Training Concept #6 - The HR Monitor

CONCEPT VI: “The HR monitor”

Many athletes use a heart rate monitor (HR monitor) when training and racing. Knowing your heart rate under various conditions can teach you much about your performance physiology. In endurance athletics, monitoring heart rate may reveal problems in your training program, errors in your race pace, and warn you of stress caused by environmental factors. Understanding the implications of heart rate can help you avoid training and racing errors. The intention of this article is to caution you about the difficulties and limitations of interpreting exercise heart rate.

The heart rate monitor is an electronic device, which conveniently records heart rate while you are exercising. Heart rate is an approximation of exercise intensity. It is an indirect measurement of physiologic workload (oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, aerobic capacity, or VO2). Therefore, knowing your training heart rate or the perceived effort associated with that heart rate, is important so that you can intentionally train significant elements (VO2max, VO2submax, and lactate threshold) of your physiology.

Physiology: Heart rate is related to VO2 in a linear manner. The approximate relationship (+/- 8% error) is:



This tells you that if you plan to train at 70% of your VO2max, then you must paddle at 80% of your maximal HR (HRmax). However, this straight-line relationship between HR and VO2 tends to break down at the low and high values. For example, maximum heart rate is achieved before maximum VO2. This relationship is still practical because the higher the heart rate response, the greater the exercise intensity.

Factors other than oxygen consumption can influence heart rate. These factors include temperature, emotions, food intake, hydration state, body position, muscle groups exercised, continuous vs. stop-and-go exercise, or isometrically or rhythmically contracting muscles. In many arm exercises, heart rates are higher when compared to leg exercises. Consequently, heart rate during upper body work, tends to over predict the actual VO2. Heart rate response to paddling varies for paddlers of different experience, skill, and fitness levels.

More variables: In order to use the heart rate monitor for training and racing, paddlers must know their 1) maximal heart rate (HRmax) and 2) training or racing target heart rate (percentage of HRmax).


1. The usual calculation used to predict HRmax is 220 minus age. However, for at least 1/3 of athletes, 220 minus age will over or under predict HRmax by at least 15 beats per minute, leading to workouts which are too intense or too easy. The only sure way of determining HRmax for the paddler is an actual field measurement. Warm up for 10 minutes, paddle 250m hard, rest for one minute, then paddle 500m and check heart rate at the end.

2. There are two methods commonly used for calculating target HR. The first is the percentage of HRmax (__% X HRmax). The second is the percentage of the difference between HRmax and resting heart rate (__% X (HRmax - HRrest) + HRrest). Be aware that these two methods result in different heart rates!

More problems: Lactate threshold, which is very sensitive to training, is a key physiologic factor for predicting performance. The threshold is the VO2 at which lactic acid begins to accumulate because it is produced by the working muscles faster than it is metabolized. Much training effort is devoted to having this occur at the highest exercise intensity possible so that you can paddle fast and far. HR is commonly used to identify this threshold intensity, but be aware of the following concerns:

1. HR is a deceptive measurement for lactate threshold training. What is threshold HR? It is often suggested to be 82 to 88% of HRmax. Actually, it may be 65 to 94%. Or another source says “threshold intensity is about 80 to 88% of VO2max which is about 85 to 92% of HRmax.” Careful! Threshold occurs at different levels for different people.

2. HR associated with threshold will increase over time with proper training

3. HR varies to environment and mood, but threshold doesn’t follow HR.

4. HR only partially determines the amount of blood being circulated by the heart to the active muscles. Cardiac output = heart rate X stroke volume. Imagine the effects of fatigue and dehydration on HR during a long, hot race! The blood volume drops causing the stroke volume to decrease and the HR to increase in an attempt to compensate.

5. Lactate threshold is a function of how hard the muscles are working, not how fast the heart is beating.

HR may be affected by other things.

1. Cardiac drift is the tendency for the heart rate to rise slowly as you paddle, even at a constant pace. HR can rise by as much as 20 bpm during constant velocity paddling lasting 30 minutes. Hydration may help to stabilize the drift. Drift will cause you to paddle slower even though you have the ability to maintain an even pace.

2. HR is sensitive to environmental conditions and to psychological state. HR is higher when weather is hotter or more humid and when you are tense and irritable.

Should you train by pace or by heart rate? VO2, your oxygen consumption, not heart rate is significant for determining work intensity. The heart is along for the ride and will do what muscles require it to do. The skeletal muscles become fatigued faster than the heart. The heart slows down when the paddling muscles do, not the other way around. Your goal is to develop greater fatigue resistance in the paddling muscles at the desired pace.

Training based on HR makes the heart primary and paddling muscles secondary. Practicing pace rather than HR trains the precise neuromuscular coordination and precise muscle functioning that you need to race. The less you practice pace, the lower the coordination and economy. If you want to race at a goal pace, practice that pace, not a HR.

Conclusions: Use the HR to monitor condition and change, not to control the training program. The HR monitor is a device, which collects data, and it is not a coach. Information collected by a HR monitor refers specifically to your heart and doesn’t tell you whether your paddling muscles are really ready for your goal racing speed. Only training at race pace can do that.

Remember that your HR is along for the ride. It will do what your exercising muscles tell it to do. If your muscles cannot sustain high intensity work for a long period of time, they will not drive your heart to its limit or its target rate. If you improve the fatigue resistance of your muscles at high speeds by practising those speeds, then your ability to sustain race pace for longer periods of time will force your heart to work harder to keep up with your muscles.

HR can be a powerful paddling assistant. Get used to how you feel at different work intensities and check the HR monitor occasionally for objective feed back. After some practise, you’ll be able to guess your HR within a few beats. You’ll also be able to feel lactate threshold intensity and sense how hard you can push yourself for the ambient conditions. A high HR may tell you that you are racing too fast, or that you are fatiguing or dehydrating and that you’d better conserve your energy if you want to maintain pace. Or you can learn these warning signs by how you feel. Don’t fall short of your performance goals by letting a misleading heart rate control your training and racing!

by Bruce von Borstel
Copyright © 1999 [Bruce von Borstel]. All rights reserved.

Training Concept #5 - Cross Training For Paddling

CONCEPT V: “Cross training for paddling”

What are your performance limitations? Do you run out of strength or out of breath when racing? When I transitioned from running to paddling, my cardiovascular system was well developed but my upper body musculature was far from adequate to propel a boat at speed. My maximum heart rate while paddling was only 122 beats per minute, while my running maximum heart rate was 180 bpm. I was seriously out of balance and needed to develop upper body musculature in order to take advantage of my cardiovascular efficiency.

I began supplementing paddling with resistance training and the benefits quickly manifested as gains in paddling speed and economy. I worked to strengthen those muscles that were easily fatigued or rendered sore after a race until they no longer limited performance. New “weak spots ” often appeared and dictated the places where more attention was needed.

A proper training balance minimizes injury risk (tendonitis, muscle strain) and maximizes performance gains. In my situation, this balance combines paddling with cross training: resistance workouts for upper body strength and running for cardiovascular fitness. Here are some ideas about cross training for paddling.

