Winter training.

[Idiot Savant]

I don't live in an area where you can paddle year-round and I'm not inclined to watch football and drink beer all winter and expect to be ready for paddling in the spring.
Last winter, I trained my arse off and had less than fantastic results. I'm making some minor changes.
I use my Total Gym a lot. If you are creative, you can come up with some really good paddling exercises. One of the best investments I ever made.
I was also using my rowing machine quite a bit, but it has fan resistance and it had too much for one arm at a time and not enough using both arms, so I got a new rower with magnetic resistance which is quite a bit more adjustable. You can get a pretty good rower for under $200.
I use dumbbells quite a bit too, mostly to work my shoulders and biceps, but I also do some bent rowing.
Hopefully, I'll see good results next spring.

 

[scoutergriz]

the problem with rowing machines is that the actions (and therefor muscle use) are different from those yes in paddling. A buddy who used to race marathons came up with the ultimate training tool- he took the base of a rower, added a bicycle wheel as a pulley out front on an arm that could be flipped from side to side to simulate the hut, and a paddle with the blade removed attached by heavy shock cords top and bottom through screw eyes, around the wheel, and back to a mounting block. the block itself contained various strips of theraband to increase or decrease tension. this allowed you to infinitely adjust the tension and amount of pull required by changing or adding bands or shortening the shock cords, while the shock cord did a good job of allowing you to "power through" your strokes to simulate rapids or changing paddling conditions

 

[yknpdlr]

I used a Water Rower to prepare for my first Yukon race. I found that I could hold the grab bar to one side or the other to imperfectly simulate a single blade paddle. Easy to move, I set it up in front of a large screen TV monitor as my preplanned Google Earth route map “flew the 1000 mile Yukon race route” with epic music tunes to fight boredom. In large part through this process, after dozens and dozens of winter training sessions (the equivalent of hundreds of miles), I learned the route and each turn and island passage into my memory, which really paid off when I actually got there in the race. But after a few years, it developed a leak in the water tank seam (not appreciated by the wife) that continued to persist regardless of how much caulk I glopped on).

Then a few years later at the Canoe Nationals event in Syracuse, I found a Paddlesports canoe training adapter connected to a Concept2 machine. https://www.paddlesporttraining.com being demonstrated. After a short tryout, I was easily convinced to get one, which I use to this day for winter training to replace my now retired Water Rower. There also happens to be a kayak paddle adapter, of no interest to me or otherwise here.

It is basically most useful for marathon paddling muscle tone power stroke training, in comination with other strength taining methods, as it cannot effectively simulate direction control strokes or how to maneuver your canoe in any way, of course. But as seen in the videos below, you can work on very rapidly changing paddling sides with a very quick “hut”, just like being on the water.

Central New Yorker race paddler Kevin Olson has a series of useful videos on this machine and other canoe efficiency topics:

 

[Gamma1214]

A buddy who used to race marathons came up with the ultimate training tool...

Interesting... Not that I'm likely to build one (I'm more of the "drink beer all winter, get outta shape and suffer in the Spring" variety of paddler) but is there any way that you can get some pictures of the contraption? (I'm a big sucker for DIY and creative problem solving)

 

[lowangle al]

I was invited to join a paddle training session with a Hawaiian outrigger club many years ago. They had converted a rowing machine to a paddling machine. Everyone in attendance had to use it for a short time. It was used not only as a warm up, but also for instruction. The coach would critique your stroke and give instruction on how to improve it.

 

[gumpus]

Last winter, I trained my arse off and had less than fantastic results. I'm making some minor changes.

In my simple mind an approach like this is pretty much guaranteed to work since you actually have a routine and are open to modifying it.

I don't race and I have zero interest in a routine focused only on paddling, although we're all different and maybe winter conditioning is more important to "normal" paddling for you than me. I never stop paddling entirely although the time on the water goes way down in winter, but I've never felt limited by lack of conditioning in the Spring...maybe due to a sort of natural ramp up of activity. Years ago when all I did was work or paddle I was only in good condition for paddling...and I think having muscle tone in only certain areas can be bad and maybe even cause injuries (especially when combined with a little stupidity).

I'm happy with my routine and afraid to change it much but if I wanted to notch it up I think I'd stop everything I currently do and just swim since swimming makes you very strong and engages lots of muscles plus it improves flexibility (I do not put nearly enough priority on stretching) plus it helps stamina and physical confidence a lot. It makes me cocky just thinking about it.

 

[yknpdlr]

I've always liked X-C skiing and I think it is the best cardio and general overall body workout next to perhaps swimming. Just last week I skied into a remote hunting cabin I inherited to shovel 4 foot depth of firmly packed snow from the roof. Two miles each way. Lake effect from the eastern end of Lake Ontario. probably ony the first of four usual trips to do the same this season.

 

[Erica]

I've always liked X-C skiing and I think it is the best cardio and general overall body workout next to perhaps swimming. Just last week I skied into a remote hunting cabin I inherited to shovel 4 foot depth of firmly packed snow from the roof. Two miles each way. Lake effect from the eastern end of Lake Ontario. probably ony the first of four usual trips to do the same this season.View attachment 151898

I used to XC ski in the Adirondacks and some other areas around Central New York. Tug Hill comes to mind. In winter I had a Nordic Track, which I loved for cardio.

I mostly try to keep general workouts going, but my health sometimes interferes with that.

I know I saw an actual paddling machine, set up to mimic a paddler on one knee, like he was racing. I'll see if I can find it.

I couldn't find the one I was thinking of, but came across this machine. You have to get past the kayak stuff to see it can be adapted for canoe and for poling.

 

[Keeled Over]

For off season I still do my power walks and will ride my fat bike as long as I don't think I will have a heart attack in heavy snow. My biggest problem is getting the back and leg muscles going again in spring, so I start out with 25lbs in a day pack and work muscles up to 40lbs in my canoe pack. If I can fit in a trip before the first big trip I do that, but mostly just follow the above.

 

[jdeerfoot]

This subject seems to be an annual thread each winter.

While I like Gamma’s winter training regimen and it seemed to kind of work for me when I was younger but now I need a more focused approach. I just do the activities I like to do anyway - swim laps 3x weekly, hike trails outside year around and starting in early spring after snow is not much of an issue carry a 60# Royalex canoe around the local nature center working up to about 1/3 mile non-stop.

Being a more mature paddler, who seems get referred to physical therapy regularly, I have learned that swimming using the crawl stroke keeps many of the same muscles working that I use when paddling. Some of my paddling friends consider me to be a strong paddler. On my first Wabakimi Project trip in 2007 I paddled with Uncle Phil and he gave me the trail of “outboard”. I was so proud.