Dragon Boat Paddling Resources

10,000 lbs. in 2 min - Dragonboat Strength & Endurance

The Reality

In the first few strokes of the typical Dragon Boat racing start, athletes can exert between 60 and 90 lbs. of force per stroke. Over the entire race each stroke can average 40 to 60 lbs of force. While these weights are not much for most people during an individual training set (10-15 reps), adding this up over the entire 500m race yields roughly 10,000 lbs. lifted! All in 2 minutes. WOW! This places 500m dragon boat racing in the "middle distance" arena, much like the 800m in track. Middle distance races place a premium on both strength (speed) and endurance.

Now do you think you might need some strength and endurance training? I certainly need it!

Nothing beats the energy of a race to give you what you need to complete. But preparing ahead with strength training can make the journey more enjoyable and give you that edge you need to win! Consistent strength training will increase your capacity to produce results. You will continually be able to pull harder and therefore go faster!

By building endurance you aid the recovery of your muscles, breathing and heart rate during exertion. This allows us to continue to power throughout the race. Strength and Endurance are built both in the gym and on the water.

Strength

In the Gym, paddling strength is developed through practical routines developed around the needs of paddling. A few such routines can be found here, here and here. The key to building strength is targeting and repetition. Targeting the correct muscle groups and using proper technique and repeating the process over the course of several weeks will produce positive results. Increasing weights, over the course of several weeks as we train, while maintaining repetition will build strength.

On the water, strength is built by power strokes, racing starts and many other "power" drills. If you are interested, work with your coaching staff to make sure you understand the drills they use to increase strength. Personally I like interval training with power to build strength. There are many combinations on the water that will produce the results you seek in strength training if you do them with that goal in mind. Part of the complexity of Dragon Boating is that we are able to contribute as much or as little as we desire. Your desire will play the biggest role in your strength training.

Endurance

In the Gym, endurance is built by using circuit training on multiple exercises in sequence. Do not rest between 3 or 4 different exercises. Once you have completed one set of each exercise, you can rest. You should use slightly lower weights, making sure you can complete an entire circuit without rest.

On the Water, drills like 30:30s (30 active strokes followed by 30 power strikes repeated) and interval racing starts (building up the stroke count each round) are my favorite. These build endurance as you continue the circuits. 

The Key is to do both of these as you prepare for racing season. If you follow this blog you will learn my take on when and how to alter your program for maximum results. Each training phase has it's goals and therefore differing sets of routines and targeted strength vs. endurance aspects.

Please let me know what you think of this in the comments below!

Tags » endurance strength training

• 1 December 2009
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