Cross training, in the context of this article, includes 1) progressive resistance exercise (PRE), 2) cardiovascular fitness training, and 3) maintenance training when you can’t paddle.

1. Progressive resistance exercise is a system of training that uses resistance (weights, body weight, or friction) to progressively increase workload to enhance strength/endurance. It involves three variables: resistance, sets, and reps. A general model consists of lifting a weight 8 to 12 times (reps) for 3 sets and increasing the workload over a period of weeks and months. Start with a light weight for 8 reps and slowly build to 12 reps. When this is achieved, move on to increased weight, drop back to 8 reps, and progressively build again. This same system can be used when doing push-ups, pull-ups, or when using a variety of exercise equipment. General strengthening and specific strengthening can be combined to maximize the cross training benefit.

a. General strengthening

In order to reach your true potential as a paddler, the “core” muscles which are attached to your pelvic girdle and spine need to be strengthened. These muscles stabilize the body when paddling, allow strong, coordinated movement, and resist unwanted energy absorbing motion. This allows a particular pace to be sustained with a lower total energy cost. General strengthening implies total body exercise, not just strengthening the primary boat movers. Greg Barton (world champion kayak paddler) describes his favorite strengthening exercises in The Barton Mold. Also, C. Hoyt promotes strengthening the primary muscle groups with the following exercises:

Torso rotators: sit-ups, static trunk rotations, bridging, dead lifts

Shoulder extensors and medial rotators: bench press, rowing, chin-ups, pull-overs

Shoulder lateral rotators and flexors: elbow extensors: push-ups, dips, bench press,triceps extensions, lateral raises, cross cable laterals

Hip and knee flexors and extensors: curls, extensions, raises

Spine stabilizers: rowing, dead lifts, surfer

b. Specific strengthening

The specificity-of-training principle suggests that training should closely mimic what you do when you race. Strength routines should be specific to the muscular patterns, overall body posture, and muscle mechanics associated with the forward stroke. Specificity is important because the nervous system recruitment of various motor units are totally different for two dissimilar activities. Pulley weights or a modified rowing machine can be used to simulate stroke mechanics.

Regular resistance training strengthens the paddler and improves paddling economy. Strength stabilizes the paddler’s movements, reduces wasted motion, and minimizes energy losses between the paddler, boat, paddle, and water. A strong, stable “body/boat unit” allows higher quality training and racing. When economy is improved, endurance is enhanced because fewer total muscle fibers are required to produce the force necessary to paddle at a given speed. When exercising fibers are fatigued, they are replaced by rested muscle fibers. Therefore, increased strength in creases economy by a) improving stability, b) decreasing the number of muscle cells required to sustain activity, and c) delaying total fatigue by allowing collections of cells to share the work in an alternating manner.

2. Does exhaustion or stressed breathing limit your performance goals? Paddling is not the best exercise to develop a large cardiac output. Cardiovascular training requires the use of large muscle groups (such as legs) in repetitive motion, non-stop, for relatively long periods of time. Activities include running, bicycling, cross-country skiing, swimming, walking/hiking, etc. Keep in mind your beginning fitness level. Easy walking may provide adequate training stress if you are not comfortable with high intensity work. Vigorous running may be necessary to provide adequate stimulus for improved aerobic fitness if you are already in great shape.

3. Cross training can be used to maintain fitness or perhaps improve paddling performance when you can’t get to the water. Off-season is a perfect time to cross train. The purposes are to slow the de-training effect of inactivity and to strengthen your “weak spots”. If you are “land locked” for a while, increase your running and PRE to maintain fitness.

Don’t give up valuable paddling time in order to cross train, but incorporate PRE and running to compliment your paddling. You will feel strong and fit and your training capacity and racing performance will escalate.

Training Concept #4 - Speed Strategy

CONCEPT IV: "Speed strategy"

You want to get faster! Gradually increase your ability to paddle fast. Much of that new speed will come from having a higher VO2max rather than from the development of anaerobic capacity. More oxygen processed by the muscles creates more energy, more muscle force, and a higher paddling velocity. Some speed will come from improved economy, because economy means higher speeds without incurring greater oxygen cost.

Some will come from lifting the lactate threshold (LT), because a higher threshold allows speeds to be sustained for longer periods of time. And some will come from better neuromuscular coordination - improved reactivity of the nervous system. This heightened ability to utilize available muscular force to drive the boat forward reduces wasted energy on non-propulsive, stabilizing movements. And some speed will come from pure strength - the ability to stabilize the body and generate large amounts of force.

Optimal speed development involves carrying out a lot of work at target race pace (TRP). The "specificity principle" implies that specific exercise elicits specific adaptations creating specific training effects. In other words, you must practice the specific thing that you want to improve. This practice will also be at an intensity that will boost your lactate threshold paddling velocity (LTPV). LTPV is a great predictor of performance in both endurance and sprint events.

When you paddle faster than LTPV, lactate production outpaces consumption and large amounts of lactate begin to accumulate in the blood. Someone with a high LTPV can paddle faster with less lactate accumulation and less fatigue. As LTPV improves in response to appropriate training, it pushes up VO2max and pulls up paddling velocity. Maintain the existing workouts suggested in the previous articles, but add the following training component.

This speed development strategy is a simple systematic plan that deserves some effort. The essence of this concept is that you must be able to paddle the TRP (target race pace) for a short distance before you can sustain it in a long race. What to do?

1. Determine your TRP. For example, if you are preparing for a 10-mile race, review your times from previous races over the same course, and decide on your goal for this race. Check the pace chart (Table 2) to determine your speed pace for the course. If last year’s time was 1 hour and 44 minutes, your pace was 5.8 mph.

2. Your goal is to break 1:30 this year. Your TRP is 6.7 mph. This is a fairly big step, but see if it works. You need to learn to paddle this new pace reliably. According to the pace chart, you must be able to stroke 1/4 mile in 2 minutes 15 seconds. If necessary, establish a slower goal for a while, because you’ll need to paddle this speed for 8 X 1/4 mile repeats with a 3-minute recovery between each repeat. This should be a hard effort but not an all out sprint. All repeats should be the same speed/time. Otherwise, adjust your pace accordingly.

Table 2. Pace Chart




Continue this recovery time progression until you are down to 1-minute breaks between the repeats. At this point, try 2 x 1 mile repeats, striving for the TRP for each repeat. Now increase your pace for the 8 x 1/4 mile repeats and continue the process.

Note that the 1/4 mile and 1 mile speeds are calculated as steady-state velocities. Because you actually start at zero mph and accelerate for approximately 50 meters, your maximum speed is actually just a bit faster than indicated. This correction factor varies for individuals and is easier to just ignore.

Always establish a goal time for a race. This should not be a wild guess but a sure thing because you have practised TRP. Make your own pace chart to include intended race distances. The influence of waves, wind, and current may affect your overall time, but your performance will improve regardless.

by Bruce von Borstel
Copyright © 1999 [Bruce von Borstel]. All rights reserved.

