A recent discussion with a new Nelo canoe rep in America reminded me that I have long been bothered that the USACK website, our sport’s governing body, lacks a list of training resources and coaching tips for paddlers. Given how small our sport is, the need to provide such resources to anyone interested in taking up sprint canoe and kayak seems vital. If our governing body won’t do it, then I will on this website. Hopefully, the USACK (and American Canoe Association) will follow up with some of their own resources, too. You can now see the VOCC training calendar and program on our Join Us! page.
Below is a list of VOCC workouts and instructions for their use that is an updated version of what Coach Bragg provided the team back in the early 80s.
Instructions:
- Check out the workout schedule for the appropriate Training Phase on our calendar.
- Select a workout from the proper category. Don’t repeat any workout until you have done all the workouts in that category.
- Start all B, C and D workouts with 10 min of warm up. Stretch before any A workout.
- End all workouts with a minimum of 5 min easy paddle, warm down.
- During each workout, select one or two technique points to work on:
- Body position
- Hips
- Knees
- Head
- Breathing
- Pull hand
- Pull arm
- Pull shoulder
- Upper hand
- Upper arm
- Upper shoulder
- Body rotation
- Catch
- Pull
- Exit
- Keeping the boat flat
- Stroke rate
| Workout | Type | Phase |
| 8K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 10K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 12K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 15K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 50 min variable tempo | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 60 min variable tempo | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 2 x 10K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 2 x 15K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 6K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 4K | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| Distance race | A | Hypertrophy / Base |
| 12 x 500M on 5 min | B | Basic Strength |
| 20 x 250M on 3 min | B | Basic Strength |
| 6 x 250M, 4 x 500M, 2 x 1000M | B | Basic Strength |
| 30 x 30s with 20s off | B | Basic Strength |
| 20 x 40s with 20s off | B | Basic Strength |
| 4 x 10s-50s Locomotive w/10 off | B | Basic Strength |
| 6 x 5min w/2min off | B | Basic Strength |
| 6 x 1000M on 8 min | B | Basic Strength |
| 20 x 40s w/15s off | B | Basic Strength |
| 4 x 500M, 4 x 250M with short rest | B | Basic Strength |
| 8 x 500M on 4 min | B | Basic Strength |
| 12 x 250M on 3 min | B | Basic Strength |
| 2 x 10s-40s-10s Pyramid | C | Strength & Power |
| 30 min fast variable | C | Strength & Power |
| 10 x 30s buildups (80%, 90%, 95%) | C | Strength & Power |
| 8 x 250M on 4min | C | Strength & Power |
| 6 x 500M on 5 min | C | Strength & Power |
| 6 x 250M on 3 min | C | Strength & Power |
| 3 x 1000M on 7 min @ 80% | C | Strength & Power |
| 4 x 250M, 4 x 500M – long rest | C | Strength & Power |
| 3 x 1000M @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| 4 x 500M @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| 6 x 250M @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| 6 x 30s @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| 12 x 15s @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| 20 x 10s starts @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| 2 x 500M @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| 2 x 250M @ race pace – long rest | D | Peaking |
| Time Trial or Sprint Race | D | Peaking |
