Paddle Length and You
A quick search online will reveal several published resources making general recommendations for choosing a paddle length. These resources often quote paddler height, level of experience, or bench placement in guiding buyers towards choosing a paddle size. While these rationales are reasonable, there are several factors in choosing a paddle size that, when thoroughly understood, can help determine how to find a paddle that works best for you.
Background
The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) has established a general schematic for all dragon boat paddles approved for use in IDBF competitions world wide. This helps minimize any disparities between teams racing in an IDBF event due to equipment considerations. The current standard is known as Specification 202a, which specifies that paddle length (from blade tip to top of handle) is between 105cm and 130cm. Dealer websites may measure this in terms of inches, but the standards are the same.
The Business End
What part of the paddle matters the most? The blade. It’s the part of the paddle that serves as the interface between you and the water. When choosing a paddle length, the ultimate goal is to get the blade into the water where it works best. Generally, this means AT LEAST submerged below the surface of the water.
Shaft, can you dig it?
Since Spec 202a paddles all have specific dimensions for the blade, the one effective variable in paddle itself is the shaft length (spanning between the top of the blade and the handle). This makes choosing a paddle length about facilitating the best leverage for a paddler to apply force to a fully buried blade.
Lower Triangle
Triangles are an efficient shape for transferring force. By this rationale, our bodies will theoretically transfer force efficiently to the paddle and water when our back and outside arm are straight. Different paddling styles aside, after burying the blade, the goal becomes pulling the blade back (or yourself up to an “anchored” blade) while it is at a set depth. This means that as we pull back, our outside hand remains at a somewhat consistent distance to the water’s surface. This creates a triangle between our body and the plane of the water. This triangle is our foundation, the basic requirement to getting the blade buried during our reach. Paddle length has little to nothing to do with this triangle as it depends primarily on the physical size of the paddler.
Fig 1Upper Triangle
Adding the top arm and paddle shaft into the picture, we see an upper triangle formed. The efficiency of this triangle is highly dependent upon paddle length and paddler technique. In Figure 2, increasing trunk rotation on the reach has the functional effect of lengthening our outer arm and shortening our top arm. This affects angle of paddle at entry, influencing the vectors (direction) of force applied by the paddle to the water. It also serves to increase the horizontal displacement of our paddle during the pull, which is a good thing!
In Figure 3 B) and C), we see how increasing paddle length affects our body position and efficiency. Leaving the bottom hand the same in B), a longer shaft forces our top arm higher which can cause more strain to our top shoulder’s joint and potentially lead to increased risk of rotator cuff or labral injuries. Choking up at the bottom hand in C) to preserve top arm angle forces the paddler to bury the blade deeper in the water. Because the blade is farther from the bottom hand, the force of the water against the blade (or vice versa depending on the relative physics) is applied farther away from the bottom hand. This increases the torque that a paddler fights during the pull, making each stroke feel more difficult despite the same amount of power being put into the water. In other words, choking up due to a paddle being too long puts the paddler at a mechanical disadvantage, wasting energy.
Having an excessively long paddle also forces you to compensate during recovery just to clear the blade from the water. Having an excessively short paddle will decrease the horizontal displacement of your blade during the pull, which decreases paddling efficiency. A short paddle may also force you to flex more at the trunk during the reach to get the blade buried, which compromises 1 side of the Lower Triangle and may increase your risk for spine injuries (not pictured).
Fig 2
Fig 3
Choosing the “Right” Length
After all that theory and physics, it requires trial/error and close assessment with your coach to determine the paddle size that gives you the best fit. Depending on how skilled you are with paddling, your fitness level, where you sit, and how your coach would like you to paddle, you should choose a paddle length that allows you to get the blade fully buried while allowing you to pull with an Upper and Lower Triangle that is most efficient for you.
Recommendations
1. Continuously refine your paddling technique.
2. Get regular 1 on 1 feedback from your coach about your paddling technique.
3. Try a variety of paddle sizes from teammates to see how it meshes with your paddling technique.
4. Consider changing your paddle length if your technique is strongly compromised, it forces you to work beyond your level of fitness, or you have noticed it contribute to painful symptoms.
Planet Pronator Teres
The one drawback to being coach of a dragon boat team is that you aren’t a paddler anymore, you’re a coach. As a coach, you obviously do more coaching than paddling.