Training Concept #3 - The 1000 Meter Time Trial

Concept III. “The 1000 meter time trial”

As the weather gets nicer and the evenings get longer, it is easier to slip in a third weekly workout. The emphasis so far has been to establish that all-important aerobic base including a weekly aerobic paddle, a lactate threshold paddle, and a biweekly long paddle. Now that you’re comfortable with this workload, it’s time to increase the workout intensity by including the 1000-meter (about 850 yds.) time trial. Adding this strategy to your training offers potentially huge benefits from a quick, high intensity workout.

Keep in mind that the purpose of this training series is not to dictate a training program. The intention is to stimulate thought about the effectiveness of your training. Exposure to important components of exercise physiology may help you to critique your training program, develop the best training composition, and derive the greatest benefit from your training time.

Races are the highest quality workouts and can have the greatest impact on your fitness. The time trial is a race against the clock and should be performed at top speed but with your best form. The racing benefits derived from the 1000-meter time trial typically are greater than those from other distances.

The 1000-meter time trial will improve your speed, power, economy, and endurance. These are all the things that we desire in order to enhance our paddling performance. Here are some reasons to focus on the 1000-meter workout:

1) Race pace training increases aerobic capaccity more than a less intense but longer workout.

2) 25% of the energy required to paddle 1000 meters is produced anaerobically. Improved anaerobic capacity will enhance your kicking power at the end of longer races and improve your ability to utilize mid-race surges.

3) Practicing at 1000 meter speeds decreases the "perceived effort"
experienced in longer races.

4) The faster pace develops neuro-muscular coordination for maximum power
production and sustained faster pace.

5) 1000 meter pacing improves your paddling economy in order to allow you to paddle faster for a given effort and to conserve muscle glycogen.

6) This training heightens the aerobic capacity of fast twitch muscles, therefore, increases your VO2max and paddling velocity at lactate threshold.

7) Faster paddling improves biomechanics, dynamic flexibility, and range of motion for greater speed development.

8) Faster turnover develops optimal stroke cadence for racing.

9) Training variation offered by the 1000-meter time trial adds physiologic adaptation specific to that form of training and adds to your overall fitness.

10) The speed developed from the 1000-meter time trial improves performances at longer distances.

A 1000-meter course in a canal is perfect for this time trial. Start with a 20-minute easy warm-up paddle. Record your 1000-meter time so that you can monitor your improvement. Warm-down for 20 minutes. Stretch after your workout and relax while you re-hydrate and replace carbohydrate stores. You should realize large performance benefits for very little training time. The next article introduces a speed training strategy to further prepare you for your big race.

by Bruce von Borstel
Copyright © 1999 [Bruce von Borstel]. All rights reserved.

Training Concept #2 - The Long Training Paddle

CONCEPT II: “The long training paddle”

The previous training article stressed the importance of using training time effectively. More specifically, maximizing aerobic fitness is the most important means of achieving most racing goals. Concept II carries this theme further by introducing "the long training paddle".

The long training paddle is performed continuously at a relatively comfortable intensity (60-80% VO2max) for an extended length of time. Although the work intensity increases progressively as training improvements are achieved, the training stimulus is generally accomplished by increasing exercise duration. If you decide to try the long paddle, gradually increase a training session on alternate weeks to two hours or more.

There are numerous physiological and psychological benefits derived from the long aerobic paddle. The continuous steady-state workout produces the largest aerobic adaptations in both the central circulation and peripheral tissues. Benefits include: enhancement of oxidative enzymes, improved oxidative potential of both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers, increased capillarization, raised cardiac output, heightened VO2max, hypertrophy of slow twitch fibers, increased mitochondria size and density, improved paddling economy, simulation of long race conditions, improved endurance, increased training workload, increased capacity to mobilize and oxidize fat, opportunity to practice fluid/electrolyte/carbohydrate intake, increased paddling comfort, and expanded capacity to withstand fatigue and boredom.

These are all significant training adaptations. However, I will expand on two of these benefits: 1) stimulation of fat metabolism for enduring energy, and 2) increased workload for the paddler with limited training time.

Energy for exercise is typically derived from ingested nutrients, the phosphate pool, muscle and liver glycogen (carbohydrates), and the breakdown of stored fat. Ideally, when we’re racing we want to count on energy contributions from all of these sources. However, these sources are trainable, and readily available energy from fat is crucial in order to maximize performance.

The long aerobic training paddle enhances the rate at which the exercising muscles can utilize fat. Stored fat is the body’s largest source of potential energy. Average fat reserves represent about 100,000 kcal of energy, while carbohydrate energy reserves are less than 2000 kcal. While the quantity of fat available for energy is almost limitless, carbohydrates can be depleted rapidly. As fat becomes the remaining energy source, it will become preferred for much of your endurance performance. Fat is only metabolized in the presence of oxygen and the long paddle is the perfect tool to train the athlete’s ability to mobilize and utilize fat as an enhanced energy source.

The long training paddle is a convenient way for the paddler with time constraints to increase the weekly training workload (training stimulus). If you are currently paddling one hour two days per week and increase one training session to two hours, your weekly workload increases by a very significant 50%. Typically, I will compliment the Wednesday night workouts with a 3-4 hour weekend paddle. This is a productive training regimen,
until more training days become available.


During the long training event, hydrate freely with fresh water. Also, take along an energy supplement in the form of a drink, fruit, cookie, or candy. Use this carbohydrate only if necessary to push you through an energy low. By restricting food intake during the paddle, you place an urgent demand on your fats to be a primary source of energy. At the end of
your exercise, replenish immediately with lots of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and water.

The long paddle should become an important part of your training program. The increased weekly workload will improve your aerobic fitness. The efficient fat metabolism will spare the rapid depletion of glycogen (carbohydrate). On race day, the long paddle will help boost your performance and leave you with a powerful finish.

by Bruce von Borstel
Copyright © 1999 [Bruce von Borstel]. All rights reserved.

Training Concept #1 - Aerobic Training For Aerobic Racing

CONCEPT I: "Aerobic training for aerobic racing" (or use your time effectively)

This is the first of a series of articles about physical training. The emphasis is directed toward training for canoe and kayak racing, although, preparation for making a Hawaii Kai run or a day cruising around in Kailua Bay involves the same training principles. This series is intended to stimulate thought and discussion about your training program. Are you achieving your racing goals? Have you reached a plateau or are you losing your competitive edge?

Every training session should have a purpose. Most of us are limited to the amount of time that we can spend paddling. So, spend this time effectively and specifically to reach your objectives. Are you expanding your aerobic fitness, building your anaerobic power, pushing your lactate threshold, stimulating fat metabolism, building a strong background for the year 2001 racing season, or fine tuning your fitness for the next race?

