By Airwaves Writer Rachel Bennung
Often times when people think about working out they only think cardio. Cardio is a great form of exercise and is one of the quickest ways to burn calories. However, we need to incorporate other forms of exercise into our daily living, especially if you want to get stronger for sailing. One very important form of exercise is strength training. Strength training has many benefits, four that I find very important are:
- Strength training helps you burn more calories
- Strength training increases your performance
- Strength training helps prevent injury
- Strength training will boost your mood
- Strength Training Helps You Burn More Calories
Cardio is a great way to burn more calories in a short amount of time. So why not just do cardio? Well even though you are burning more calories in a short amount of time, strength training will end up burning more calories in the long run. How? The answer is Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) also called afterburn. EPOC is defined as the state in which the body’s metabolism is elevated after exercise. The metabolism increase of cardio is short, lasting only about 30-60 minutes after exercise. Where strength training can increase metabolism up to 48 hours after exercise. By incorporating strength training, cardio, and a healthy diet you can burn more calories then just doing cardio alone.
- Strength Training Increases Your Performance
Want to become a better sailor? Of course you do! By adding strength training you will be able to increase you performance not only in sailing, but many other activities. Strength training will give you the strength you need to perform at your highest level. Strength training will also give you the endurance to last on those long windy days without fatiguing quickly. By adding this form of exercising to your routine you will be able to excel in not only sailing, but in your daily living.
- Strength Training Helps Prevent Injury
Before I became a personal trainer I would run pretty much everyday. I was fit, but was lacking strength. When I ran my first marathon I suffered excruciating knee pain during and after completing the run. When I went to the doctor they told me I had iliotibial band tendonitis (very common in runners). Iliotibial band tendonitis affects the tissue that runs down the side of your hip past your knee, giving you pain on the outside of your knee. After hearing my diagnoses I went looking for some answers, strength training was one. By strengthening the muscles in my hip and around my IT band I was able to reduce my symptoms. My second marathon a little over a year later I suffered little to no pain. In my situation strength training has helped me alleviate the pain. However, the hope is that strength training will prevent the injury from happening in the first place.
- Strength Training Will Boost Your Mood
Looking for a way to get happier? Well strength training can do just that! Heard of endorphins before? These are hormones secreted within the brain that have a number of physiological functions in your body, one being to make you feel good. Strength training raises your level of endorphins making you feel great! This form of working out has also been known for its antidepressant relief. Not only that, but strength training has shown to help you get a better night of sleep. All of these help to improve your life, and boost your mood making you feel great!
It’s easy to get stuck in your routine and not want to expand your horizons. However, by adding strength training you will see a difference in your body and mind. It will help improve your life and make you a stronger sailor. These are just four reasons to start strength training, but there are many more. Once I started adding strength training to my workouts I could see a major change in my body and mind, and not only that but I became a stronger sailor. Start feeling better today by adding strength training into your workouts!
Start by adding a strength routine into your workout twice a week on two non consecutive days (like Tuesday and Thursday). Below we have two different routines that are a good start for anyone trying to become a stronger person and sailor!
For the Strength Routines:
You are going to go through each exercise in the order listed with no rest between exercises. Then rest 1-2 minutes and repeat that sequence 3 times. Rest for 2-3 minutes then move on to the next 4 exercises. These routines should take you about 20-30 minutes to complete.
Strength Routine #1:
Round 1
12 Push ups
20 Squats
12 Dumbbell Row
25 Alternating Lunges
Repeat 3 Times
Round 2
15 Tricep Dips
20 Kettlebell Swings
12 Curl to Overhead Press
20 Curtsy Lunges
Repeat 3 Times
Round 3
30 Seconds to 1 Minute of Supermans
12 Each Side Kettlebell Windmill
20 Bridge Kicks
12 Overhead Press
Repeat 3 Times
Strength Routine #2
Round 1
25 Weighted Lunges
25 Russian Twists
12 Upright Rows
15 Single Leg Squats
Repeat 3 Times
Round 2
12 Row-Raise Lunge
30 Seconds to 1 Minute Wall Sit
15 Bicep Curls
25 Spider Planks
Repeat 3 Times
Round 3
15 Each Side Front Kick Into Front Lunge
12 Curl to Overhead Press
30 Seconds to 1 Minute Plank
15 Squat Jumps
Repeat 3 Times
For more information on fitness for sailing contact rachel@sail1design.com. Also check out Sailorcise on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily tips on fitness, nutrition, and sailing.
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