Hello. I am currently 5-9 and weigh 155 lbs. I am wondering what a good weight for a competitive SUP paddler would be? I am sure that dragging around extra weight is not a benefit in this sport (I have an endurance sports background coming from cycling so I get the whole power to weight ratio thing). I have a medium build. Right now my goal is to get down to 140 lbs. Is this a good weight or should I shoot for lower or is that too low?
- Anonymous, FL

Great question.  To get to your answer we would start by taking a look at this years SUP Awards male paddler profiles.

The thing you immediately notice is that some paddlers, such as Chuck Patterson, are built like a tank while others, such as Danny Ching, have a bit of a leaner build. The amount of weight you carry on your frame is going to depend on your body type. If you were not meant to look like a body builder you won’t. Your weight will depend on your body type and what you ask it to do. As an SUP racer your body is going to look different than it did in your cycling days as it adapts to SUP training.

Now, both of these guys are lean, lean, lean. Everything they carry on their frame is muscle. In almost all cases, we would say that carrying lean muscle as a paddler will be useful muscle and the power gains will outweigh any loss in speed caused by the extra weight. Paddling is not as dependent on power:weight (power to weight ratio) as cycling is. Granted if you are doing big ocean races with big swells carrying that extra weight around could be a liability if all else is equal but, in most cases, we doubt it.

We know we are piddling around your answer but what you should be able to tell from this discussion is that whatever weight number you pull out of your bum is going to be random. Every athlete wants to lose that last 2, 3, 5, or 10 lbs. because they feel that the holy grail is at some arbitrary weight. Don’t play that game.

Again, don’t get caught up into thinking that you have to be any specific height and weight to compete optimally in this sport.  There are too many variations in bone density, muscle density, and thickness of your skull to make such a generalization based on the number you see on a scale. Additionally, once you cross the line of being too lean, your immune function and ability to recover will begin to suffer.  Remember, being fit is not always equated with being healthy and we think it’s better to stay on the “heavy” side of this line.

Unfortunately, there’s no one correct answer for this question.  Competitive SUP paddlers and paddle racers come in all shapes and sizes and to say that there is an ideal height and weight would fly in the face reality.  You should endeavor to train hard, eat right, and make sure you get plenty of recovery between workouts.  Focus on your training and your nutrition and your body will sort out the rest. In The Riding Bumps book we have specific nutrition recommendations. As we discuss in the book, a good place to start is to make sure your “calories in” is where it needs to be.

This is the foundation of a good paddle racing training program.  Over a long period of time following such a program, your body will make itself most efficient at the activities it does the most and, therefore, will arrive at an optimal weight for YOU.

Now turn off Richard Simmons and go train.

Roch and Huddle