Let’s assume that you’ve been spending time in your boat building the requisite paddling skills, fitness base, and stroke mechanics. Regardless of goals, your success will be determined by your underlying aerobic conditioning. Therefore, the first training concept concerns "aerobic training for aerobic racing".

The major energy source for paddling differs depending on the intensity and duration of exercise. Table 1 illustrates the relative contribution of aerobic (reactions involving oxygen) and anaerobic (reactions not requiring oxygen) energy sources. The energy spectrum describes the concept that as exercise progresses beyond several minutes, the aerobic system predominates. By understanding this energy spectrum, it is possible to train for specific improvements of the appropriate energy system.

Table 1. The Energy Spectrum.

Duration of maximum exercise



If the competition lasts longer than 30 minutes, 95% or more of the energy for the race is derived from aerobic sources. When this concept is applied to training, it is clear that most training time should be spent on aerobic development.

For example, if available training time is two days per week and one day is devoted to anaerobic workouts, then 50% of the training time is spent preparing for 5% of the race. A better balance might involve a long aerobic paddle one day and an anaerobic threshold paddle the second day. Aerobic training takes place at an intensity below the anaerobic
threshold. You should be able to talk comfortably and enjoy the scenery at this level. The anaerobic threshold occurs at the intensity at which the breathing rate begins to elevate rapidly. If you are working harder than this, you are training for something else.

Remember to use your time effectively by designing your training composition to compliment your racing. If your race is mostly aerobic, then use most of your time to boost your aerobic system.

by Bruce von Borstel
Copyright © 1999 [Bruce von Borstel]. All rights reserved.

Training Concepts For Paddlers - Intro

INTRODUCTION:

Every couple of days I will adding a paddling concept from Bruce von Borstel.

Training guidelines for the non-elite paddler are relatively hard to come by. Personal observation of training methods or the lack of training methods dictate the need for the development of a simple (non-technical) but effective training model.

The recreational racer has several obstacles:

1) race distances vary tremendously from 500 meter sprints to 30+ mile open ocean paddles and

2) training time is limited because of jobs and family responsibilities. It is evident that training time must be used effectively to maximize training effect, fitness, and race preparedness.

Paddling offers a multitude of health and wellness benefits for the general population. These include cardiovascular conditioning, musculo-skeletal fitness, weight management, stress reduction, skills and coordination development, enjoyment of the outdoors, social opportunities, friendship, and competition. Guidance in developing canoe and kayak skills, stroke mechanics, and physical competence will help to make the paddling experience more pleasurable, safer, and enduring.


TRAINING CONTENTS

CONCEPT I: "Aerobic training for aerobic racing"

CONCEPT II: "The long training paddle"

CONCEPT III: "The 1000 meter time trial"

CONCEPT IV: "Speed strategy"

CONCEPT V: "Cross training"

CONCEPT VI: "The Heart Rate Monitor"

CONCEPT VII: "The Aging Athlete"

CONCEPT VIII: "Long Distance Paddling"

CONCEPT IX: "Hypothermia"

CONCEPT X: "The Training Balance"

by Bruce von Borstel
Copyright © 1999 [Bruce von Borstel]. All rights reserved.

Sun Run 2009 - 25th Anniversary

Sunday, April 19 @ 9:00 a.m. - Register online: www.sunrun.com

Get in on the Celebration!

Join in and help us celebrate 25 years of community spirit and personal achievement in health and fitness!

REGISTER EARLY AND SAVE!

Register before the Early Bird deadline of January 31 and pay only $30 for your individual entry. Your fee includes a souvenir 25th Anniversary T-shirt featuring artwork by Tiko Kerr, PLUS a donation to The Vancouver Sun Raise-a-Reader campaign and amateur athletics via the Jerome International Track Classic.

Vancouver Sun subscribers save $2 on their Sun Run registration! The Vancouver Sun subscriber discount option is available on your registration form.

Enter online today at www.sunrun.com, or call 604.689.9441 for more information.

Corporate and School Teams - Early Bird Savings! Rally your friends, family, co-workers, neighbours and classmates together and enter as a team. Save $5 per member registered before the team Early Bird deadline of February 6 (Corporate team early bird entry is $35 per person) and February 13 (School team early bird entry is Students - $17 and Adults - $22 per person). All you need is a minimum of 10 for a Corporate team and 20 for a School team.

* Late additions to your Early Bird team? The final team deadline Corporate teams is March 6 and for School Teams it is March 13. Even if you create your team before the Early Bird deadline, you are welcome to add new people to your team list right up until each deadline noted.

* A fun way to show off! Corporate and school team entry fees include team T-shirts imprinted with your organization logo or school name.

Enter your team online at www.sunrun.com, or call 604.689.9441 for more information.

ICF Congress Update

The ICF held their annual congress in Rome Italy on November 28 – 29.

Here are some of the highlights from that meeting:

The 2009 Championships will now include a 4X100m sprint relay (male and female K1)– in an effort to make canoeing a more exciting sport for TV. This should be an interesting event, you can see a test event here.



At the 2010 Championships they will also include a 5000m long distance event for both male and female K1’s.

Flatwater Racing will now be known as Canoe Sprint, Slalom Racing is now known as Canoe Slalom, and Marathon Racing will be Canoe Marathon.

I really the really interesting thing was that they changed the events to make it again more TV friendly. So they dropped all of the womens 1000 meters events. As well as the mens C4 1000 meters, mens K4 500 meters, mens C4 500meters, mens K4 200 meters, womens K4 200 meters, and the mens C2 200 meters. See chart below.



Here is the "new" format for the World Championships.



As you can see the regatta is in two sections, the first being the "Olympic" events, and the non "Olympic" events.This should make the regattas next year quicker with having less events. That's if the local regattas follow the same outline as the ICF.

Unfortunately it is the women who will be getting cheated out of all of the 1000m events. It will be interesting to see if this happens at the local level. I certainly hope not. Well see.

Epic Manufacturing Problems In China - Update

This is posted on Epics website.


As many of you may have read, Epic Kayaks has moved its manufacturing facilities in China. We no longer contract out the building of our boats & paddles to Flying Eagle, the composite boat builder we began working with roughly 3 years ago. We have already moved into a brand new 10,000 square meter (100,000 square foot) factory, with a custom set up for our new production. Our new production company is Hangzhou Epic Boat Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Epic Kayaks, Inc. Controlled directly by Epic, our new factory gives us complete oversight of the entire manufacturing process. This will ensure the best possible efficiency and quality control.

Leading the charge is our new Director of Manufacturing, Dave Kruger. With over 30 years experience in the composite boat industry, and direct knowledge of factory layout and operation, Dave has been invaluable in this transition. He has been in China for the past three months, setting up our new facility and preparing our new production line. The factory is now complete with temperature controlled laminating rooms, high capacity vacuum pumps and a large oven for post curing to optimal properties. The first boats from our new factory will start rolling out in January 2009!

The biggest challenge of this move has been getting all of our molds, equipment, materials and finished product out of the old factory, a process being hindered by Flying Eagle. In July, we mutually agreed with Flying Eagle that Epic would be moving production out of their facility. It was agreed that we would be free to take all Epic possessions, including our molds, which we had contracted Flying Eagle to build (per our designs) and purchased.

