Workin' it out in the off-season!

Well folks, for the most part kayak season is coming to an end and for most of you burly kayakers, that means a lot of long lonely nights, bottles of whiskey, Sandra Bullock chic flicks with your kayak next to you and a box of kleenex. Yes, it's a sad time. Lets look at the bright side, this down time is a great opportunity to continue your off water training and start preparing for next year.

In short, I need you guys to start balancing your body. We have done a lot of upper body stuff to get into quick and safe kayak shape for the season but now it's times to balance the body and start working on the legs. This seems a bit backwards to a lot of us because smaller weaker legs usually lend themselves to squeezing into your boat of choice. Hear me out. If your legs are stronger they allow you to put more weight up when you're doing lifts like push jerks which strengthen the upper body. Not to mention a lot of us are gearing up for ski season to get us through the winter and bring us to the next kayak season and of course stronger legs are great for pow.

Here's what I want you to start working on- Dead lifting and front squatting. These lifts begin with technique NOT weight so check out www.crossfit.com and look at their videos for these exercises. Do them with a broom stick the first few times. It's so important that you do these right because that will allow you to take your fitness to the next level when you start stacking on weights and wearing sleeveless shirts.

One final note. I want you to work on exercising the most important muscle in your body, your heart. I know it's sad that kayak season is coming to an end but it's important to remember those who aren't lucky enough to have their health and enjoy any seasons. They're focused on surviving. I just wrapped up an amazing summer of adventure therapy for young adults with cancer who, despite their diagnosis of cancer, have taken on another challenge of kayaking or mountaineering at First Descents. It's proof that their cancer can't beat them and hasn't made them fragile. In your off season, I encourage you to set a goal to help them enjoy the sports we love so much by joining TEAM FD and racing to raise money. It's a great way to stay focused, train and pay it forward. Here's the link http://www.firstdescents.org/cms/TeamFD/TeamFD/tabid/122/Default.aspx In short, you set a goal of doing a run, bike, hike, race, etc and asking for pledges of support from friends, family, co workers and strangers. FD will send you a TEAM FD jersey for your respective discipline as well as help you set up a fundraising page, write your fundraising letter and answer any other questions you might have. If you don't, who will?