Free-ride kayaking requires a good technique but also a strong body! In this video I'm presenting the exercises which I think are the most useful to build a solid physical preparation for extreme kayaking.

In this video the first 4 blocks are the exercises regarding: Hips and legs, Abdominal, Upper body and shoulders. The stretching is also very important and the key exercises are presented at the end. With this basic list of exercises you will be able to have a complete preparation and avoid injuries to the shoulders and back.

Don't forget to ask for a professional help if you are not sure about how to do the exercises. Doing exercises in the wrong way could be dangerous for you, your muscles and joins!

In order to build up strength and flexibility, a couple of gym training a week are recommended. During the winter preparation I personally alternate gym  with kayaking and aerobic sports. Below you will find an example on how to work with these exercises, but every other program could be used as well. 

Tabata interval

If you are approaching gym for the first time and you don't have many ideas about how to do these exercises, a good system is the Tabata training. This methodology is basically a circuit of about 10 exercises to be repeated for 20" sec with 10" rest. The rest time is basically just enough to change the station.  The repetitions you can do depend on your preparation but it would be good to complete at least 4 circuits.