As our moving date grew closer, Flying Eagle started making more and more demands. Before we could move our boat molds, they said, we’d need to purchase them AGAIN – paying 100% of what we’d already paid. On top of that we would be paying a currency fluctuation in their favor (they invoiced us in US Dollars for the molds, but then wanted the equivalent Chinese Yuan based on when we purchased) plus an additional 17% tax. They are also demanding that we purchase materials from them at an inflated profit margin compared to what we would pay on the open market, with some of these items being a 2-3 year supply.

To make matters worse, they insisted that we sign a lopsided separation agreement. Once the separation was complete, if we hired any former Flying Eagle employees (even those who had quit many years ago) Epic would be liable to a US $200,000 penalty per employee to be paid to Flying Eagle. If we continued to use the same non proprietary high temperature resin system for mold making, we’d have to pay them a $1 million penalty! There were absolutely no restrictions on the Flying Eagle side – they would be free to do whatever they wanted.

It became clear to us that Flying Eagle was trying to take advantage of a foreign company. They wanted to extort as much money out of us as possible, then put completely unreasonable business restrictions on Epic. They said the only way we’d ever get our property out of their factory was to agree to these ludicrous demands. While we have no intention of stealing their employees or copying their resin system, agreeing to huge penalties could leave us vulnerable to false charges that Flying Eagle may try to level against Epic, in hopes they could collect millions of dollars from us in a Chinese court.

In November, as we attempted to move our manufacturing materials to our new location, our moving truck was stopped at the Flying Eagle factory gate by their security guards. We called the police, and when they arrived we stated that we were simply trying to retrieve our possessions (molds, materials, equipment and finished product – all supplied and/or paid for by Epic.) The police went inside to get Flying Eagle’s side and when they returned, we were told that Epic must pay Flying Eagle RMB 8 million (nearly US $1.2 million) that they claim was owed.

With this ransom put on our property, and after four months of agonizing, time consuming and ultimately fruitless negotiations, we had no choice but to take legal action. We have filed a suit against Flying Eagle in the intermediate level court in Hangzhou, China. We’ll see where this leads; we hope the court system is objective enough to clearly see our charges.

In the meantime, work continues in our new factory. We are already working towards rebuilding some of our molds so that we can maintain production and supply our customers. Fortunately, in anticipation of our move, we have built up our stock of inventory at our headquarters in Charleston, SC; as well as some of our distributors worldwide.

It is unfortunate that this positive move for us has been marred by the complicated scenarios of doing business in a foreign country. We thank you for your support and look forward to bringing you the latest and greatest paddling innovations from our new factory in 2009.

Epic Production Problems With Manufacturer

Charleston-based kayak company sues Chinese manufacturer By Andy Owens

aowens@scbiznews.com

Published Dec. 10, 2008

A Charleston-based company that sells kayaks around the world has filed a lawsuit against its Chinese manufacturer after the manufacturer refused to release Epic Kayaks' proprietary kayak molds and threatened to put the company out of business in China.

Greg Barton, a two-time Olympic gold and bronze medalist and co-owner of Epic Kayaks, said several American companies doing business in China find themselves embroiled in similar conflicts when they try to end a business relationship with a
Chinese manufacturer.

Now, he's concerned about getting a fair hearing in a Chinese court. Barton and his partner hired attorneys overseas and hope, by taking a legal route, that Fuyang-based Flying Eagle will be pressured to come to an agreement.

"Can we get a fair trial in a Chinese court - an American company going against a Chinese company? Even if we do, are we going to be allowed to conduct business in the same area?" Barton said. "They've said they can put us out of business or make it impossible for us to do business in that area."

The dispute began over project management and pricing in July, some three years after Epic moved its production to Fuyang, an industrial city south of Shanghai. Flying Eagle manufacturers the rowing shells that many national teams used at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The dispute led Epic to try to dissolve its business relationship with Flying Eagle and find a new factory in Fuyang. But four months after agreeing in principle to a separation agreement, Flying Eagle refused to release Epic's molds and equipment unless it received "hugely inflated, ever-changing fees that, if paid, would sink the company," Epic said in a statement.

Barton has spent the past three months in China trying to negotiate a settlement and has spent nearly half this year dealing with production in China. As the demands of Flying Eagle kept escalating, including clauses that could potentially leave Epic vulnerable to penalties up to $1 million, Barton said it became clear Flying Eagle officials thought they had Epic "over a barrel."

Epic filed a lawsuit in the intermediate level court in Hangzhou rather than agree to pay a "ransom" for its proprietary property and equipment.

"It's definitely going to have a significant impact on our cash flow and hurt us quite a bit," Barton said. "It's already hurt us for several months."

Barton said Epic Kayaks has some inventory in the United States and in Europe, so the company is able to fill some orders. Epic produces high-performance paddles and kayaks and was born out of a desire to bring modern, well-designed racing technology to touring kayaks.

"It's definitely costing some money but not nearly the value of what they're holding on to," Barton said. "Unless we're able to secure, very quickly, the release of our molds and things, we're going to be rebuilding some of those."

POWERbreathe Update #3

This week was a little hectic and I did not finish all of my workouts with the POWERbreathe. Even with the reduce training, I still managed to move up on the testing to 580 litres consistently.I have not managed to do a run test yet. Hopefully I will do that this week.

I am now at the 2-1/2 scale, and will be jumping to level 3 mid this week.

POWERbreathe Update #2

After weeks now with the POWERbreathe, and I am starting to measure a difference. I am consistantly blowing 570 to 580 litres per min now, and I am up to level 2 on the scale. Middle of this week I will be moving up to 2-1/2.

I hope to be starting some run tests soon, to see the difference in my breathing.

P90X Phase Three - Day Sixty Four

It is back to Chest and Back. Man was I ever bagged. I barely made it through it. I managed to increase my push ups, and a little improve, and I mean little on the pull ups. I am not very good at the pull up part, but I keep on trying. Maybe one day I will be good at them.

Afterwards I gave Ab ripper X a shot, but only lasted half way, and then I completely bonked. I hope to do better on it on Wednesday.

POWERbreathe Update

Well it has been a week since I started using the POWERbreathe. During the week I have been doing some testing with the flow meter. So far I have not measured any difference in my output.

This weekends practice proved differently. During my paddle workout, I noticed that I was not struggling as much with my breathing during the power ups I was doing during wash riding exercises. It was very noticeable for me. As well, I have made a jump in the level I am using with the POWERbreathe. I am now at level one and going up a half level tomorrow.

I am looking forward to this weeks testing to see if I did it correctly, after feeling a noticeable difference in the boat.

Master Technique Class

Today's practice was a bit of a disappointment for me. I was really sore from Friday's workout. So not being able to move very well, is not good for technique. So I tried to just go back to the basics for todays paddle on the suggestion of my coach. She really knows her stuff, and could tell today's session was not going to be too productive.