Yesterday was my first day back on the bench actually paddling for an extended period of time. Today, I feel pretty good, but I noticed some zingy, nerve sensations into my left palm and first 3 fingers when reaching out for things around the office. A little poking, proding, and self-assessing showed me that I had strained a small muscle in my elbow called the pronator teres. This little strip of muscle helps pronate the forearm (turn the palm down from palm up position). This muscle in particular lies over the median nerve which travels into the hand. Sure enough, I was paddling on my right side with my left forearm in a pronated position with loads that I haven’t worked against in a while.
Here’s what I’ll be using to relieve this particular issue on my own arm:
Pronator teres tack/stretch: applying pressure against the sore muscle with my thumb or Theracane, I’ll slowly rotate my forearm from palm down to palm up while maintaining pressure. I’ll be careful not to directly compress a nerve or artery by making sure my hand doesn’t go to sleep as I press or I don’t feel a pulse under the thumb I’m massaging with. Reps? I’m doing this whenever I can throughout the day.
If you notice your hands getting tingly or your elbow getting sore after practice, you might try this technique out!
Go cane yourself
Yea that’s right.
Theracane that is….
And no, The Theracane Company is not paying me to write this at all, even though they probably should from all the single digit web traffic I’m sending them. Now, show me the money!
Back to the topic at hand, using a self-massager for kosher purposes can be very effective for helping you decrease post-workout muscle soreness and muscle tightness. The benefits of using a self-massager vs getting an actual massage are that it’s way cheaper, it doesn’t complain when you ask of it, and it doesn’t ask you to massage it in return. People pay good money to see specialized massage therapists for a variety of techniques, but in reality, the most effective method is one that you stick to. I’ve never met someone who could get a massage daily. Lastly, you don’t even need a Theracane specifically to work out your trigger points. A tennis ball does much the same, is more portable, but a Theracane is designed to help you get to those hard-to-reach muscles of the back. Don’t like the Theracane plug? Well, feel free to find an equivalent product, they all work the same and can all help.
I got my own from Amazon.
Why bother?
If you’re training hard, your muscles will become tight. Contracting your muscles repetitively or strenuously during exercise leads to shortened muscle length by a variety of factors. You can think of exercise as being a major contributor to muscle tightness, which in turn can limit your range of motion to take those long, efficient strokes, as well as increase your risk for injury by strain. If exercise is a major contributor to muscle tightness, you should have an equally comprehensive method to managing this effect. Even with a good stretching routine, regular self-massage can help maintain optimum muscle length for better performance.
Girl Power
Women and men comprise very close to a 50/50 split in our global population. Beyond sex ratios, women and men are subject to engendering influences throughout life. Gender brings a variety of factors into a person’s development and behaviors, many of which are still being studied and understood.
In the local Bay Area dragon boat community, there exists a difference in how women and men are emphasized in the sport. I’m going to go out on a limb to say that although dragon boat makes itself to be a very accessible co-ed sport, it falls way short of being gender neutral.
The 12/8 Rule
Here in SF, mixed co-ed teams must adhere to the “12/8 Rule” requiring that at least 8 of the 20 paddlers on board must be female to compete. Sure enough, most coaches will keep to this ratio in hopes for better performance the thought being, “men are stronger than women and having more men in the boat vs women maximizes performance.” Of course, we don’t live in such a black and white world of sporting performance, but there is a clear mismatch between how men and women are accounted for in a mixed-gender crew.
I’ll go out on another limb to say that with regs such as the 12/8 Rule, men are put in a position to dominate the sport, which changes the dynamics of dragon boat and, unfortunately, reflects the notion that “it’s a man’s man’s world.” In my short time paddling, I’ve seen the “Men’s Division” turn into the “Open Division,” the title suggesting that it is acceptable for a woman to be aboard but not necessarily required. Beyond the new name, not much has changed in the Open race itself…most crews are stacked with 100% male paddlers. Make no mistake, I’m not writing this article to suggest gender races be done away with, just pointing out some key differences in gender emphasis. It’s a topic rich with debate.
What You May Not Have Realized
Dragon boat is providing hundreds of young paddlers in the Bay Area with an athletic opportunity that also helps build leadership, responsibility, and teamwork skills. While these are great skills to foster, the masculine nature of dragon boat can present a barrier to young women being able to develop these skills with equal opportunity as their male teammates. These differences may present a significant disadvantage to young female paddlers as they mature. Studies have found that if a female has not participated in a sport by age of 10, there is a 10% chance she will participate by age 25. Additionally, 80% of women identified as key leaders in Fortune 500 companies participated in sports when younger and self-identified as “tomboys” growing up for having played sports. The importance of participation and building a long-lasting athletic lifestyle plays many key roles in a woman’s development, future health, and success.
