Post-Kayaking Routine
After pulling the kayak ashore at day’s end, you’re probably thinking about food and rest. I recommend you sort your equipment out and pitch your tent, then focus on your post-activation routine before sitting down by the fire for dinner or crawling into your sleeping bag. Not only will you sleep better, but your morning will be more enjoyable since you’ll have fewer aches and pains.

Exercise: Lat Stretch
The lat stretch creates muscle balance of the shoulder region and improves the flexibility and regeneration of the shoulder and back muscles—the prime movers of the upper body in paddling.

With your paddle vertical, hold onto the shaft at chest height. Bend from the hips and keep your arms straight. Push your chest closer to the ground while holding tight to the paddle, and keep your legs slightly bent at the knees, as shown in the photo. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds. You can use a tree or your paddling partner for support if you’re afraid of snapping your paddle in half.

Lat Stretch

Exercise: Kneeling Hip Stretch
The kneeling hip stretch targets muscle balance of the hip region. By restoring the flexibility of the sitting muscles—your hip flexors—it prevents lower back discomfort and tightness.

Kneel with one knee on the ground (use a pad for comfort) and the other knee bent in a right angle, foot flat on the ground. Hold your paddle vertically in front of you, adjacent to your upward knee. Keeping your paddle stationary, hold your upper body upright and lean back with your shoulders until you feel a stretch in the front of your hip and thigh, as shown in the photo. Tighten the buttock of the back leg. Hold the position for 30 seconds before switching sides.

Kneeling Hip Stretch

Exercise: Shoulder and Triceps
The shoulder and triceps exercise addresses the muscle balance of the shoulder and arm muscles. It realigns your posture and improves the flexibility of the arm extensors (triceps muscle) and the range of motion in the shoulder joint.

Stand straight and place the paddle vertically behind your back. Hold the paddle with both hands, pointing one elbow upward and the other down, as shown in the photo. Use the lower hand to gently pull the paddle down to create a stretch in the upper arm. Keep your back straight and your head up. Hold this position for 30 seconds before switching hand positions.

Shoulder and Triceps

Exercise: Chest and Shoulder
The chest and shoulder drill not only increases the range of motion in the shoulder joint, it also restores mobility of the upper back and the flexibility of the chest and shoulder muscles.

Start by taking a split stance. Keeping a firm grip with your front hand, grasp the paddle with your other hand palm up as if you were holding a javelin. Push the paddle backward with your front hand to create a stretch in the front of the chest, shoulder and biceps. Hold the position for 30 seconds on each side.

Chest and Shoulder

Finding the Balance
As you incorporate these routines into your kayaking, you may notice that you’re feeling more comfortable sitting in the kayak over longer periods of time and that your reach has improved. After your outings, you’ll be less susceptible to shoulder and back pain. And finally, by eliminating posture problems and muscle imbalance, you may find it easier to learn and absorb new skills faster. The benefits of post- and pre-kayaking routines, given a chance, will speak for themselves. Spending five minutes performing each routine is a small investment that will yield great rewards.

Our bodies are truly miraculous machines that are very capable of adapting to new situations. By acknowledging the importance of conditioning our bodies with balanced and stress-free movement, we can prolong and improve the quality of our kayaking and our daily lives as well.