Strength training is effective and necessary for kayakers who wish to establish the groundwork required for maximizing power output, reducing the risk of injury, and achieving peak sport performance. by Camen Bott and Lonni Farmer.

The athlete’s core, as its name suggests, acts as the foundation for movement generation and power production (Kibler, Press, & Sciascia, 2006). Upon recognizing that power and muscular endurance are essential skills for successful kayaking, it is not difficult to understand why developing core strength through purposeful training is particularly advantageous.

With improved core conditioning and stability, an athlete is able to execute body movements more efficiently, allowing for a streamlined translation of force from the fully engaged platform to the upper and lower body regions—where sport-specific skills are executed (Kibler et al., 2006). Regardless of the amount of strength an athlete possesses in the upper and lower limbs, neglecting to strengthen the core will create a deficit that will ultimately decrease the amount of total power that can be accumulated (Fekete, 1998). In addition to mitigating power output, a muscular imbalance involving the torso places the athlete at great risk for injury.

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I confess to being a pretty ordinary paddler like many triathletes who have come across to the dark and dirty side of off-road endurance. You know how it is, weak upper body, poor understanding of moving water and its whims I always assume my kayak leg is going to have to be compensated for by strong bike-run legs. Being a poor paddler, I have usually succumbed to protecting my backside by wearing whopping great neoprene knicks. While these are great for padding and flotation (as I spend as much time out of the boat as in it) they tend to get hot and do not breathe particularly well.

With my recent experiences testing iRULE TORPEDOES I now have a viable alternative to my body-board wet suit! These knicks are simple, well constructed and designed. Multiple marathon paddle race winner Tim Doyle of Australia had a hand in the design of the TORPEDOES and the benefit of his experience shows.

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Nutrient density is the key for heart health. To be healthy, and to perform well you just have to be eating well. And heart health is no different. Every organ and system in the body requires quality nutrients to recover, repair and to fuel their day to day functions. As a holistic practitioner I think that I can become overly prescriptive. There are diets for liver health, heart health, kidney health. I guess if you looked hard enough you could find diets designed to improve the health of any organ in the body.But aren’t the various facets of what constitutes a good diet more or less the same across the board of systems and ailments? And more to the point aren’t we complex and integrated units that require more than what may benefit one particular organ, system or illness?

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It’s quite common to see people power up hills and coast down them; feeling relieved to have got to the top,
mission complete. If you really want to improve performance you need to run downhill, not coast. Let’s learn how and why and look at some sessions to include in your program.

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As I said in the first review, it is often the case that we are putting on and taking off arm warmers, scratching around in our packs to get something to keep our necks warm overnight. It’s a bit like the Bear’s porridge with kit – it’s hard to get the temperature just right.

i-RULE’s XTREMO all-season endurance top aims to fill this gap. It is incredibly light for the performance and function it yields. Now having raced as well as trained in it I am a convert.

The shirt is intended for optimal performance over spring- autumn and winter ( in temperate zones ). (more…)

It’s difficult to maintain interest and consistency when committed to off road endurance sports. Trails, sessions, events and people all get a feeling of sameness after a while. To stay well and to really benefit from your sport it’s important to not only rest regularly but also to ensure your programs have variety and challenge.

In previous articles uber coach and physiotherapist Mark Elliott has written in detail about the benefits of running downhill and sideways. Here, we will look at the boost you can gain to your training and racing by including regular doses of running backwards.

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