Studies have shown females to value sports for their social and team aspects with athletic/skill development holding lesser value. 76.3% of girls have been cited to put “fun” as their primary reason to be active while males tend to take the opposite viewpoint, putting skill acquisition first and “having fun” second.
The Goal
Obviously, the difference in how gender plays a role in sports suggests that a difference should also be observed in effective coaching strategies for female vs male athletes. Some key strategies are based on these studies of gender in sport:
- Avoid the “star” label for individuals, praise the group effort
- Challenge each team member to assist other teammates in improving, don’t pit paddlers against each other
- Don’t shame, chastise, or otherwise “chew out” paddlers in front of the group
- Forget about challenging paddler “manly-hood” with taunts etc, keep feedback gender-neutral, motivational, positive and constructive
- Validate and acknowledge feelings, concerns, and feedback from paddlers so everybody feels heard and respected
In Closing
Dragon boat rules and regulations are not evenly matched to genders involved, yet the sport continues to thrive for good reason. Dragon boat is a wonderful opportunity for everybody involved to feel stronger both in terms of their athletic ability and passion for fitness. While not every division is written fairly, there are avenues for every type of paddler to participate fully. At the individual team level, the methods employed by the team coach should always help foster equal paddler opportunities for the betterment of the sport. This all starts with knowing your paddlers and their different needs.
Information about psychological differences between female and male athletes from presentation by Jen Kautz, MSPT.
Pain in the Butt
You’re out on the water for practice, it’s a beautiful day, and your coach is making you paddle a combination of high-intensity interval sprints mixed with long distance sustained paddling. Ten minutes into the workout and you are feeling great. Thirty minutes go by and while you feel like the workout is kicking your butt, you also feel a nagging pain under your butt cheek(s). Does this sound familiar?
A couple things could be going on.
Pain in the Butt No. 1: Pressure and Chaffing
Since dragon boat is a fast-paced, seated sport with a lot of rotation in addition to forward/backward movements, your rearend is likely to be a point of friction. Friction over time can lead to skin chaffing, which can cause pain (and searing agony once you hit the shower). Sometimes wearing compression shorts under your normal board shorts or pants can reduce friction against the skin. Other times, a cushioned bench pad can help. Prolonged, sustained pressure against soft tissue and skin can cause soreness because you are preventing blood from flowing into the tissue. Common areas for pressure soreness and chaffing are under the “sit bones” of your butt aka ischial tuberosities. Shifting your weight during rest intervals or using a bench pad can help promote perfusion of blood to pressured tissues. More importantly, you should get your technique checked carefully by your coach. Faulty stroke technique can result in excess energy being spent drilling your booty into the bench when more power and body weight could be applied to the water.
Pain in the Butt No. 2: Muscle Strain
Back to the heavy emphasis on rotation during paddling, your legs serve to anchor you to your seat and transfer stroke power to the boat. If you’re taking full strokes, you’ll probably notice that your legs will swing and swivel depending on how you like to brace your feet against the floor. When the rate gets faster, this swing and swivel is a very active movement and while it’s not directly related to your racing fitness, having weak gluteal muscles can develop painful symptoms when fatigued. Areas for gluteal soreness can be felt in a variety of areas due to extensive number of gluteal and hip rotator muscles present. Commonly soreness is felt spanning between the side of your tailbone (sacrum) and side of your hip (greater trochanter). Occasionally, hamstring tightness can cause a pulling sensation at the ischial tuberosity where they insert in which case improving your flexibility can help (see link). If pressure to the muscle is causing the pain, you can try using a bench pad as with No. 1. If gluteal muscle soreness, tightness, or fatigue are the reasons, then self-massage, stretching, and strengthening are a good idea (check the video links).
