5 At-home Exercises for Stand-Up Paddlers for the Winter Season

April Zilg has put together tutorials of her all-time favourite strength moves for Stand-Up Paddlers. All the exercises can be done at home with no equipment, meaning you can escape the winter chill, whilst staying in paddle shape. Each exercise is geared toward stretching the muscles Stand-Up Paddlers need the most whilst developing core strength. All of these moves appear in April's "Cardio and Calisthenics" winter, off-season training plan on Paddle Ninja, which you can find here.

1. "T-Spine" or Thoracic Spine Rotations

"T-Spine" or Thoracic Spine rotations are a great way for paddlers to enhance their reach without throwing the body out of alignment.

2. Handstand Holds

Handstand Holds are an "easy" at home way to increase shoulder strength and stability without gym equipment, ease into this one with modifications using your couch.

3. Hitch Hikers

Hitch hikers work on the little used muscles of the back, and can help correct "paddlers posture" where the back is often rolled forward due to stronger pulling muscles used in paddling. Pulling the scapula together can help balance the pull movement, correcting posture and helping with injury prevention.

4. Upright Rows

Upright rows are often overlooked as a pull exercise in the up and down plane, just like pull-ups pair well with dips, these pair well with overhead presses. Use these 4 moves to balance the upper body muscles and create a strong paddling infrastructure.

5. Delt Openers

Delt openers are a mobility move to open up the musculature in the front of the shoulder. Ease into this move and stop when a comfortable level of tension is obtained, you might not get very far!

These 5 moves are from April's 25 Day of Fitmas programme which you can follow along on her Instagram @aprilzilg.