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How To Health & Fitness Weight Training with Shipley
How To Health & Fitness Weight Training with Shipley
| Weight Training with Shipley |
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| Written by David Hughes |
| Wednesday, 01 November 2000 01:12 |
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Whether you’re paddling Class V, cartwheeling, or cruising the coast of Maine, developing your muscle groups can help you become a stronger, faster and fitter paddler. To help me get there, I caught up with three-time World Cup champion Scott Shipley and Adventure Quest junior team coach Lee Leibfarth on the banks of New Zealand’s Kaituna River, joining them in their early morning weight training sessions. Through a well-planned weight training program you can boost power in each planted stroke, help prevent injury, fight fatigue, increase flexibility and improve paddling technique. A good training program is based on specific goals. Each part of the regime targets at least one of the objectives. Leibfarth, along with rodeo coach Shane Benedict, has developed a paddler’s log focusing on long- and short-term goals. The key: set your goals according to your ability, whether it’s to increase your power per stroke, strengthen abs to throw flatwheels, or improve posture. Then develop a specific training plan. Consider those muscles directly affected by paddling to gain maximum strength in the boat. Says Shipley: “Strength is increased in the boat three ways: First muscle fibers are broken down to increase the cross section of the muscle; Second, the muscles are trained to perform the specific paddling movements, which teaches the separate muscle groups to work together; Third, more muscle fibers are trained to fire, with non-specific muscles worked to provide an overall balance.” Off-season weight training may be divided into three phases. Phase I is an overall fitness builder. Concentrate on working muscle groups specific to paddling. The first week should start easy as you’re developing technique, recovering between sessions, and finding what weights to use in order to gain optimal performance. If you’re young or a novice, it often helps to start Phase I exercises with no weight. Phase II follows eight to 12 weeks after the initial phase, targeting the muscles used for paddling. Use cable pulls to mimic draws, sweeps and forward strokes. These workouts take time since they work specific movements on each side. Focus on technique. This is a great way to develop coordination, especially on complex movements where you’re trying to synchronize body and arms while rotating. Use a mirror and work slowly to focus on everything from posture to hand position. Phase III is a maintenance phase which bridges the gap between gym and on-the-water strength. Sports doctors have found that lifts within 5 percent of your maximum are effective at maintaining gym strength (they don’t help increase strength). Keep in mind that this is simply a bridge to fool the body into thinking it has been doing weights much more recently than it has. Later, as you develop strength and priorities focus more on competition, weights can drop out of the program. Lifting To target the objective of increased strength, do all lifts at 75 percent of your maximum lift (see sidebar). This program generally consists of three sets per exercise. In the first set, do 10 lifts at 75 percent of maximum weight. For the second set do seven lifts at 85 percent maximum, and for the final set do five reps at 95 percent. Two Shipley-proven tricks: lift a little heavy so you can’t complete the seven and five rep sets (the lifts that increase your strength are the ones you can’t do). Do as many as you can, and have a spotter help on the remaining lifts. The second trick: alternate exercises about every five weeks so you work the same muscles from a different angle. If doing pull-ups, switch to lat pull-downs. Flexibility Stretching should be gentle and relaxing, not punishment. The following stretches can be done on their own daily or incorporated into a warm-up or cool-down routine. Toe touching: works the backs of legs, hamstrings, hips and lower spine. Standing or sitting, lean forward, using your body weight to touch your toes. Lunge: works the hips and legs. Step one foot forward and lower your body until your hind knee touches the floor. Abdominal stretch: lay face down on the floor, and push your chest up, extending your arms while arching your back and keeping your pelvis near the floor. Upper back: from your knees slowly lower yourself back over your ankles while extending your arms forward. Shoulder joint mobilizers: pulling at or near your bicep, extend your arm behind your head (or use a stationary object to pull your arm behind you as you stretch). Forward stroke: concentrate on working biceps, chest, triceps, forearm and abdominal strength while using a pulling motion. Specific workouts A sitting cable pull is an excellent way to mimic your stroke. Sit down