Pain in the Butt No.3: Discs, Nerves, Joints Oh My
Occasionally painful symptoms in the buttocks region can be caused by a phenomenon called pain referral. Referred pain essentially means that the cause for pain may not necessarily be where you feel it. Our nerves and brain have millions of sensory connections. We have a very specific map for light touch but not always for pain. For example, a fly may land on the back of your neck and you know exactly where to reach back and crush it (or shoo it away for you kindly folks). Compare this with banging your kneecap against a table. You only hit perhaps a 1 cm area of your kneecap, but your whole knee can ache/throb like nobody’s business. Sometimes if we have a low back injury, pain can be referred and felt in the buttocks region. Injuries sustained to joints in the hip or pelvis can also cause pain in the buttocks region. If you have a previous history of issues involving your discs, nerves, or joints, getting specific advice from a medical practitioner who has evaluated your issue in relation to dragon boat paddling is key.
If your pain is severe or not improving, you experience changes in bowel/bladder function such as incontinence, you have leg numbness/weakness/clumsiness, or numbness in your saddle region, you need to get this checked out with your doctor or emergency services as these could be very serious if not emergent issues.
Breast Cancer Survivors in Dragon Boat
Breast cancer is a significant health risk for women all over the world. According to the USBreastCancer.org, 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer may also affect 1 in 1,000 men.
Despite mortality rates decreasing since 1990, it has been estimated that nearly 40,000 women in the US will die in 2011 from breast cancer alone. The decreasing mortality rate is attributed to improved awareness of breast cancer, earlier detection/screening, and advances in treatment.
For those women who do undergo treatment, the side effects can be debilitating. One of the greatest challenges post-treatment is trying to resume an active, healthy lifestyle.
There is research that suggests that dragon boat and paddling on a team can safely improve fitness and have positive effects on social support as well as exercise adherence in women who have undergone breast cancer treatment.
If you are a breast cancer survivor or know somebody who is a survivor, you may consider joining and supporting a local breast cancer survivor dragon boat team near you.
Some local teams in California can be found here:
Select studies:
Dragon boat racing: life after breast cancer treatment
Effect of acute exercise on upper-limb volume in breast cancer survivors: a pilot study
The Thirst – Importance of Staying Hydrated
season, I was thinking that keeping yourself healthy through nutrition
is just as important as staying active.
Some weeks ago, I went to 24 Hour Fitness dressed for cold weather.
However once I started exercising, I was getting hot fast and started
to sweat a lot. I failed to account for the fact that I was going to
be inside and that the heaters were probably on. Since I was taking a
nutrition class, I thought this would be important to share:
Staying hydrated is very important. Drink ¾-1 ½ cups (4-8oz) of fluids
for every 15-20 minutes of activity. Another thing to be aware of is
water intoxication, which is consuming too much water alone. Too much
water dilutes the blood electrolytes, therefore be sure to consume
liquids that also replace your electrolytes. Be sure to drink before
you start working out and during your workout. And drink before you
feel thirsty because it may be too late.
Now that it is wintertime, we need to adjust for the cold weather. It
is harder to gauge dehydration; most water loss is through
respiration.
A rule of thumb is: Drink early and drink often. Be sure to drink cold
liquids because it empties from the stomach faster and therefore
absorbed more quickly.
For training that may last for more than an hour, consider a pre-
exercise meal high in carbohydrates. Foods that are an immediate
source of energy and easy to digest include bread, oatmeal, pasta,
rice, potatoes, banana, cereal, or an energy bar.
During endurance exercising (lasting longer than 60 minutes), be sure
to consume foods or drinks with carbohydrates (such as Gatorade or
Powerade; however these drinks also have calories.) It will help
maintain blood glucose and glycogen levels. It will also replace
fluids and electrolytes lost through sweating. Consuming enough
carbohydrates allows you to exercise longer and faster.
For post-exercise recovery: Consume foods which are high-sugar
carbohydrates (plain bagel, carrot, muffins, potatoes, or rice) or
drinks (sports drinks, fruit juice, lemonade; 1g carbohydrate/1 kg of
body weight) within 15-20 minutes of finishing. Have a complex
carbohydrate meal with adequate protein within ½-2 hours of finishing,
like whole wheat spaghetti and meatballs, and a salad with Italian
dressing.
Protein is not a source of energy during a workout; it is used for
muscle maintenance among other things. People usually consume more
than enough protein in their regular diet, therefore supplements are
not necessary.
Another thing the book suggested for strength training: do 8-10
exercises, hitting all major muscle groups. Do 1-3 sets with 8-12
repetitions or 10-15 repetitions, two to three times a week. Be sure
to incorporate stretching to prevent injury and soreness, 15-30
seconds, repeated two to four times, alternating sides. And warm up
before stretching.
