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Dragon Boat Canada


IDBF


Canoe Kayak Canada

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[red]

What would you suggest a team do as a warm up before a practice and before a race?  We've got varying friendly opinions on our team (some want more, some want less) and are looking to others for advice.  What kind of warmup does your team do? anything after practice, besides elbow bends??

Cheers.

[BernMan]

Warm up? What the heck is a warm up? 

We drink lots and lots of hard liquor both before and after a race with a shot of redbull to give us both the alertness and extra testosterone that the guys need prior to engaging in a very high energy and vicious activity. (Oh wait that usually happens when a bunch of guys get together and go clubbing I think! Then the shenanigans take over!)

I think I will let others tell you what they do. All I can say is the better prepared you are the better you should perform.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL CREWS THIS COMING WEEKEND!!! YEAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

[paddleboy]

 Warm-ups prevent injuries .!!! .... the more you do & longer you spend doing them the better . Kinda like when you hit the weights you start light and work up to heavy...you never go heavy on your first lift

 Then again you could do shots about 15 minutes prior to numb any pain that may occour

[Wet spot]

Paddleboy makes some good points : starting slowly and building intensity, and warm-ups prevent injuries.

Body temperature is one key to its performance.  Ever notice that boxers are always hot and in a sweat when they come to the ring at the beginning of a match.  Why?... because when the body is at the optimum temperature (usually above 98.6F) it functions better and is more elastic - this and a slightly higher heartrate due to the exertion means the body is getting better blood supply and oxygen and it reacts faster...the body is "ready to go" before the match because it has to instantly perform at a very high level once the match starts...see the parallel with dragonboating?

The other point about body temp is that it is usually lowest in the morning when we first wake up and gets progressively warmer thru the day....this is another reason why its important to warm-up particulalry for that first early race of the day (you know - the one that you never seem to do your best on).  Once you are warmed up, stay as warm or hot  as you can until you are actually in the boat.

What kind of exercise?...anything that gets your arms, legs and torso warmed up and stretched but avoid high intensity or high strength workouts...save that for the race.

Post race you can do some light cool-down exercise and stretches but often the paddle-in from the fininsh line is almost enough.

Massaging one's throat with amber fluid after the race can be theraputic also.

[gunghaggis]

All standard coaching texts and courses recommend warm-ups before an event.

The key reasons to warm up is:
1) prevent injury
2) enhance performance

Cardio exercise gets the heart pumping blood through your body.  This gives your muscles the oxygen it needs, and helps warm up the body.

Good cardio can be a light run, running on the spot.  Lots of teams will do jumping jacks.  Some teams do the hokey pokey. A good cardio warm-up will simulate all the muscles used during paddling.  Make sure you are rotating your body, and mimicing swimming or paddling motions. Plyometrics (deep jumps) are really good for the quads and gluteus muscles.

Stretch the muscles that you are going to be using.  While the arms and legs are easy to remember, most people forget to stretch out the back, neck, abdominal, hip flexors, groin and other core body muscles.  Core body is where your real strength is, so it makes sense to pay attention to these muscle groups.

Go to a library check out an exercise management book, take an NCCP coaching course, google for some stretching exercises and warm-ups.

Notice how the 2nd and 3rd races of the day already feel better and easier than the first.  It's because the body is already warmed up, by having performed at its peak.  The more 100% you can warm the body up on land, the easier it will be to warm up on water... and the better your race performance will be.