Hi Guys, In your long distance prone paddle program, you promote a weight regime of high rep, low weight (endurance) exercises early on, that transitions to a low rep, higher weight (muscle building) regime in the competitive phase. These seems to be opposite of what I’ve experienced or read with other endurance sports. What’s the rationale for the low rep/heavy weight closer to race day

Casey, California, USA

The rationale is simple.  Early in the prone paddle race season, after you take your break at the end of the previous season AND after you taper off of the weights during the competitive phase of the previous season (e.g. your focus will have been shifted away from the weight room for a good length of time)  you need to start off slow.

In the beginning you will first need to build or rebuild your neuromuscular strength. Stated another way, you start off light and easy in an effort to teach your muscles how to move in a pattern before you add weight.  This is done at a lower weight to start so your muscles,  joints, and supporting soft tissues can adapts to the heavier load later in the program. If you do the opposite, you risk getting injured lifting heavier weights.

Your major strength gains will be made in the power phase of training which  comes later in the program but (importantly)  ends 4-8 weeks out from race day as you transition into your maintenance phase of strength training and your paddle training ramps up in intensity and/or duration as your progress toward race day. This respite from the heavy weights will give you time to recover and allow you to maintain and capitalize on the strength gains you made in the gym on race day.

Roch