Hewlings, S.J., & Mederios, D.M., 2009 Nutrition: Real people, real
choices. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Statistics on Exercise and Hobbies
Found these statistics about how Americans spend their non-working time.
Hopefully all of you (American or not) will try hard to establish a healthy, active lifestyle not related to any short-lived New Year’s Resolutions.
Strength training: how much, how often?
Found some interesting article abstracts from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM):
Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults
Kraemer et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Feb;34(2):364-80
In order to stimulate further adaptation toward a specific training goal(s), progression in the type of resistance training protocol used is necessary. The optimal characteristics of strength-specific programs include the use of both concentric and eccentric muscle actions and the performance of both single- and multiple-joint exercises. It is also recommended that the strength program sequence exercises to optimize the quality of the exercise intensity (large before small muscle group exercises, multiple-joint exercises before single-joint exercises, and higher intensity before lower intensity exercises). For initial resistances, it is recommended that loads corresponding to 8-12 repetition maximum (RM) be used in novice training. For intermediate to advanced training, it is recommended that individuals use a wider loading range, from 1-12 RM in a periodized fashion, with eventual emphasis on heavy loading (1-6 RM) using at least 3-min rest periods between sets performed at a moderate contraction velocity (1-2 s concentric, 1-2 s eccentric). When training at a specific RM load, it is recommended that 2-10% increase in load be applied when the individual can perform the current workload for one to two repetitions over the desired number. The recommendation for training frequency is 2-3 d x wk(-1) for novice and intermediate training and 4-5 d x wk(-1) for advanced training. Similar program designs are recommended for hypertrophy training with respect to exercise selection and frequency. For loading, it is recommended that loads corresponding to 1-12 RM be used in periodized fashion, with emphasis on the 6-12 RM zone using 1- to 2-min rest periods between sets at a moderate velocity. Higher volume, multiple-set programs are recommended for maximizing hypertrophy. Progression in power training entails two general loading strategies: 1) strength training, and 2) use of light loads (30-60% of 1 RM) performed at a fast contraction velocity with 2-3 min of rest between sets for multiple sets per exercise. It is also recommended that emphasis be placed on multiple-joint exercises, especially those involving the total body. For local muscular endurance training, it is recommended that light to moderate loads (40-60% of 1 RM) be performed for high repetitions (> 15) using short rest periods (< 90 s). In the interpretation of this position stand, as with prior ones, the recommendations should be viewed in context of the individual’s target goals, physical capacity, and training status.
Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise
Garber et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Jul;43(7):1334-59
The purpose of this Position Stand is to provide guidance to professionals who counsel and prescribe individualized exercise to apparently healthy adults of all ages. These recommendations also may apply to adults with certain chronic diseases or disabilities, when appropriately evaluated and advised by a health professional. This document supersedes the 1998 American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Position Stand, “The Recommended Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness, and Flexibility in Healthy Adults.” The scientific evidence demonstrating the beneficial effects of exercise is indisputable, and the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks in most adults. A program of regular exercise that includes cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility, and neuromotor exercise training beyond activities of daily living to improve and maintain physical fitness and health is essential for most adults. The ACSM recommends that most adults engage in moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise training for ≥30 min·d on ≥5 d·wk for a total of ≥150 min·wk, vigorous-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise training for ≥20 min·d on ≥3 d·wk (≥75 min·wk), or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercise to achieve a total energy expenditure of ≥500-1000 MET·min·wk. On 2-3 d·wk, adults should also perform resistance exercises for each of the major muscle groups, and neuromotor exercise involving balance, agility, and coordination. Crucial to maintaining joint range of movement, completing a series of flexibility exercises for each the major muscle-tendon groups (a total of 60 s per exercise) on ≥2 d·wk is recommended. The exercise program should be modified according to an individual’s habitual physical activity, physical function, health status, exercise responses, and stated goals. Adults who are unable or unwilling to meet the exercise targets outlined here still can benefit from engaging in amounts of exercise less than recommended. In addition to exercising regularly, there are health benefits in concurrently reducing total time engaged in sedentary pursuits and also by interspersing frequent, short bouts of standing and physical activity between periods of sedentary activity, even in physically active adults. Behaviorally based exercise interventions, the use of behavior change strategies, supervision by an experienced fitness instructor, and exercise that is pleasant and enjoyable can improve adoption and adherence to prescribed exercise programs. Educating adults about and screening for signs and symptoms of CHD and gradual progression of exercise intensity and volume may reduce the risks of exercise. Consultations with a medical professional and diagnostic exercise testing for CHD are useful when clinically indicated but are not recommended for universal screening to enhance the safety of exercise.
