Start now: the lat row with dumbells

[Adam Bolonsky]

It's tough to paddle with torso rotation if you don't have a strong core, or that muscle group which connects your torso to your lower back and shoulders (i.e. your lats, abs, obliques and hips).

Here's Mike Harb, Australian National Tae Kwon Do champion and alternate on Australia's Olympic team, demonstrating a series of exercises aimed at helping kayakers strengthem their cores.

This, the simple lat row, strenghtens your lats, or that flared muscle which connects your hips to your shoulderblades by way of your armpits.

You should feel a tight pinch, with each lift of the dumbells (or soup cans or telephone books), both at and behind your armpit and a nice stretch when you lower the weight.

Start with three sets of six reps, and try not to increase the weight by more than 5% each week.

Some soreness the next day after doing the lat row is good. Soreness and tenderness prove that your muscles were working.

To alleviate the soreness, avoid the temptation to take several days off. Do the same exercise the next day without any weights. By repeating the motion weightless you stretch the sore muscles and increase blood flow to the muscle microtears that are a necesscary by-prodcut of strength training.

Mike works at Gold's Gym in Arlington, a Boston-area kayaker's mecca if ever there was one.

[Adam Bolonsky]

The medicine ball twist, shown here in an advanced form by Mike, because he has lifted his feet off the floor, strengthens not only the obliques (the muscles that wrap around your hips) but also the abs, the lats, the quads and the hamstrings.

Strengthen these muscles and you will end up with a paddlestroke that uses more torso rotation. First you will gain awareness of what rotating muscles feel like. Once you know what a rotating torso feels like, torso rotation will become the basis of your paddle stroke. All your arms will then have to do is deliver to your paddle the power your rotated torso creates. You will keep the kangaroo out of your boat....

The key is to place the medicine ball (or soup can or telephone book) on the floor to one side before lifting and twisting to the other side and putting the weight down on the floor before lifting it once more.

What's nice about this exercise is that in addition to strenthening your core it forces you to use your hips and abs to maintain your balance. You'll thus learn also to balance your kayak more with your body, less with your paddle.

[JohnHuth]

Adam - pretty nice. I'm always up for some new moves.

There's also the wood-chop: basically take a medicine ball and move it in a diagonal direction from the foot to up in the air in a standing position. 3 reps per side at 60 seconds each.

Another one, which is good core/balance is this: kneel on a swiss exercise ball (feet not touching the ground, so you're balancing on the ball) - take two weights (I use 5 lbs...but whatever) - and use a paddle stroke motion - with or without any diagonal core rotation. Go for 100 or so rotations (but you have to work up to it).

The good thing about this is that there are all these muscles that are used for fine motor coordination for example, in surfing - when you're doing the balancing, but also paddling at the same time.

[JohnHuth]

I read somewhere the Rebecca Giddens (US olympic silver medalist in the slalom in Athens) did this one: stand on an exercise ball and have someone throw a medicine ball at you and toss it back.

I have to say that I have yet to accomplish the simple task of balancing on an exercise ball on my feet - but I thought y'all might get a kick of that.

[Paul Sylvester]

Do you know if you get the same benefit if you stand straight? I am not sure my back would like that position with increasing weights.

Been in the gym a little lately and there are some neat machines for the torso but I am not sure If I am doing this muscle......

I'll give this a go....

[glawson]

Before trying to stand on an exercise ball, start by balancing on one foot on a disc for 30 seconds; then the other foot for 30 seconds. Work up to a minute on each foot. Then alternate balancing on each foot for 30 seconds with your eyes closed. As that becomes comfortable, add a medicine ball and rotate from left hip to right hip and back to left hip with arms outstretched holding the medicine ball, still balancing on one leg on the disc. Alternate legs. You will discover your strong/weak side.

Another piece of very useful equipment is a balance board or wobble board where you use both feet. Do upright rows and progress to bent over rows, rotations with the medicine ball, squats, chops. Try sitting on the balance board in an upright posture as you would in your boat, with the pelvis in a neutral position (not tipped anteriorly or posteriorly) and balance there. Then add a medicine ball and duplicate the forward stroke.

These exercises go a long way to improving the sense of balance which wanes with age, and provides an awareness of where are body is and what it is doing at any given time.

[Kevin B (RPS Coach)]

For balance and strength training, yoga has done wonders for me as an alternative. I plan on trying the technique that Adam posted, but the Vinyasa (not sure of the spelling) yoga I have done really improves balance, strengthens the upper body and conditions as well.

Hint on balancing on one foot: curl your toes up.

[Adam Bolonsky]

Hi Paul,

nope not the same benefits if you stand up straight, because then it works mostly the tri's and delts (shoulders).

Best way to learn more would be to contact Mike at mharb@rcn.com

But one way to protect your back is to go slowly. Also, strengthening your abs is the best way to protect the back, as your abs support your back.

[Dee Hall]

Paul,

In order to better support my back, sometimes I do this one dumbell at a time while supportimg my torso with my other hand and knee on a bench. However, when it comes to back stuff, I generally prefer to balance the load on my back when possible.

-Dee