So I just concentrated on keeping my top hand going at eye level and straight across and not dropping. It was a gorgeous day. Sunny and warm, with no wind. It made for a nice paddle of over 10 kms. I kind of lost count of how many laps I completed. I was doing an ok pace and was catching the paddlers in front of me. I caught one paddler, she was going at a good pace, so I stayed with her for a while.

Then I decided to practice so wash riding. So I rode the wash on the right side, and then drop back a few meters and power up on the opposite side, and ride the wash on the left side. I practices this for a couple of minutes. Then I dropped back to chat with Gary and another paddler. Now it was getting a little chilly, so I decided to head in to the dock. As I was going in, I started to do some balance work. It was four stroke with my eyes open and four strokes with my eyes closed. Towards the end near the dock I had to watch out because there is a cable that goes underwater. I have been caught by it before, and got hung up on it. It was a little freaky, but I managed to stay up, and back up off the cable. So I made sure I went wide of it this time.

Another issue I had today was that I was using my Epic large blade for this practice. It wasn't the fact that the large blades are hard to pull, it is that I have shorten the length by quite a bit, and had not changed my tape positions. So I was continuously moving my hands around, trying to find the right spot. Other than the “issues”I was having, it was a nice paddle. Since I don't get on the water as much as I want to these days, all the paddles I get are good ones.

P90X Phase Two - Day Fifty Two

This was a case of too much, too quickly. I hammered the first half of the exercises, and paid for it in the second half. By the time I got to the end, I could barely do the exercises, especially the max rep pull ups. I could only do half of what I normally do. Even though I died at the end, I still think it is better to go all out and die, versus not going hard, just to make the rep count at the end.


This turned out to be my best Ab Ripper X workout yet. I am still struggling with the heels to the sky exercise. With my hamstrings being as tight as they are, I can't get my legs straight, so I have to do the exercise with them bent.

P90X Phase Two - Day Fifty One

Another good round of Plyometrics. I really liked today's workout, I really pushed most of the exercises. There seems to be one exercise per set that is a real killer for me. Rock Stars, Hot Foot, Etc.are the ones I really have to push it, because I find them quite hard.

As I am doing the workout, I keep thinking I am going to die, but I keep pushing myself, and at the end, I think that wasn't so bad. Ha ha ya right. I I may bitch and whine about some of the exercises, but I love it. It is makes you want to work hard. It is like when you are doing a training session in the K1 or Surf ski, and you just dog it. This is like having your coach right next to you pushing you to work.

Fitness Town P90X Sale

News & Events | P90X is now available

P90X (as seen on the official P90X website) is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. You'll also receive a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more. Your personal trainer, Tony Horton, will keep you engaged every step of the way, and you won't believe your results!

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Why is P90X so effective?




The secret behind the P90X system is an advanced training technique called "Muscle Confusion," which accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus, and you never get bored! Whether you want to get lean, bulk up, or just plain get ripped, there's an endless variety of ways to mix and match the routines to keep you motivated the full 90 days and beyond!
How does P90X work?

Tony Horton showing sitting curl

Two words: Muscle Confusion. By providing an extensive variety of different moves that take time to master, P90X is continually challenging the body's muscles into new growth. The more you confuse the muscle, the harder your body has to work to keep up; the more variety you put into your workout, the better and faster your results will be.

The flaw with many fitness products is that they all lead to a "plateau" where the body becomes accustomed to the routines, resulting in diminished effectiveness. P90X avoids this plateau effect by switching things up to keep the body guessing for the entire 90 days. Which means IT NEVER GETS EASY. By breaking old routines and opening new doors, secondary and tertiary muscles are constantly being activated and developed.

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Discs Include:

- 1. Chest & Back
- 2. Plyometrics
- 3. Shoulders & Arms
- 4. Yoga X
- 5. Legs & Back
- 6. Kenpo X
- 7. X Stretch
- 8. Core Synergistics
- 9. Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
- 10. Back & Biceps
- 11. Cardio X
- 12. Ab Ripper X
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P90X Phase Two - Day Fifty

Back to Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. Today's workout was ok, not too hard. and not too easy. I push it where I could and maintained last weeks effort when I could not.The one arm push ups are still hard being in the middle of the workout. I am still doing them on my knees, but I am going fairly low to the ground.



After Chest, Shoulders and Triceps it was straight into Ab Ripper X. It was my best performance yet doing it. There was only two exercises out of eleven that I could not keep up, but I would still finish it, just not at the speed of the group.

Product Testing: POWERbreathe

This week I have started product testing a POWERbreathe, and for the next eight to ten weeks I will be updating the blog with the weekly updates on my progress.

The POWERbreathe is used by Triathletes, Swimmers, Rowers, Bicycle Racers, Runners, etc., and the list goes on.

Check out the web site: www.powerbreathe.com.

As well as being a sports training device, it is also a medical device for people with Asthma, COPD, Bronchitis, etc, and is listed as a Class 1 medical device.

How It Works

“POWERbreathe will make your breathing muscles stronger, reducing breathlessness during exercise or activity. POWERbreathe uses a technique known as resistance training. This strengthens the breathing muscles by making them work harder, in much the same way as you might using weights to increase the strength of your arm muscles."

“When training with POWERbreathe, you notice that you have to work harder to breathe in. This is the effect of resistance training acting on the muscles used to inhale – primarily the diapharm and rib cage muscles. When breathing out, there is no resistance and you can breathe out normally, allowing the chest and breathing muscles to relax, naturally pushing the air form your lungs.”




When I saw the product and decided to test it, I knew I needed a “baseline” to go from to check the results that I would be measuring during the testing. So I went out and bought a personal flow meter from the drug store. After reading how to correctly measure my breath, I tested myself for a week before starting with the POWERbreathe. My baseline is an average level of 560 LPM, (litres per minute) and will be measuring this once a day to check my progress.

Twice a day I will be using the POWERbreathe, once in the morning and once in the evening, with a total of 30 breaths in each set. As it gets easier to do the 30 breaths, I will increase the resistance. This week I started at the lowest setting of 0, and it was tough to get through, but I managed and by the end of the week I was ready to go up a level.

I would like to thank Robert Remington and the rest of the people at Remington Medical for the demo unit and all the help I have received.

P90X Phase Two - Day Forty Five

Today is the half way point on the first round of P90X. I am behind one day this week so tonights workout was Plyometrics.

It was a good workout, and I almost can do the Rock Stars using my arms. Being such an uncoordinated spaz makes this exercise a little tough some days. The only problem with todays workout was I think I pulled one of the muscles in my right leg. It is very sore now.Hopefully it is not serious and it will go away / heal quickly.

P90X Phase Two - Day Forty Four

Missed yesterdays workout, so I did it today. It was Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. I managed to make some minor improvements from the last time. On some of the exercises, I could push it pasty where I was before, but on some I could just do what I had done last time.

