Stamina, Smoothness, Power: Use Your Core Part 1

Talk to any sports instructor these days and inevitably the conversation turns to the core, the muscle group that connects the upper and lower torso to the arms and shoulders. An all-too-often underutilized source of power, the core -- which includes the abdominals, hip flexors, obliques, lower back and latissimus muscles (note that the arms aren't included) -- is the muscle group which the fastest, most efficient sea kayakers use to propel their kayaks forward with stamina and speed.

Strengthen the core, the argument goes, then learn how to use your core to rotate your torso, and you'll find yourself paddling faster and further and with fewer tendinitis injuries to the elbows, wrists,  shoulders.

Here are  posts on how to strengthen your core for smoother faster paddling and less tiring days on-water. You'll build deeper reserves of power and will find yourself paddling with increased confidence and balance when the seas roughen.

To begin, think less about your arms and shoulders and more about your abdominals, obliques (hips), lats (the muscles running from your armpits to your lower back) and glutes (your butt).

While these muscles may seem to have little to do with propelling a kayak forward, for skilled paddlers, they actually do: these muscles create the power that the arms and shoulders deliver to the paddle.

Here's one core strengthening exercise to try, in the gym or at home, to gain awareness of the muscles and develop them. Let's watch Boston-based personal trainer Mike Harb, Australian national Tae Kwon Do champion and alternate on their Olympic team, demonstrate the medicine ball twist.

Twists
A beginners core-stabilizing/strengthening exercise, the ball twist strengthens and prepares the obliques and abdominals for more challenging core exercises to follow.

Grasping a medicine ball with both hands (if you don't have access to a medicine ball a large can of soup or phone book will do), sit on the floor and twist from one side to the other, placing the ball on the floor first on one side, then the other.

By placing the ball on the floor before lifting it and twisting to replace the ball on the floor, Mike strengthens his abdominals and obliques and rotates his upper torso through a wide range of motion.

The abdominals and obliques are crucial to paddling from the core. They deliver with smoothness and a wide range of motion the torque experienced paddlers create within their bodies to they press their feet, first one, then the other, against their kayak's foot pedals. The twist at the waist delivers the core's power to the paddle by way of the arms and shoulders.

To add an element of balance and difficulty to the drill, lift your feet off the floor. Here's another photo of the drill, showing how Mike rotates his torso:
In subsequent posts we'll take a look at advanced exercises that utilize both a balance ball and dumbbells.

To read the rest of the series:
Strengthening the Core: Intro
Medicine ball twist and lunge
Balance Ball Pike
Lat Row with Weight
The Plank
Using Torso Rotation

Copyright 2009 North American Kayak Fishing