***
In a nutshell, exercise to improve performance may seem like a lot work, but really it depends on a small commitment of time/energy, goals, and ability. You can improve your strength with as little as 1 set of 8-12 reps of challenging resistance, be it with your body weight or external resistance 2x/wk. Of course, there are “ideal” training programs depending on your exact goals to bring about the fastest results possible. There is even some evidence that suggests that performing 1 set of exercise to the point of form-failure (your inability to perform 1 rep w/ perfect form) is as effective at improving strength as multiple set exercise in the first 3 months of starting an exercise routine (Durall et al; Systematic Review of Single-Set Versus Multiple-Set Resistance-Training Randomized Controlled Trials: Implications for Rehabilitation).
If you train to the point of form failure, you should take 2-3 days of rest for a given muscle group to recover before trying that same exercise again. This will allow your body to progress in its healing response to prepare your muscles to perform again at the same or higher amount.
The shoulder, of course
Hey everybody, just came back from an interesting seminar on shoulder health and physical therapy assessment. The instructor had a good stretch for the pec minor, which I felt matched well w/ my earlier post on the same subject.
I’ve got a new instructional video rendering as I type, so stay tuned.
updated: ok, you can check out the revised page HERE
Being Active
Hi everyone. This is my first time blogging, so I hope I can keep you all entertained and get my thoughts out there as clear as I can. So here Huy go =]
There are a lot of myths out there about trying to keep in shape, keeping a regular workout schedule, or even just making the time to exercise at all. The media, celebrities, television, etc make it seem like you have to have access to a gym, have tons of expensive equipment, diet like crazy, workout every single day for hours on end; the list goes on. NO! You’d be surprised at how challenging, satisfying and NON time consuming the basics are: push ups, crunches, squats, pull ups, just to name a few. If you wanted to try, just do one set of push ups, immediately do a set of crunches, immediately followed by a set of squats, all close to but not to your limit. You will not only feel winded, but the length of time it took to do would be minimal and no equipment is needed.
There are really no excuses for not excercising. Push ups and squats can be done anywhere. You can walk instead of driving or comutting. You can do pull ups at any public park or playground. There’s also running/jogging. If your tight on time, do push ups and/or squats after you brush your teeth in the morning and/or before you shower. It will only take about 3 min to do. If your work isn’t too far away, walk. If you have a dog, walk them more often, or even jog a little with them. The possibilities are endless.
I just wanted to say that exercising can be done anywhere, by anyone. Every little bit of activity helps, no matter how minor it may seem. I don’t mean to sound preachy, but it just really angers me when I hear people say they don’t have time, don’t have the equipment, or just can’t exercise. The human body is meant to be active. If you have time to surf the net, or sit in front of your computer playing games, or watch endless television, you obviously have time to excercise. If your tired after work/school, just do a ‘quickie’ as I stated earlier.
In my future posts I hope to give some ideas/examples for workouts at home, outdoors, with/without weights, for men/women, proper form, etc. As for now, just take what I wrote into consideration.
Opus in Pec Minor
Frequently, rotator cuff injuries can occur from an accumulation of wear/tear from external stressors. One possible cause for rotator cuff injury is from impingement against the underside of a bony structure called the acromion. In a healthy shoulder, there is generous space to allow tendons to slide and the ball of the glenohumeral joint to roll/glide during arm movements. The bony ball and socket of the glenohumeral joint coordinates with the muscular articulation of the shoulder blade over the rib cage known as the scapulothoracic joint. One muscle that can affect this relationship is the pectoralis (pec) minor.
The pec minor is a relatively small muscle that spans between the 3rd-5th ribs and a portion of the scapula called the coracoid process. The normal action of the muscle is to pull the scapula down and forward. In the case of an excessively tight pec minor, the muscle can tether the shoulder blade down during overhead movements (such as during the reach phase when the arms are outstretched) causing a decrease in space for rotator cuff tendons to move without impingement. Having a tight pec minor can also be a potential cause for arm numbness, tingling, or swelling due to the number of blood vessels and nerves that pass beneath it.