Then it was straight into Ab Ripper X. It is still hard on my lower back but I push it where I can, and ease off where I can't. Eventually I will be able to go the full distance with this workout, it is just going to take time.

P90X Phase Two - Day Forty Two

Today was as usual, a make up day. I have missed both Yoga X on Thursday and Kenpo on Saturday do to scheduling conflicts. So I decided to go for Yoga X as the workout I made up.

I really went for it all the way up to Warrior Three. With each move I would really push myself to go farther than before. Once I got to Warrior Three things started to get too tough. I had to drop my back leg to the ground to do the moves, but I still pushed the exercise as much as I could.I would twist as far as I could on the Half Moons, and with each breath go a little more.

It was a very good session, and I am glad I did it. One of the main things in the boat is balance, and Yoga really works you over in that department. I highly recommend it to improve your balance, flexibility, strength, and endurance.

Ab Ripper X

My third round of Ab Ripper X was the best so far. I some what managed to keep up. Now I have to work on keeping my legs straight. The hardest one are the two where you raise your legs straight up in the air. It really starts to hurt my lower back, so I roll up a towel to support my back. It seems to work.

P90X Phase Two - Day Forty

Another round of Legs and Back. My ability to do pull ups is still not that great. In this workout you end up doing around 100 pull ups. I do not find it fun tonight. More like a chore in fact, but I managed to fight my way through it. I will feel good about it in the morning, but not right now.

P90x Phase Two - Day Thirty Nine

I was late getting in last night, so I skipped Ab Ripper X. So this morning as my "reward", I did Ab Ripper X. Oh boy, what a way to start the day. I still do not like Ab Ripper X but I have a goal of doing them all from now on. God help me.

Sun Run Training Run #1

Today was my first Vancouver Sun Run training run. It was just an easy 6 km jog just to shake out the cobwebs known as my running.

The entire workout was only 41 minutes long, which consisted of:

5 minute warm up
15 minute jog
1 minute walk break
15 minute jog
5 minute cool down.

During the jog, I concentrated on technique, landing on my forefoot, and springing off with each stride. I kept the stride itself to a short distance, but kept the turn over at a medium pace. Also I focused on driving my elbows back, and keeping my arm bent at less than 90 degrees. (hands closer to my feet) This helps in keeping my shoulders from shrugging while I am running.

It was a good workout, after having not ran in so many months.

P90X Phase Two - Day Thirty Eight

This mornings workout was Back & Biceps. This was another of the workout that does not have repeats in it. So it was hard to determine the amount of weights I should use for each exercise. So I erred on the side of caution and backed it down a bit. Starting with lighter weights until I could figure the exercise out.

I marked down in my log book if the weight was easy, medium, or hard. So the next time, I can "bring it". This week repeats for the next three weeks, so I will be doing this each week. Trying to best the previous weeks high score, so to speak.

I must admit, this program even though it is tough,(or as tough as you want to make it) is a lot of fun.

P90X Phase Two - Day Thirty Seven

It has only been 6 hours since the last workout, and here I am doing Plyometrics this morning.

I was really bagged this morning, but I managed to keep up with everything except the single leg hopping. I still have difficulty in doing the criss - cross. So I just hop up and down instead.

By the time I was finish I was drained. It felt good, but I am going to be knackered for the rest of the day.

Ab Ripper X

I did a round of Ab Ripper X. I don't do these workouts too often. I know I should but for me these are really difficult, and I don't really like it. It is totally wrong attitude, and I need to change that fast.

By the time I was finished this workout, I was shaking, and completely soaked from sweat. I glad I made it through it. I will use this session as my motivation for the next Ab Ripper X.

P90X Phase Two - Day Thirty Six

Today is the first day of the second phase. I am one third of the way through the first round. It is kind of a milestone in my journey for better fitness, and being able to go faster in the boat.

I thought that Shoulders and Arms was a good workout. It was nothing compared to Chest, Shoulders and Arms. This workout is great. For the first time through this workout, I took it easy on the weight. Good thing. Even with the lighter weights I was struggling with the last three reps. The slow motion push up were specially hard. Going down for a count of four, and back up to a count of four, and it seems Tony counts way too slow. The one arm push ups I had to do it on my knees, there was no way I was going to able to do it with straight legs at that point.

My personal favourite exercise in this workout was the pike presses. It is a kind of do or die exercise. If you fail part way, you are going to do a face plant guaranteed.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty Five

This session of Yoga was a hard one. I was doing ok with the moves all the way up to Reverse Warrior, and then things went south. I was really struggling with Warrior Three. I had to drop one one knee more than once on each side.

The balance moves were good, but anything that required me to keep my leg straight wasn't going too well. My Hamstring are not very flexible at this time. This is an area I really need to work on, if I am going to improve at this.

Masters Technique Session

Today was a Masters Technique class at Burnaby Lake. I have missed the last three or four sessions.Since that time the ranks have swollen to over 12 paddlers. There was around 13 or 14 K1s out on the lake today. It was a prefect day for paddling, no rain, no wind, and it was actually warm out. I had to strip down to one long sleeve shirt after one lap of the lake.

I got to the lake early so I could set up my Thunder and get a good warm up and stretch. I did a short dryland warm-up of running in place, with high knees and wide stance, much the same as in P90X. Then I did all my stretches, especially working on the my legs, or so I thought.

There were so many boats that there was a line up to get out on the water. Once on my way down the lake, I realized that I did not in fact stretch my Hamstrings enough, because boy could I feel them, they were really tight. I even considered turning around to go back to the dock to stretch them, but I kept going.

My balance was pretty good today, I had no emergency braces at all. My stroke rate was medium, some where around 80, and I was just concentrating on technique. After about two laps of the lake, the call came from my coach, to turn around and see her. She said she was going to video me and observe my stroke. I told her to give me a few meters for the steam on my glasses to clear up. She said I didn't need to see.

So off we went down the lake. It never fails, the video camera always makes me nervous, and it sure showed. Then we stopped and discussed my areas of improvement. As usual, I am leaning too far back, and losing it at the catch. (Hamstrings too tight) I was going to slow with my rotation at the hips (Hamstrings too tight) and not enough slide. I was cycling too fast and not pausing for the setup. I need to slow down at the setup with a horizontal shaft, "before" putting the blade in for the catch.

This is why you have a coach. They are able to see where you cannot, the errors in your technique, and give you ways of correcting the problems.

After the video section I did two more laps and then headed in. It is good to see so many new faces to the club. Most of them are from the Tuesday night races in Deep Cove. Good job Chris and Gary for promoting the club. Next weekend I will back at the slough to train in K1.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty Three

Core Synergistics was the workout this morning. Today I was sluggish, and wasn't keeping up on some of the exercises. I kept an even pace throughout the workout, but could not get into the "X" level of it. As usual I did the extra. It does not make sense to me to stop, and fast forward to the cool down. Just keep going and do the extra stuff, at the end you feel much better for doing it.

