Tue - December 27, 2005

Fitness for Kayaking from NWS Sea Kayaking Magazine







Archives of the New South Wales Sea Kayak Club Magazine is a real gold mine of information on sea kayaking. Browsing these archive I've found an interesting article Fitness for Kayaking - Myths and Hard Realities by Trevor Gardner. He is providing some specific examples of kayak speed, heart rate, VO2max, calories burnt, required consumption of carbohydrates and water, from his paddling experience including the 111 km Hawkesbury Classic Race.

His take home messages:


  • The more muscle you have the faster you can go in a kayak.
  • Any exercise is better than none.
  • Aerobic exercise at least three times weekly, at least 30 minutes, at least 65% of predicted maximum heart rate, will improve your cardiovascular fitness.
  • Resistance training will add muscle mass and strength.
  • You have months of fat but a day of carbohydrate in the tanks.
  • You need carbohydrate to keep everything running.
  • Dehydration is bad, permissive and avoidable. Drink by numbers, not thirst.
  • Most paddlers probably burn between 500 and 750 Cal/hour on average.
  • Know what you are eating and minimise the fat.
  • Sport drinks are useful for maintaining hydration, performance and aid recovery.
  • Heart rate monitors are OK but hide them from friends to avoid ridicule.
  • I paddle near good coffee shops for a valid reason.
There is another related article in NSW Sea Kayaker: Food for Thought - How to Maximize Your Paddling Energy by a dietician, Sharon Trueman.

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Posted at 09:17 AM    


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