My comments about fitness for dinghy sailing ....
A few observations first up:
- sailing a dinghy in a club race once a week doesn't contribute anything to your overall fitness
- for exercise to contribute to your fitness, you need a minimum of 30 minutes a day, with your heart rate up for most of the time
- once a week sailing uses up some calories, but that's about all
- so if you want to be fitter for sailing you need something EXTRA
- the majority of people have a restricted envelope of resources and time to commit to their sailing, I am assuming you work and have some other commitments in my comments below
Where to start with sailing fitness:
- set your goals realistically ie are you aiming to be a club sailor only, or are you aiming for States, Nationals, International, or Olympic levels of competition
- don't under-estimate timeframes
- if you are middle aged and overweight, you need to expect to have to work at your fitness for at least two years before you are at fitness for the top National level
- sailing is mostly strength and endurance, but cardio fitness will help you achieve the others more quickly and with less pain, so there is no escaping that you need all-round fitness
- here are some starters ...
... power walks and interval jogging will improve cardio
... squats will improve your legs and glutes (amazing impact on flexibility and mobility in the boat)
... lunges, these are amazing for hip flexors which are tight when hiking and sitting at a desk, many many back problems arise due to tight hip flexors, so do lotsa lunges
... press ups for upper body (start on your knees if you have to)
... crunches (laying on your back, knees at 90', get your wrists to your knees)
... lower abs (laying on your back, raise your legs and hold)
No weights, no equipment, no $$ to spend on the above - if you do them everyday - your sailing will improve. If you want something more technical, get a hold of Michael Blackburn's book "Sail Fitter".
Good luck, I'm off for some exercise now,
Sue