facing the cable machine (use a wood block if the cable is too long). Use your arm strength to rotate the cable forward. Mock a forward stroke by rotating your torso from a forward position until your stroke has turned your torso to your next stroke. Focus on good posture while rotating your body and shoulders as you pull the cable forward (forward punch with your free hand). For lawn mowers, use a dumbbell by putting your left knee and left hand on a bench while keeping your back in a straight line. Lift the dumbbell with your right arm. Concentrate on keeping your back straight as you rotate your shoulder and pull each lift. This will help develop your abs if you can achieve a full rotation of your shoulders. A variety of curls can be beneficial for paddling. Use whichever feels most comfortable. Switch to a different type every five weeks to work the muscle at a new angle. For back strokes, concentrate on working the same muscle groups as your forward stroke while using a pushing motion. Specific workouts include triceps pull-down, lat pull-down, curls, dips, bench press, and inclined pushups. Try to use only your arm strength without cheating by swinging your body. Dips: use a dip bar or two chairs placed back to back. Lower your body until your arms make a 90-degree angle. If you can do more than 10 hold a dumbbell with your legs. If you can’t do 10, help yourself by placing your feet on a block or a chair. Bench press or inclined pushups: lower the bar to just above the nipple line. You may also do inclined pushups by elevating your feet. --David Hughes is a freestyle coach and science teacher for the Academy at Adventure Quest. He spends his summers offering kayak instruction and competing in rodeos. Getting Ready for Whitewater--the Scott Shipley Way Scott Shipley, 28, didn’t win his three world titles by jumping from the couch to his kayak. He trains year-round, and steps it up a notch in the months leading up to the paddling season. Even if you’re not gung-ho on gates and don’t anticipate winning a World Cup, you too can benefit from the tactics that brought Shipley to the top. “Paddling isn’t something you have to be overly fit for to enjoy,” he says. “But the better shape you’re in beforehand, the better you’ll perform on the river.” What makes Shipley so special? For one, he spends an enormous amount of time in his boat. “The first priority,” he says, “is to get in your boat and paddle. It doesn’t matter if it’s at a swimming pool, lake or flat stretch of river--just go through the motions.” If you can’t find a suitable body of water, a complementary exercise--especially for those in northern climes--is cross-country skiing. “It gives you a good cardio-vascular workout while working your upper body,” says U.S. slalom development coach Wayne Dickert. “A lot of paddlers also jog with ski poles.” Dickert adds that stretching--especially the hamstrings and lower back--is also key. “Scott’s flexibility has helped him tremendously,” he says. “He’s one of the most flexible paddlers on the team.” What else can you do to ready yourself for run-off? For Shipley, next comes the gym. To train muscles used in paddling--including the arms, shoulders, stomach and back--Shipley follows a 10-point program three times a week. He performs three sets of each exercise--of 10, seven and five reps, respectively--and for exercises involving weights he goes at 75, 85 and 95 percent of his max. Following is a sample of his pre-paddle routine. Start it a month or so beforehand and you too will find yourself set for spring. • Lat pull-downs: works the lats and back, and helps strengthen torso rotation on the water. • Dips: works the arms and shoulders used in forward strokes. • Curls: helps when pulling yourself towards a gate or eddy. • Bench press: helps your top hand push through a forward stroke and balances your shoulders, reducing the chance of injury. • Sit-ups: works the abdominal muscles, used in torso rotation and body leaning (Shipley does his holding a 45-lb. weight). • Twists: rotates upper body, which helps for draw strokes and peeling in and out of eddies. Although Shipley uses a machine for this purpose, the same result can be achieved by holding a weight behind your neck and twisting. • Wings: lie on your back on a bench with your elbows at 90 degrees, and lower and raise barbells. Helps when using bow draws to pull towards a gate, and makes turning strokes (sweeps, etc.) more powerful. • Paddle-stroke machine: if one isn’t available, use the technique Shipley used in his earlier days--lie on a bench on your stomach and pull weights up. Works the muscle groups--arms, lats and back--used in forward strokes. • Shrugs: tones muscles used everyday on the river and protects your shoulders. • Back-ups: lie on a table on your stomach with your upper body hanging over the edge, and lower and raise your head. Strengthens lower back and aids torso stability. --Eugene Buchanan Originally Published, Paddler November-December 2000 |
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