Week 2 is all about the grind! Video below.

This is an incredibly important time. Keep grinding, don’t make any excuses, put the time in. We’ll start mixing it up next week, but for now grind away.

Workout Details:

Four Hours Of Paddling – Preferably on whitewater but flatwater will do paddle for one hour at 65%. The paddle out of your local run can be a good stretch of water for this workout. Feel free to break this into two 30 minute sessions, four 15 minute sessions or anywhere in between. The important thing is to get your hour in for four of the seven days this week. You can push a little this first week but remember we are only looking for 65% of max physical exertion. Rest assured things will pick up in the next few weeks!

Four Hours Of Cardio – It doesn’t matter if it is on the bike, running or ‘jazzercise’ that gets your heart rate up, the important point here is to push to 80% of your maximum potential for one hour four days a week. And yes there will be at least one day where you will have to double up on workouts to get it all in. Don’t underestimate the importance of a strong heart and lungs. Cardio is what holds it all together later in the races.

Technique:

We had several questions come in about the catch, so we’re going to break it down a bit. First we’ll talk about the catch when it comes to a forward stroke. In later weeks we’ll discuss the catch when boofing, turning and those awkward times when a rock or something may throw your timing off. But for now the catch on the forward stroke.

Notice on this video clip a couple things.

1st – where my paddle enters the water isn’t where I actually purchase or catch the water for my forward stroke. The paddle goes in well in front of where I start to pull. You’ll notice before I really start ‘pushing my body past my paddle blade’ or pulling some would say, I get my top hand extended and the paddle vertical. It’s at this point that I truly have ‘caught’ the water and can properly pull.

2nd. The forward stroke is a lot shorter than most people think. Once you are through the most powerful part of the stroke and your hand gets to your hip be thinking about grabbing that next stroke. Dragging your paddle is slow and once your paddle gets past your hip it automatically turns into a corrective stroke.
– you’re entire posture inside the boat will change once you start releasing at the hip and flowing from one stroke to the next
– less likely to get knocked over or spun out.

Happy Training and look for another email next week!