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What is Oscar's Typical Training Program?
What is Oscar's typical training program? It varies far too much throughout the year to give a standard answer. Consistent and programmed training is a luxury he cannot afford with his family and business commitments. His work alone forces him to travel almost continuously throughout the world; and we all know what that can do to a training regimen.
Luckily Oscar is a wise and "seasoned" athlete. His years of experience have given him a strong base physically, as well as enabled him to bank an enormous amount of training and racing knowledge. This enables Oscar to make the most of his limited time available for training. Once on the race course he has the will, experience, and big-match temperament to compete strongly against paddlers half his age, many of whom now train and race nearly full time.
As a big race approaches Oscar knows he has to put his training back in gear. Here is an example training week for the "Big O."
Gym Work
I tend to warm up with a 30-minute run or cycle then do my workout at the gym. I start with three to four sets of 30 push-ups. Next I do some ab work, alternating 60 reps of sit-ups with any other ab workout. Once this is complete I do some back exercises. I alternate between pull-ups and one-arm rows. I like to do three or four sets of 10. The one-arm rows are done on the pulling machine. I concentrate on using my back and not my arms so I can pull nearly my body weight with one arm. I get close to 100 kg in one arm. After this, I do 3 x 10 triceps push downs and alternate with shoulder presses. And that is all I do. I do this every second day.
Typical Paddling Week
The afternoon/evening is when I paddle. My one golden rule is that if the wind is blowing then I will do a downwind paddle. If I can't organize a downwind I will find flat water to paddle sprints. I never paddle into the wind if I can help it (I can't stand it). I tend to do 1 to 1.5 hours every day. In a seven-day week my paddling routine might look like this:
Monday - A solid one-hour paddle at near max cruising pace. This sets the tone for the week. I use a Garmin 305 and try and keep a constant speed for the whole hour and then try to keep my heart rate from going through the roof. The more efficient the stroke the lower I can keep my heart rate. As a percentage of my max heart rate I should be at 80% at the beginning and if I keep the same speed it will be 100% at the end.
Tuesday - This day I concentrate on speed, which is needed for paddling in the sea and catching runs. I do a one-hour paddle after a 10-minute warm-up. I keep race pace but every 20 minutes I do a set of intervals. The set will be 20 strokes on one side followed by 5 strokes rest, then 10 strokes one side, then 5 strokes. This set is done for 20 minutes then back to race pace for 20 minutes. This helps with explosive speed for catching waves.
Wednesday - Depending how I am feeling on the day, I make it a rest day, where I tend to just paddle at 70%, concentrating on style. I will do the odd surge just to test my style but this must be recovery for the next day. I always find flat water for style and technique sessions.
Thursday - This day is for general speed and endurance, and this session can be done on the flat or in the sea with chop. Basically, it is a ladder. Starting at 10 strokes, increasing by 10, till I hit 100 or 150 on each side, then going down all the way back to 10 strokes. The rest is usually 50 strokes. The effort is at max and the easy strokes are for total recovery. This can take about 1 to 1.5 hours to do.
Friday - After the sprint session the previous day, I make this easier intensity. I try for a short downwind or a one-hour race paddle like we did on day one. If am too tired I just do a style session.
Saturday - I tend to have one day off in the week when I am fit, but if I am not fit and I am in the building phase, I will do a simple but tough session of 10 x 60 stroke (or one minute) with total recovery in between. That is till my heart rate is down to under 100 BPM.
Sunday – I want to make training fun, so I take one of the above sessions and chop and change to make the session interesting. If the wind blows that is a priority.
Luckily Oscar is a wise and "seasoned" athlete. His years of experience have given him a strong base physically, as well as enabled him to bank an enormous amount of training and racing knowledge. This enables Oscar to make the most of his limited time available for training. Once on the race course he has the will, experience, and big-match temperament to compete strongly against paddlers half his age, many of whom now train and race nearly full time.
As a big race approaches Oscar knows he has to put his training back in gear. Here is an example training week for the "Big O."
Gym Work
I tend to warm up with a 30-minute run or cycle then do my workout at the gym. I start with three to four sets of 30 push-ups. Next I do some ab work, alternating 60 reps of sit-ups with any other ab workout. Once this is complete I do some back exercises. I alternate between pull-ups and one-arm rows. I like to do three or four sets of 10. The one-arm rows are done on the pulling machine. I concentrate on using my back and not my arms so I can pull nearly my body weight with one arm. I get close to 100 kg in one arm. After this, I do 3 x 10 triceps push downs and alternate with shoulder presses. And that is all I do. I do this every second day.
Typical Paddling Week
The afternoon/evening is when I paddle. My one golden rule is that if the wind is blowing then I will do a downwind paddle. If I can't organize a downwind I will find flat water to paddle sprints. I never paddle into the wind if I can help it (I can't stand it). I tend to do 1 to 1.5 hours every day. In a seven-day week my paddling routine might look like this:
Monday - A solid one-hour paddle at near max cruising pace. This sets the tone for the week. I use a Garmin 305 and try and keep a constant speed for the whole hour and then try to keep my heart rate from going through the roof. The more efficient the stroke the lower I can keep my heart rate. As a percentage of my max heart rate I should be at 80% at the beginning and if I keep the same speed it will be 100% at the end.
Tuesday - This day I concentrate on speed, which is needed for paddling in the sea and catching runs. I do a one-hour paddle after a 10-minute warm-up. I keep race pace but every 20 minutes I do a set of intervals. The set will be 20 strokes on one side followed by 5 strokes rest, then 10 strokes one side, then 5 strokes. This set is done for 20 minutes then back to race pace for 20 minutes. This helps with explosive speed for catching waves.
Wednesday - Depending how I am feeling on the day, I make it a rest day, where I tend to just paddle at 70%, concentrating on style. I will do the odd surge just to test my style but this must be recovery for the next day. I always find flat water for style and technique sessions.
Thursday - This day is for general speed and endurance, and this session can be done on the flat or in the sea with chop. Basically, it is a ladder. Starting at 10 strokes, increasing by 10, till I hit 100 or 150 on each side, then going down all the way back to 10 strokes. The rest is usually 50 strokes. The effort is at max and the easy strokes are for total recovery. This can take about 1 to 1.5 hours to do.
Friday - After the sprint session the previous day, I make this easier intensity. I try for a short downwind or a one-hour race paddle like we did on day one. If am too tired I just do a style session.
Saturday - I tend to have one day off in the week when I am fit, but if I am not fit and I am in the building phase, I will do a simple but tough session of 10 x 60 stroke (or one minute) with total recovery in between. That is till my heart rate is down to under 100 BPM.
Sunday – I want to make training fun, so I take one of the above sessions and chop and change to make the session interesting. If the wind blows that is a priority.
