Stand-up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is a fun activity that almost
anyone can learn, and it is one of the best workouts available! Stand-up Paddle Boarding is low impact and
provides a combination of balance, core, strength, and endurance. Since you are standing you have to use
everything from your feet (wow do you use your feet!) all the way up through
your entire shoulder girdle.
Because
you are standing your arms never have to go above shoulder height which means
that there is much less stress on the rotator cuff muscles than kayaking. You use your shoulders heavily but your
shoulders are stressed in the position where they are naturally most stable and
strong so much better than kayaking for those with shoulder and neck issues!
Just standing on a Paddle Board forces you to stabilize your
entire body and core, and it is one of the best activities available to develop
balance. Best of all if you do fall you
land in the water and getting back on the board is very easy!
SUP Technique
Breakdown
Learning to SUP is easy but mastering the stroke and
maximizing your speed takes lot of practice.
The first thing to focus on is
NOT pulling the water! Instead you
want to plant the blade in the water and pull yourself and the board up to the
paddle blade. Imagine that you are
stabbing the paddle firmly into soft sand then pulling yourself and the board
up to the paddle. If you can clearly
visualize the difference here it will go a long way to getting your stroke
where it needs to be for optimum speed.
Think about grabbing the water NOT pulling the water by you!
Reach
Once you get a little feel for it start looking at how far
you are reaching forward to put your paddle in the water. You want to reach as far as possible each
time you stroke, BUT there is a limit based on your particular anatomy,
shoulder strength and balance. If you
reach too far you can overstress your low back, shoulder or just be off balance
which is counter-productive.
Catch
This is where the blade of the paddle enters the water. Make sure the entire blade enters the water
before you begin to pull. The catch
should be as smooth and clean as possible with no splashing.
Pull
Now you are ready to apply power to the paddle. Use your entire body for this part of the
stroke. It is NOT about using your
arms. Rather your arms merely connect
you to the paddle through your hands and you use the rotation of your torso,
hips, and shoulders to drive your paddle!
Try to relax your arms as much as possible to perfect this technique. Do
not pull too far back as this will actually slow you down. Once the paddle passes your hips if you keep
pull you are actually pulling the paddle up meaning you are pulling the paddle
board down and this only slows you down.
Release
After the pull you need to release the paddle from the
water. Like the catch you want this
movement to be quick, smooth, and with zero splashing. Feathering the blade of the paddle creates a
smooth release and set-up for the next catch.
You feather by dropping your top shoulder, “breaking your wrist inward”,
or a combination of both.
Recovery
Once you release the paddle you are ready to set-up for the
next catch and pull. Try to relax
during this phase – the key to optimum paddle technique is learning to set a
rhythm between tension and relaxation and ultimately getting your breathing
into a rhythm with the stroke. The first
time you feel this come together it is amazing – really zen! So stay relaxed and let go of the tension you
produced in the catch and pull and smoothly swing the paddle forward to prepare
to drive the blade fully into the water for the next pull!
How many calories can
you burn Paddle Boarding?
Obviously your actual calorie burn will depend on the
intensity of effort you are putting into to paddling along with your height,
weight, and the wind and water conditions you are paddling in. However here are some estimates based on
people weighing between 165 and 200lbs :
Casual
Paddle Boarding – 300 – 430 calories per hour
Yoga on Paddle Board – 416 – 540
calories per hour
Touring on a Paddle Board – 615 –
708 calories per hour
Surfing on a Paddle Board – 623 –
735 calories per hour
Racing a Paddle Board – 715 – 1,125
calories per hour
So if you have not taken the plunge yet – google “Stand-up
Paddle Board Rental” and find a rental location and give it a whirl. Rentals including paddle, board, and
lifejacket are generally $25 - $35 per hour so get out there and give it a go!
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