Stand-Up Paddle Boarding for Core Strength, Balance and Total Body Fitness!

 

Stand-up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is a fun summer 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!   

Perfecting Your Glute Training

 

The “Glutes” are one of the most important muscle groups in the body both for function and aesthetics, yet there are a lot of misconceptions about how to best target, shape, and strengthen this muscle.

The Glutes consist of three different muscles:

1.    Gluteus Maximus (the largest of the glute muscles and most powerful)

2.    Gluteus Medius (which is higher up on the side of the hip)

3.    Gluteus Minimus (which is located below and underneath Gluteus Medius)

Any good glute conditioning program will target all these muscles.  Different exercises will produce different levels of glute activation at different places in the range of motion emphasizing different parts of the glutes.

For example:

In squats and lunges peak glute activation happens in the bottom of the movement when the glutes are in their maximally extended/stretched position!   Therefore, the bottom of the glute is the focus during these movements.

The greatest peak glute activity in a deadlift occurs in the mid-range position so deadlifts emphasize the middle of the glute.   

The greatest peak glute activity in the hip thrust occurs at the end of movement in the fully contracted position so emphasizes the top of the glute!

Balanced Glute Workout to Optimize Glute Development

By putting together exercises that emphasis stretched, middle, and fully contracted positions along with loading through all planes of motion we can optimize glute shape and function.   This includes hip abduction exercises along with hip external rotation exercises to hit the glutes from all angles.

Importance of Hip Flexor Stretching During Warm-up

The hip flexors are the antagonistic muscle to the glutes which means that if they are tight you literally cannot get maximum glute activation!    In addition, since we spend too much time sitting they are chronically shortened in most of us.   Stretch them before your glute workouts to allow for optimum glute activation.   To learn how to stretch your hip flexors properly watch this excellent tutorial:  https://youtu.be/Q4Ko275cluo

Great Glute Routine

Do Hip Thrusts 3 sets of 10 with a five second hold at the top of the movement focusing on squeezing the glutes maximally at the top!  Hip thrusts can be done on the ground or better yet using some type of Hip Thrust Machine like the Matrix Glute Drive or The Glute Lift Pro or by placing your shoulders along a bench and feet on the floor.    

Progressions:

Add load by holding a dumbbell or barbell across the hips if you do not have access to a Hip Thrust Machine..  If you are lucky your gym will have a Matrix Glute Trainer or Glute Lift Pro from Abs Company which allows for weight and/or band resistance in a very comfortable position:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE1pCWzzsyY

Also do single leg hip lifts/glute bridges

The key is keeping your back neutral and focusing your head down.   To learn optimal form, watch this fantastic video from Brett Contreras (aka the Glute Guy!):   https://youtu.be/qE1pCWzzsyY  He shows you exactly how to do this at about 5:00 minutes into this great glute exercise video.

Goblet Squats – 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions done properly – use the link above to see the keys to getting the most from this amazing type of squat at 9:10 into the video.

Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts – 3 sets of 6 – 8 reps – see tutorial at 15:00 in the video above.

Do Hip Abduction Exercises – 3 sets of 10.   Ideally you have access to an standing abduction machine that allows you to perform the exercise while in a squat position which preloads the glutes.

45 Degree Hyperextension – 3 sets of 10 – to get the most from this exercise it is important to learn how to optimize glute vs hamstring targeting which the video above will show you at 17:45.

Bulgarian Split Squat – 3 sets of 10 – the king of exercises for the fully stretched position and emphasizing the bottom of the glutes – watch the video above at 21:23 to learn exactly how to do this highly effective glute exercise!

Hip Abduction – 3 sets of 10 - it is important to target the glute medius using either the hip abduction machine or by doing seated band hip abduction.  To learn how to set-up and use a hip abduction machine click here:  https://youtu.be/vYJlsVzaH-w

For seated band hip abduction sit on a bench with knees and hips at 90 degree angle with thick elastic band around the top of the shins. Lift feet slightly off floor and pull knees out to the side against the band pausing in the fully contracted position for 5 seconds.  Do NOT arch the back and keep the navel drawn in to stabilize the core and keep all the work on the glute medius.  This can be done with one or two bands as per here:   https://youtu.be/7cGgI5hXTUU

 

 

 

Best Posture for Recovery

 

During H.I.I.T Training – High Intensity Interval Training – it is important to recovery between high intensity efforts.      After a hard effort the cardiovascular system kicks into overdrive attempting to get rid of Carbon Dioxide and oxygenate the working muscle cells.    

We have all experienced that post sprint panting as our body breathes out carbon dioxide created during the anaerobic effort of the sprint.    Most of us have been taught to “stand-up straight and put your palms on the back of year head” and told to “stop bending over”.    The message is that it is better to stand up and keep your hands on your head during recovery from hard intervals.

However – is this really true?  The answer is a resounding NO!  A research study focused on this question and examined the effects of two different recovery postures – hands on head (HH) and hands on knees (HK) during high-intensity interval training (HIIT).  