UPDATE 1/28/12 – found this cool website that animates the action of the pec minor. Viewable here.
Note: if you are experiencing shoulder pain, numbness, tingling, or swelling, you should consult with your doctor. The sheer multitude of structures and causes of these symptoms is too long to list here. As with many health conditions, early detection is the key.
Signs of Tight Pec Minor
- Laying on your back, ideally topless (men) or in a bra (women), arms straight by your sides. Have a friend look at you top-down from ground level. If the back of your shoulders appear to curve away from the floor, leaving a significant gap between the back of your shoulders and floor, then you may have a tight pec minor.
This fellow likely has some tightness in his right pectorals compared to his left.
- Standing up, arms down by your sides, (also shirtless) have a friend look at your shoulder blade position. Are the bottom-most points of your shoulder blades sticking out from your back? When looking from the side, do your shoulder blades appear to be tipped forward vs vertical and flat against your back? These could also be signs you have a tight pec minor
While both shoulder blades seem forward tipped suggesting a flexibility or weakness issue, the position of either one is not “ideal.”
Ways to Improve Pec Minor Flexibility
Foam roller stretch
If you have a foam roller (styrofoam cylinder) this works great. It can also be performed with just a rolled up towel placed parallel to your spine (up/down from back of head to tailbone), pretty much anything that is comfortable to lay over and is thick enough to raise the back of your shoulders off the ground.
Try a prolonged stretch for 30 sec to 1 min, breathing slowly to relax your muscles into the stretch position.
Perform 3 reps (to start) and more if desired, 2x/day
Corner Pec Minor Stretch
Pec Minor Self Massage
You may try to manually self massage your pec minor (in private! sheesh) to reduce soft tissue restrictions aka “knots” that can contribute to pec minor tightness. Using you knuckles or finger tips, gently but firmly find the pec minor as in the picture below. Localized tenderness can let you know if you are in the right place. If you are getting pain from self massage, numbness/tingling, or are pushing over anything that pulses with your heartbeat, you should STOP. Getting bruises from self-massaging? You’re going way to hard (unless you like bruises). Don’t be that epic fail.
See those 3 strips of pec-minor-labelled muscle on the right? Mash ‘em! (Carefully)
Perform this for ~1 min, several times per day for best results.
NOT Fully Recommended:
This stretch is a classic stretch for the pec major and shoulder joint. Conceptually is emphasizes these structures more than the pec minor (less specific to the pec minor) while being a stretch that can potentially harm your shoulder joint (places more stress). While it’s not to say that you’ll injure yourself by doing this stretch, in an effort to stretch the pec minor, you’d be better off using the above mentioned techniques.
(Revised 12/5/11)
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Huy Train Hard
We live in a world where form and function are both purely relative terms. Everybody has a different perspective on how they look, how they perform, and how they’d LIKE to look and perform. The media machine does a great job of highlighting the extremes of both. From shows like The Biggest Loser, movies like 300, or magazines like Cosmopolitan, we are constantly bombarded with the concept of archetypal body types. Low body fat percentage, rippling muscles, slim waistlines, hour-glass silhouettes are the resulting cornerstones of the fitness and diet industry. Everybody asks, “how can I look as fit as that guy/girl?” Somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten that the way we look reflects what we do and in doing so, we almost never say, “how can I be more fit in general?”
Ultimately, our bodies don’t care how we look (never mind what our brain says). At the end of the day, our bodies are designed to keep us alive and to just get the job done. If you give your body the job of sitting at a desk all day, it slowly prepares itself to be sedentary by muscle atrophy, increasing fat storage, decreasing metabolism, and so forth as you sit there over months/years. If you give your body the job of finishing an Ironman Triathlon, it slowly starts building muscle, burning more fat, increasing metabolism, and so forth as you train. Given enough time, your body sees to it that your physical form matches your function.
I’ve known Huy a long time and he’s always been an inspirational athlete. Most guys who see him want arms like his. Most women don’t want arms like his, they want him. He doesn’t run in events, he walks to work. He doesn’t sit during the work day, he’s moving around at work all day long. He doesn’t go to a gym, he works out at home. He paddles 1-2x/wk and is the strongest paddler we have right now (one day Huy, I swear). You might say that you can’t realistically live your life like he does. You’d probably be right. What you can do is understand and share his values for being fit and using that fitness for everyday function. You may be able to enjoy walking up those flights of stairs at work without losing your breath or learn how to push your body through the hardest of exercises to meet goals you never knew you could.
