I'm in the process of putting together a variety of courses for paddlers of all disciplines which will cover nutrition, weight loss, mobility, strength and balance (and some other cool stuff too!) For many, the things mentioned above are amongst the biggest limiting factors to a paddler's progression. So why over the years have I only touched briefly on some these factors?
When I'm coaching I take a number things into consideration; technical, tactical, physical and psychological (TTPP) alongside many other factors including equipment and the environment. When it comes to the physical element, a few things have struck me over the past few years. These things I learned as I have improved my own knowledge and application of health and fitness coaching (mainly through my running students)
I've only touched on the 'physical' element in the past due to lack of knowledge.
A lot more paddlers care about the physical elements than I thought!
Coaching of this nature does't fit very well into a standard skills course.
I've had some great results with paddlers who I have coached in these areas.
Here are some of the elements that we covered on the pilot course.
Functional mobility
Strength to weight ratio
Weight loss
Calories in, calories out (and why this might not be so simple)
Whole body paddling
Macro nutrient balance
Sugars and sugar metabolism
Fats
Snacks
Meal timing
Scheduling training
Water based HIIT sessions
Rest and recovery
Solitude
Sleep
Goal setting
Testing and recording
As I am putting these courses together I am getting more and more excited about the prospect of running them. I still have a lot of preparation to do and I am looking forward to hearing any ideas that you might have as a paddler.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post.
Happy paddling,
Kelvin.