Still having difficultly in doing the banana to superman. Will keep working on it. Presently I am setting up my calendar to do two rounds of P90X. The next one will be doubles, and should take me to the start of the spring surf ski racing.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty One

This mornings workout was Kenpo. The one issue I have with this workout is that there is not enough of a warm up for the legs. So the next time I am going to do this one, I will do a separate warm up before I start.

At 5 in the morning, things are just not ready to go full out, and my hamstrings were not up to the task today. My kicks were basically pathetic. The punches no problem, actually they were a relief after trying to do the kicks. As with the other workouts, this is just another part to work on to get better. The workout is fast paced and fun.

I was still sweating from it, even after my shower. It really gets the heart pumping, and I guess that is what it is all about.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty

Wow thirty days already. Time really flies when you are focused.

This mornings workout was Core Synergistics, and after only getting about 4-1/2 hours sleep, it was difficult. This is really a great core workout, and I felt it afterwards. On this first run through I did not add any weights to the exercises, just worked on form.

This was a good idea, especially doing the Lunge, Kick Back, Curl, Press routine. I tries it first with weights but had to drop them because I was such a spaz, I kept tipping over. I also had trouble doing the Superman to Banana exercise. Going from Superman to Banana I had no problems, but going the opposite way, I had to push off with my hand every time.

No one is perfect right off the get go, and these are areas I need to work on. It what makes this program fun. Learning new exercises and moves makes it interesting and challenging.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Nine

Today's workout was Yoga X, and It is becoming my favourite session. When I started doing this workout at the beginning, I cannot tell you how many times I fell over. I was thinking that Tony and the group was not human, but I kept working at it, and now I can go through the workout without falling.

Mind you my form is still no where near to the group. but I am going to keep pushing it. This workout has really helped my flexibility, and this will show up in the boat. My Quads and Hamstrings have always been really tight, which does not equal a good leg drive. The looser the muscles the better the drive with each stroke. It will also help prevent injuries, and increase my endurance.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Eight

Today I tried as usual to play catch up on the workouts that I missed. It was a grinder doing Legs & Back. It has a lot of pull ups, which is my weakest area of all, but even with that said, I have made improvements doing them. Small improvements, but improvements all the same.

Tomorrow I start week #4, and the cardio section of the program.

Monday: Yoga X
Tuesday: Core Synergistics
Wednesday: Kempo X
Thursday: X Stretch
Friday: Core Synergistics
Saturday: Yoga X
Sunday: X Stretch

It will be a good week of workouts, that's for sure.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Four

Today was my fourth round of shoulders and Arms, because I am re-doing week three over again.
Even with my cold, I managed to keep the same intensity was the last time I did this workout. The only exercise I did not match was the second round of Tricep Extensions. I had to stop two reps short because I was going to drop the weight on my head.

Since I have started P90X, my chair dips have gone from 20 reps to 40 reps, with my butt just short of touching the floor. Those last 5 reps are a killer. I am also up to 20 Side Tri-Rises, again the last three or so reps are difficult, to say the least.

Even though I am struggling with the weights I am using, I need to start looking for heavier ones. So I can decrease the number of reps I am doing. Less reps with heavier weights is where I am heading towards.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Three

Back on track with the workouts. Today was another plyometrics session. It is becoming one of my favourite workouts because it is a grinder. It really makes you want to work hard.

Even though I have been only at it for a little over three weeks, including the pre-P90X sessions, I am starting to see results. I need to add another hole in my belt, to tighten it up more, and I have lost about 5 lbs. Cool.

Tomorrow it is back to the weights and my top work out, Shoulders and Arms

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty-Two

Today is my re-start of week three. Last week I had a cold, and wasn't feeling that great that I only managed one P90X workout all week. So I decided to re-start at week three. I managed to go beyond what I did last time with some of the exercises, but on others I bombed and could only do half the reps.

That is what it all about. Trying to better the last time, and kept on improving. Even if it just one more rep than last time or more weight with the same number of reps. Inch by inch, step by step, just keep pushing yourself, and you will get better.

Deep Cove Distance Surf Ski Paddle

It has been two weeks since I was actually in a boat, that you can paddle. It was a group paddle out of Deep Cove, on a beautiful partly sunny day. It was a well organized paddle and thanks goes to Jeff of SurfSkiBC for setting it up.

It was a good turn out with eight paddlers taking part. There was Jeff in a Fenn XT, Katja in a Think Legend, John in his Fenn Millinium, Ben in a Fenn 6, Tom in a Westside X-Par missle, Gary in a Think EVO, Caroline in her Huki SX-1, and myself in a Think EVO.

We had a brief discussion on which course we were going to do, and the north or old marathon course was picked. this would take us out of the cove going, of course north, to the power stations and back. So off we went, at a nice easy pace. The pace was perfect for practising technique, and since I had missed the previous days' Technique Class, this is what I needed.

As I was paddling along, I heard a boat motor coming from behind. I turned and saw Tom riding the stern wash of a big sail boat that was going up the arm. So I jumped over and rode the side wash for a little while. Then I dropped off the waves and let it go for a short distance, and then hammered along the side wash back up to the boat. It was a good drill, but very tiring. By this time Ben and John were up in the distance ahead. We managed to get spread out a bit, but every once in a while the leaders would stop and we would regroup.

As we were coming to the point where we turn to cross the arm to head over to the power stations on the east side of the arm, I saw a familiar face coming towards us. It turned out to be Bern coming back from paddling to the end of the arm and back. This was a long paddle of about X kilometers.

We all stopped and grouped up to cross the arm together. Caroline had cut the corner, and was at the north power station waiting for us to cross. As we headed south along the east side of the arm back to the cove, we were four across, and cruising at a nice pace. I could see Tom off to our right closer to the middle of the arm, and Gary and Caroline bringing up the rear. As we came to Twin Islands, the front group stopped for a quick rest and then we were all off in different directions.

Jeff and Katja headed towards Bedwell Bay, John and Ben headed towards Raccoon, and Tom and myself waited for Gary and Caroline to catch up. Tom and I discussed which way to go, and I said I was just going to head straight to the cove from here. Once Gary and Caroline had caught up, off we went in a group of four. Once we had passed Raccoon, I could not see which way Ben and John went. It turned out that they went towards Jugg. As we headed towards the cove, our group split in two, with Tom and Caroline going down the middle, and Gary and myself heading over to the west side of the arm.

At this point I was starting to get fairly bagged, but I looked over and Gary was going strong, so I sucked it up, and kept up the pace. It wasn't until we got inside the cove did Gary say I needed to take it easy on him. The whole time I thought Gary was driving the pace. Oh Well.
Since I did not know when I was going to get out actually paddle with a group, I decided to crank up the pace, just for fun. At first it was 10 kph, then I upped it to 11kph, and then I had some left in the tank, and pushed it pass 12 kph. It was a good hard push at the end of a great paddle. Hopefully I will start feeling a little better, for the next paddle. hopefully next weekend in the Thunder. So the paddle ended up being 18+ kilometers in two hours.