I’m happy to introduce Huy Luong as the team’s newest Assistant Coach and Fitness Leader. In the near future, you can look forward to new posts in our Health & Fitness section.
You’re Hot Then You’re Cold
Most athletes have heard that you should “warm up” and “cool down” before exercise, but what does that mean and why is it important? When taken literally, the act of warming up and cooling down is really straightforward, yet many athletes are confused about the rationale, process, benefits, and methods for their own warm up/cool down. In this post, my goal is to help you understand more about warming up and cooling down.
Rationale for the Warm Up:
Many athletes equivocate the warm up to basically “getting ready” for competition, which could mean anything related to competing in a sport! With competition being about performance, you should understand what physical aspects of their performance affect being competitive. Some important physical aspects of dragon boat performance involve flexibility/range of motion and power output. Warming up can help prepare the body to be flexible and powerful in a safe and efficient manner that reduces the risk of injury and improves overall performance.
How Does Warming Up Work:
As living animals, we have multiple metabolic processes working in the background to keep us alive and moving. Many of these metabolic systems produce heat as a “waste” product because we are not 100% efficient (not all energy put into a reaction results in work done). The more we are active and moving, the more heat is produced. Generally, muscles warm up to a steady temperature under steady work load after 10 minutes of activity and are slower to cool off than they are to warm up.
What Are the Effects and Benefits of a Warm Up:
Our bodies use the fact that we are warm-blooded to its advantage. Many of our systems have an optimal operating temperature where they perform faster and more efficiently. Increased temperature helps improve tissue elasticity, rate of metabolic reaction, and circulation to the extremities. These effects help reduce the risk of injury (sprain/strain) and flexibility, improve energy production, and provide more fuel to hard-working muscles respectively. Warming up through active movements also circulates joint fluid which lubricates surfaces and prepares them to handle load.
What is an Ideal Warm Up:
Since it is assumed the warm up is preceding some vigorous activity where feeling “fresh” is important, the warm up should be performed actively with sub-maximal intensity with a gradual (if any) progression of intensity throughout. Again, the rate of heat production slowly increases with activity and being active takes up energy/resources. Too brief a warm up and tissues haven’t changed much in temperature. Too strenuous a warm up and you risk injury from still being cold or cause early fatigue (not the way you want to start a race). The warm up should be performed early enough before the event to allow temperature to increase gradually but not so far ahead that environmental factors cool you off to less-than-efficient operating temperatures right before the event.
An optimal warmup theoretically involves:
- Using active movements of muscles and joints in a way that is similar to the movements about to be performed in sport
- Submaximal effort levels
- Performing for at least 10 minutes to increase temperature of tissues to stable levels
- Performing within 30 minutes (if well-clothed/insulated) or 5-10 minutes prior to the start of the event
To Stretch or Not to Stretch:
I get this question a lot and it deserves it’s own post. Stay tuned!
About the Cool Down:
Confusingly, the cool down is not just the complete opposite as the warm up. First and foremost, the reason for performing a cool down is NOT to decrease your temperature. Heat is transferred from warmer to colder bodies by the laws of physics. Our bodies do many things to slow or speed up this process, but we can do nothing to change it. Whether you pass out on the deck between races, dunk yourself in ice water, or climb into a snuggie, your body temperature will generally decrease unless the environment is very hot.
The cool down helps set up you for future performances. By gradually decreasing your amount of activity after competition, you reduce the workload on your fast-pumping heart, use muscles to pump away metabolic by-products (which may reduce delayed onset muscle soreness/DOMS), and stretch muscles back to flexible length.
Light paddling back to dock after crossing the finish line for several minutes may do the trick. In other situations, more cool down activities (similar to warm up movements) may be beneficial upon returning to land.
Summary:
Warming up and cooling down are good for your performance and health. Using them smartly can help you paddle with greater efficiency, safety, and longevity.
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Stay Tuned – Paddling Injuries
I’ve been meaning to get this rolling for a long time. Stay tuned to learn more about paddling injuries in our new page in Health & Fitness.
Healthy and Fit
Get ready folks. We’re currently developing a section on paddling health and fitness. Look for new entries coming out in the future.
