her choice activities for core strength are Pilates and swimming.
FLEX APPEAL When we’re eager to get out on the water or tired from a long paddle, it can be easy to forgo stretching, but this can cramp our style by reducing flexibility and stroke efficiency. Gullion advocates both upper and lower body stretches after every trip and, ideally, incorporating some of the exercises beforehand.
In her routine, she stretches her quadriceps, which help maintain balance in a boat, especially on windy days. Gullion also rotates each ankle in circular patterns so she can adequately brace her feet on the cockpit’s foot pedals. Side and torso stretches help ensure her upper body reach remains long and supple. If starting a trip on a calm section of water, Gullion first gets on the water, swings one end of her paddle around, places it against the side of her boat, and then gently pushes her body weight against the paddle to target and engage core muscles.
“One of the most important joints that sometimes folks will overlook is their wrists,” she adds. “Making sure your wrists have been warmed up and that you have a light grip on the paddle rather than a white-knuckle death grip eliminates enormous fatigue on your hands and arms.”
SUPERIOR STANCE A sea kayaking instructor, Gullion has observed that many kayakers initially “adopt the lounge chair approach to kayaking,” in which butts slide forward and upper bodies lie back, preventing full-body paddle strokes. When people rely too much on their arms, tendonitis could eventually develop.
“If you rotate [your torso] nicely, it allows you to reach farther forward and your body is coiled up at the beginning of the stroke, which puts you in a very dynamic position for unwinding and driving the paddle through the water,” Gullion says. Achieve this by sitting tall with your backside pressed firmly against the boat’s seat.
Most of us would like all our paddle trips to be under blindingly blue skies with the barest whisper of a breeze. But in the Northeast, weather conditions can change quickly, and we need to be ready. Staying fit and maintaining a proper stance, Gullion suggests, can give kayakers a better edge when faced with harsher weather.
-By Karen Finogle
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