Davidlbn
Level 5 Valued Member
Looking for some advice on how best to train for my sport of surfski (ocean kayak) racing.
I typically paddle 3-4 times a week. One longish paddle of 1.5 to 2 hours, 1 or 2 easy paddles of about 70 minutes and 1 race (sometimes weekly, sometimes every second week), also about 70 minutes.
I’m 60 now and its hard work trying to stay competitive. I try and do some sort of strength training 2 to 3 times a week. Currently I’m doing a week 1: ABA, week 2: BAB program (of my own design) where workout A is 25 minutes of DFSQ, DMP and pullups on a DFW rep scheme. Workout B is A+A Snatches of 18, 24 or 30 minutes.
I’m sometimes a bit flat in the races. I’ve tried a pure strength program which worked ok but I never had the power/speed/endurance to contest the end sprint. I then changed to Q&D swings and pushups. That worked very well and I upped my game, but my I think the highly explosive nature of it caused me couple of injuries (shoulder and elbow).
A typical Surfski race starts with a hard sprint as the main contenders try and burn off the slower paddlers. There is a fair slipstream effect sitting on another kayaks wake, so if you’re strong enough to break that tow, you will normally stay ahead for the rest of the race. Once the front pack has sorted itself out things settle down a bit and the next hour involves rotating the pulling effort among the pack, mostly at lactate threshold pace, with frequent hard surges as someone tries to break away. And then, if you’re still in contention, there’s the end sprint of a few hundred meters. Almost like a cycle race, except cyclists don’t start as hard.
Power and endurance are obviously key for this type of event, as well as the ability to recover from frequent very hard efforts. Strength without excess mass is important as power to weight is a factor in accelerating the kayak.
Questions:
Note: I am cautious about Q&D snatches, given my experience with injuries from this protocol. I have tried Kettlebells Strongfirst program with swings and getups and although I am strong enough to do decent TGUs, they aggravate an old injury that no physio or biokineticist has been able to permanently resolve. I didn’t go for the C&J option as I don’t have the technique down properly. I guess I could learn
Is A+A a good choice for this type of training? If not, what would work better?.
If so, would doing only A+A snatches (without additional strength sessions) work better during race season, typically 8 to 12 weeks?
How many workouts should I do per week?
All replies appreciated. Thanks
I typically paddle 3-4 times a week. One longish paddle of 1.5 to 2 hours, 1 or 2 easy paddles of about 70 minutes and 1 race (sometimes weekly, sometimes every second week), also about 70 minutes.
I’m 60 now and its hard work trying to stay competitive. I try and do some sort of strength training 2 to 3 times a week. Currently I’m doing a week 1: ABA, week 2: BAB program (of my own design) where workout A is 25 minutes of DFSQ, DMP and pullups on a DFW rep scheme. Workout B is A+A Snatches of 18, 24 or 30 minutes.
I’m sometimes a bit flat in the races. I’ve tried a pure strength program which worked ok but I never had the power/speed/endurance to contest the end sprint. I then changed to Q&D swings and pushups. That worked very well and I upped my game, but my I think the highly explosive nature of it caused me couple of injuries (shoulder and elbow).
A typical Surfski race starts with a hard sprint as the main contenders try and burn off the slower paddlers. There is a fair slipstream effect sitting on another kayaks wake, so if you’re strong enough to break that tow, you will normally stay ahead for the rest of the race. Once the front pack has sorted itself out things settle down a bit and the next hour involves rotating the pulling effort among the pack, mostly at lactate threshold pace, with frequent hard surges as someone tries to break away. And then, if you’re still in contention, there’s the end sprint of a few hundred meters. Almost like a cycle race, except cyclists don’t start as hard.
Power and endurance are obviously key for this type of event, as well as the ability to recover from frequent very hard efforts. Strength without excess mass is important as power to weight is a factor in accelerating the kayak.
Questions:
Note: I am cautious about Q&D snatches, given my experience with injuries from this protocol. I have tried Kettlebells Strongfirst program with swings and getups and although I am strong enough to do decent TGUs, they aggravate an old injury that no physio or biokineticist has been able to permanently resolve. I didn’t go for the C&J option as I don’t have the technique down properly. I guess I could learn
Is A+A a good choice for this type of training? If not, what would work better?.
If so, would doing only A+A snatches (without additional strength sessions) work better during race season, typically 8 to 12 weeks?
How many workouts should I do per week?
All replies appreciated. Thanks