Stretching - Before and After paddling

Hi,

I haven't read any articles on stretching and what the routine is. Hope you guys can pitch in on this.

Mark

Difficult to describe but I was given a set of stretches to do before (and after) paddling.

Mostly to do with stretching shoulder and back muscles and involve a lot of twisting. Sounds like a good subject for a video clip. I'll try to get one of the top guys to let me film them doing some stretches.

Guys will also warm up for a good 15-20 minutes before a race at about 75-80% effort.

When training they'll warm up for at least 5-10 minutes.

I agree with Rob's general comments, and will add a few more;

• A short video on paddle specific stretching would be very useful.
• The National Sport Centre (www.canadiansportcentre.com/MainEnglish.htm) I work with from time to time recommends 10-15 minutes of light aerobic activity as the initial part of a pre-race warm-up.
  They are emphatic about not doing any static stretching before a workout or race unless your muscles are very well warmed up. If necessary, a series of dynamic stretches after that initial 10-15 minutes are acceptable (arm swings/rotations, shoulder rotations, torso rotations, etc.) and other exercises that slowly increase your range of motion.
• Before intensity workouts you should warm-up with at least 10 minutes of easy aerobic paddling, or follow / refine your pre-race warm-up.
• For easy distance paddles, I suggest paddlers start slowly and gently work through their technique cues / checklists.
• Any static stretching is done after the workout when paddlers are warm, dry and comfortable- even if it is at home later.
• For paddlers serious about recovery and optimizing performance, cryotherapy is a must; 8-10 minutes of immersion in an 8-10?C ice bath. Luckily for us in Vancouver we don't need any special set up for this, we can simply walk into the ocean after a workout! [glow=red,2,300]IMPORTANT[/glow]: Don't stretch immediately after the cryotherapy, your muscles will be too cold!

Thanks for the reply Robin and Allan.

Robin,

It would benefit everyone to have that stretching video tutorial from the top paddlers like Oscar and Dawid. Hope they can accommodate our request.

Allan,

The ice bath seems inviting. However, its a bit of a challenge in a tropical country like the Philippines. Any alternatives to that?

I agree on the static and dynamic stretching. We used to practice that when I was still in the national team 10 years ago. That was when I still had a coach. Now its just me coaching me with the tips I get from here. : )

Best Regards,

Mark

From a paddler a fair way down the chain - I used to get pain in my lower back after 3 to 4 hours (particularly in a TK1 - much less since I moved to a V10) which would vanish on its own several hours after getting out of the boat. A few minutes of pushups and situps after paddling seems to fix this straight away. Thanks Fitzy for the tip if you read this.
AB