The researches look at college varsity soccer players who did four 4-minute running intervals at 90-95% of maximum heart rate, with 3 minutes of passive recovery between intervals.  Key findings of the study include:

1.     Improved heart rate recovery with the HK (hands on knees) posture compared to HH (hands on heads) posture.

2.     Great tidal volume (amount of air moved in and out of the lungs) with HK compared to HH.

3.     Increased volume of carbon dioxide elimination with HK compared to HH.

The researchers concluded that hands on knees posture allow for more efficient recovery.   The take home message is that your natural instinct to bend over and put hands on your knees IS better!    It allows your lungs to function much better by expanding the ribcage.

The Soleus - the Forgotten Calf Muscle

 

Most people think the calf has one muscle but there are actually two calf muscles.   The more prominent calf muscle, which is also much larger, is called Gastrocnemius.    It originates behind the knee coming from both sides of the upper leg bone – the femur.    It crosses the knee AND the ankle and attaches to the heel bone – called the calcaneus.      Gastrocnemius helps flex the knee along with the hamstrings and is key for pushing off in walking, running and jumping as it extends the forefoot down and heel up.

The often forgotten calf muscle is called Soleus.    Soleus originates from two bony points:

The shin bone – called the Tibia.  

The other lower leg bone which is called the Fibula. 

Like the Gastrocnemius it ultimately attaches to the heel bone – calcaneus.   Both calf muscles join together into the Achilles Tendon which is what ultimately attaches them both to the heel bone.

Key Functions of the Soleus

It works with the Gastrocnemius to help with push-off using the forefoot but is more active when the knee is flexed because it does not cross the knee as the Gastrocnemius does.

Another major role is to absorb force and prevent the body from falling forward when stopping or decelerating such as when you stop suddenly while running forward.

Soleus has a very high percentage of slow-twitch muscle fibers because it has to be active for all standing and walking activities.   This characteristic can be used to dramatically increase calorie burn while seated!

Skeletal muscle pump – the Soleus acts as the primary skeletal muscle pump that pushes blood back from the lower leg and feet to the heart!  It is often referred to as “the second heart” for this reason.

The Soleus “Push-Up” for Maximum Calorie Burn

In recent research done at the University of Houston – scientists designed a specific seated soleus exercise that included providing participants with visual biofeedback so they could learn to activate the soleus repeatedly in a specific way.

The results were amazing.    Participants dramatically increased calorie burn without feeling tired or overstressed!   Participants lowered blood glucose by 50%.    When they examined what fuels were being used they discovered that Soleus Push-ups used fuels from the blood unlike most muscular contractions that use fuel stored in the muscle.

Participants burned almost 100 calories per hour for many hours without being fatigued.   The trick is that these seated heel lifts must be done continuously and at a specific cadence in order to reap these benefits.   Here is a video tutorial:  https://youtu.be/pN8E3O5ZGTs?si=Xe6KtRPz3BV4yqiD

How to Strengthen the Soleus

The key exercise for strengthening the soleus is seated calf raises.   Many gyms have a plate loaded calf raise, but you can also use dumbbells or barbells on your thigh with knee bent at 90 degrees and push down and lift your heel.   Also it is best to have your forefoot elevated so your heel can move through a great range of motion when doing seated calf raises.  Since the Soleus is primarily a fast-twitch muscle fiber higher rep schemes are best – 15- 30 reps are great.

Do Night Owls do Better with Later Sleep Schedule?

 

Many people contend that people who naturally tend to be Night Owls do better on a later sleep schedule – meaning going to bed later and waking up later.    But is that really true?

The short answer seems to be no!    In a large Stanford University study looking at sleep habits of 73,880 adults the study concluded that it did not matter whether the time people felt they naturally wanted to sleep corresponded to when they actually did.

Instead, regardless of people’s sleep timing preference, people who stayed up late at night had higher rates of behavioral and mental disorders than those who did not.   This surprised researchers.

Researchers used movement trackers to track study participants’ activity so they would know when people actually slept along with having access to their health records to track behavioral and mental disorders. 

Here is a detailed description of the results:

·    People who described themselves as morning types, and who went to bed early and rose with the sun had the best mental health.

·    People who described themselves as evening types but who nevertheless went to bed early had the second-best mental health.

·    People who described themselves as morning types but who found themselves going to bed late "suffered, but not too much," and

·    People who described themselves as evening types and who went to bed late had by far the worst outcome, with between a 20 and 40 percent likelihood of having been diagnosed with a behavioral or mental health disorder.

On some level this should not be a huge surprise because our evolutionary heritage included rising early with the sun and laying down relatively early after the sun went down.  For hundreds of thousands or years prior to modern electricity the sun and fires were the only light we saw, and our physiology adjusted to the rise and fall of the Sun and changes in the type of light we experienced.    

In addition research shows that the majority of deep sleep occurs in the hours immediately after falling asleep so late bedtimes shorten deep sleep opportunity.    Your grandparents were on the right track when they said "each our of sleep before midnight is worth two after."    While an exaggeration earlier bed times support better overall sleep!