Dragon boating is a paddling/canoe-style sport that originated in China thousands of years ago. Just like rowing, the basic jest of it is to have, in this case paddlers, power the boat from start to finish. Unlike rowing though, the boat used is larger and set up into lines of rows, with each row seating two people. In the case of dragon boating, it is an equal number of left and right-side paddlers all sitting right next to each other. And this number can reach up to 20 paddlers per boat!
I have found that this sport is great for upper torso training. The major muscles worked are lower/upper back and shoulders, followed by arms and pectorals, and finally the legs. The power generated from paddling isn't from the legs as in rowing, but from the twisting motion of your upper body. Hence this is a great builder of shoulders and back muscles. The finishing touch to the drive will definitely build triceps and lats, I guarantee it!
Some of the other great features is that the race distances are usually "only" 250m or 500m and NO HAND CALLUSES! Going from having to row a 2k or 5k for races, 250/500m just sounds real sweet. But, don't be fooled. As you won't be using your legs much anymore, the giant dragon boat won't be going anywhere as fast as a rowing shell, so your still going to feel that burn while powering your way through.
And about no hand calluses, need I explain anymore? (Although be warned, dragon boating is much more likely to give you "rasberries", ouch!). So if you're still looking for interesting ways this summer to stay in rowing-shape, find a dragon boat or paddling club near you and try it out. It's a nice alternative (or addition) to running, cycling, swimming, weight-training, etc.
0 comments:
Post a Comment