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Let’s start on some self examination shall we,
I would like to talk to you about fitness and the ways it can affect your paddling / pedalling prowess. You may be a healthy individual whose height to weight ratio is spot on. You may also be a couch potato venturing out into activity for the first time since the millennium, either way this topic is for both sides of the fence.
I was once a fully fledged fit individual; training for soccer and Judo five days a week, as I left my teens I used this fitness to get me midway through my twenties. Little did I know that muscles disappear or return to an unused state, basically rendering my previous fitness level defunct. Turning to my late twenties I took on Kayak Fishing as a new exciting Hobie, first pedalling then paddling.
Pedalling using a Mirage Drive was an easy enough proposition and soon worked up to a few decent days on the yak. It wasn’t as exhausting as a bike ride but the pain was still there, like training the more kilometres I ticked over the less my legs hurt. Upgrading to Turbo fins took me beyond the pain barrier, speed and strength was now in my grasp but all this was at the cost of a reoccurring Soccer Injury (Clicking knee).
My option was to take up paddling and develop an upper body that had been neglected for too many years. The results were not instantaneous but they came quickly, shoulder muscles grew along with brute force and mental exertion. Finding the upper body workout more strenuous I wasn’t surprised when things started to give.
A 6km round trip paddle in 30+ winds, 3m swell and horrendous wind chop might be good to test the soul but it’s a sure fire way of losing a technique and injuring oneself. What I was missing in all of these activities, be it pedalling or paddling, was the core strength issue. Huge legs, strong arms and bulging shoulders can only support so much of ones efforts, my back began to fail and once again my youth came into play (In a bad way).
I was burn with slight scoliosis and as a result overdeveloped a wing on my lower fifth vertebrae. As I grew older I desiccated the lower 4th and 5th vert discs to a crumbling state, some days were fine and others I stood compensating because of pain. I was told to keep the weight down, fitness up and it would be manageable, either that or go through some sort of ‘Fusing’ operation (Family decided against this).
I thought these days were behind me but since taking up paddling the last few years have been painful. I lived with it, ignoring it to the point of not being able to stand when I got out of bed and receiving shooting pains through my ham strings and balls of my feet. My own research lead me to Sciatica and the symptoms entailed, I was convinced I had a bad case and went to the quack filled with anxiety and useless pride.
I showed symptoms yes, but this wasn’t the major problem. I didn’t know a lack of core strength exaggerated by hours upon hours of a seated position in a kayak could have had such serious effects on my health. It highlighted the obvious need for some daily stretching and a rethink on lifestyle, even those 10+ km weekends were not doing my core strength any favours, I was as strong as an Ox but as weak as water.
It’s been a few months and things have changed, both personally and professionally. I was previously tipping 110kg’s on a bad weekend, with an ideal height to weight ratio of 89 (Too light IMO) I had to lose weight fast to feel results. I joined a gym and started a health package training program tailored to my needs (Basically back strengthening exercises).
I go three times a week religiously and am now down to 95kgs, core muscle strength has returned but greater flexibility will take many years. Now here is the difference that I noticed the most, paddling has gotten easier where as pedalling has not. Having all over body strength will allow you to perform much better than someone lacking lower or upper body strength.
If you are suffering some sort of pain related to your pursuit of Kayak Fishing, please go and see your Doctor. I was lucky, things could have been a lot worse and the trip to a G.P could be the kick in the pants you need to shape up. The human body is a great tool but based on my experiences its one that should be used with caution. Understanding what you can or can’t do will limit your choices and expand your limitations.
