e, strength mandatory
by Abel Hastings
of the curve to the right side of the curve over the time period of the 4-4½ months as shown in Figure 2. This will require the following changes. Percent weight: The weight the athlete lifts for a given exercise goes down (yes, down), but the reps go up. The major goal for each workout should be to beat the curve by completing more repetitions than is predicted by the curve, not by pushing more weight than is predicted. For example, if my maximum weight for one repetition of seated rows is 100 pounds, the curve predicts that I should be able to complete 24 reps at 60lbs. my goal should be to complete at least 25 repetitions with good technique. Exercises: The number of exercises per workout will necessarily go down. This requires that the types of exercises will become progressively more sport specific. The end goal may be a workout that only contains 3-5 highly relevant exercises such as single arm rows, trunk twists and triceps curls.
Figure 2 shows the Weight-Repetitions Curve (or W-R Curve), which is a generalized relationship between the number of repetitions an athlete can complete and a given percentage of their maximum lift weight. This relationship has been a staple of the eastern European weight training plans for decades but is only now beginning to catch on in the US. The W-R Curve allows the athlete to plan workouts that help them to turn high strength into muscular endurance while keeping total exertion for each workout roughly constant. The left side of the curve has a point where one repetition corresponds to 100% of maximum lift. The right side has a point where 200 repetitions corresponds to roughly 20% maximum lift. This curve allows an athlete to convert maximum strength into muscle endurance in an optimal way.
Length of workouts: The length of the workout should generally not change. While the number of repetitions may go up, this should be matched well enough with the decrease in the number of exercises that the time of the workout should stay roughly constant. Sport Specific Resistance: Phase 2 should also include some resistance training in the boat. Nearly every top level paddler spends a fair amount of
see TRAINING on page 23 15