Other Paddle Uses

As I prepare for the Hennessey Race, I have been paddling long distances and I'm finding that stretching before and especially after is necessary.  Proper stretching helps reduce soreness and injury.  At my age, my ligaments, tendons and muscles aren't as flexible as they used to be.  Here are some simple paddle stretches you can try:

Horizontal Side-to-Side Twist

Horizontal Side-to-Side Twist: make sure you twist slowly, stretching your obliques; If you have any tightness in one spot, you can hold your position in place for a few seconds to elongate and stretch that muscle.

Lateral Side-to-Side Twist

Lateral Side-to-Side Twist: Slowly drop one shoulder toward the ground, twisting slowly at the waist; Slowly switch to the other side; This should help stretch your latissimus dorsi.

Reach-and-Grab

Reach and Grab: Reach and grab your paddle as shown in the picture above.  If you're flexible like me, this doesn't provide much of a stretch but if you're not as flexible, it's a great stretch for your triceps.

I typically get tight muscles in my upper body so I do lots of upper body stretches.  I enjoy simple stretches, such as "reach for the sky" stretch, standing side bends and reach across the body stretches.  These you can do without the paddle.  If you get tight or sore leg muscles, don't neglect stretching your calves, quads and hamstrings.  

Remember, if you don't stretch you can cause soreness or it can lead to injuries that can take you out of the water for a while.  So take a few minutes to S-T-R-E-T-C-H.