Are you looking for different ways to spice up your stand up paddle workout?  In my SUP fitness boot camps I frequently utilize various forms of cross-training.  By transforming your SUP session into a multi-sport workout you will condition different muscle groups, reduce any boredom that may set in, and reduce the risk of overuse injury.  My clients enjoy the added variety to their SUP sessions so read on and find out how you, too, can incorporate cross-training into your stand up paddle workouts.

Swimming

Bring your goggles or snorkel mask and wear a surf leash for your next stand up paddle workout.  When you're about halfway through your session put on your goggles, place your paddle lengthwise onto your board, jump in and start swimming.  Make sure your leash is attached to your ankle and let your board drag behind you as you swim.  Change up a freestyle stroke with the breast stroke every five minutes for an amount of time that you set.  There will be a slight pull on your leg from the surf leash, but so far nobody seems to mind.  If fortunate enough to be in beautiful Hawaii you will be able to take in all the sea critters, turtles and maybe even some spinner dolphins as you swim.

Beach/Land Sprint Training

During your paddle workout, park your board on the beach/land and startrunning.  Mix up a series of hard effort sprints with a slower pace added in for recovery.  Think of a scale between 1-10 where '1' is your easiest effort and '10' is your all out hardest effort.  Begin with 30 seconds of sprinting at an effort of '8' and recover for 1 minute at a '5'.  Over time, increase the time of your hard effort and decrease your recovery time.  Repeat the sprints several times during your workout for an amount of time that you set.  Fast-paced walking mixed with slower-paced walking is also an option for those who are not runners. 

Underwater Rock Running

Another benefit to living in Hawaii is the ability to swim down to the ocean floor, grab a rock, and start to run along the sandy bottom as long as you can before your lungs begin to burn like crazy.  This is an amazing way to expand your lung capacity, a form of hypoxic training, for those long holds underwater after a wipeout.  Add in several sets of underwater rock running into your paddle workout.  Be careful with this one, though, because there have been cases of people blacking out from this exercise even while running in shallow water.  Be sure to have a partner with you, take turns, and use caution.

It is important to add a warm up, cool down, and stretching to each of your paddle workouts.  Be sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of high quality water.  Be safe out there and check with a physician before beginning any new exercise program.  Please contact me with any questions and remember, "There's nothing worse than a boring workout!"  Aloha!

Nikki Gregg is a fitness professional and stand up paddler based on the north shore of Oahu.  Please visit her website at www.nikkigregg.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it