Fitness & Sailing

[PhilS]

For over all core fitness and increased stamina and aerobic workout without putting pressures on older joints as mentioned above . You cannot get better than swimming.
You need to get the heart rate up and keep it steady 45 mins to 1 hour is good
Clearly if your younger fitter then other exercises are there
Also yoga to help stiff ligaments and muscles move
On long trips I have exercise bands that can go around the mast or many other variations to get a full work out.

Half an hour strong swimming is quite tiring, I would target that if you are not a regular swimmer. Also some pools' Covid restrictions mean you can only book half hour sessions.

 

[Channel Sailor]

I would suggest add in to a routine regular shoulder exercises. There are muscles around the shoulder joint that do not get used that often normally, but for sailing they can suddenly be called upon. I recommend training these up to be strong enough to prevent injuries, in particular the muscles that hold the joint together.

 

[capnsensible]

I am surprised no one has mentioned swimming. Its good for fitness, core strength, most muscles and comes in handy if you fall off your boat. The pools have re-opened so give it a go!

If your marina has free aqua robics lessons for bertholders in the pool, I can recommend you give it a try. ?

 

[FlyingGoose]

Half an hour strong swimming is quite tiring, I would target that if you are not a regular swimmer. Also some pools' Covid restrictions mean you can only book half hour sessions.

Much agreement the key is to keep the heart rate at about 60% of capacity , to work the aerobic system
Luckily for me my pool offers 1 hour sessions during covid but appreciate other pool restrictions apply and does not look like it will be lifted soon
My wife keeps asking me if I want to join her in her wild swimming group, not a chance I shout I have no idea what's in that water or what's underneath
Yet I'm a qualified diver and will jump in the sea without hesitation , the mad world of my brain

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Whilst we are on the subject, are there any exercises that you can do to improve balance ?

It does start to go a bit as we age.

 

[FlyingGoose]

Whilst we are on the subject, are there any exercises that you can do to improve balance ?

It does start to go a bit as we age.

Hey balance is controlled mainly via the inner ear and muscle strength, sometime an ear infection can through balance out for months , or inflamed tubes in the ear
But if your healthy I recommend yoga for balance and strenghing of the core , start light work you way up

 

[PhilS]

Whilst we are on the subject, are there any exercises that you can do to improve balance ?

It does start to go a bit as we age.

Stand on one leg as you clean your teeth. It was suggested to me by a physio and I have done it ever since. Harder on a boat than at home!

 

[jimi]

I look on sailing as my rest days from cycling or rock climbing ?

 

[38mess]

I reluctantly sold my 28 ft sailing boat nearly 7 years ago. I have a motor cruiser now. I found that the sailing used to make me nicely tired, I used to sail all year round weather permitting.the boat was the only place I could sleep soundly in my cocoon. I used to sail mainly alone, but sometimes with my partner who made me reef the sails in the slightest of breeze incase we tipped over?

 

[chrisedwards]

Extend your sailing by ten years - get a junk rig. You will probably wish you had done this much earlier, with a family, singlehanded, no engine etc etc..

 

[geem]

Whilst on the boat in the Caribbean we keep fit by running, hiking, swimming, paddleboarding, dinghy sailing, yacht sailing and kite surfing. Whilst at home in the UK we keep fit by doing a lot more running, walking and house diy. Even with no electric winches other than the windlass I dont find the sailing a chore. I consider it part of keeping fit and wouldnt wish to change anything. Maybe in ten years time we might upgrade the winches to electric conversions

 

[SimonFa]

The recent thread on singlehanded sailing got me thinking..... I’ve never seen an article in YM or even YW about what exercises are appropriate for sailing. I know we are all amateurs, and some of us (me!) not getting any younger but it would still be interesting to here what the pros do to increase fitness for sailing

I’m guessing the movements involved in sailing aren’t easily replicated in a gym, for instance hauling in quickly on a sheet or furling line, I get a lot of shoulder pain from sailing and realised that one of the things that doesn’t help is reaching up to tug on the stack pack zip

So come on Yachting Monthly, how about a winter fitness program so we are ready for next season.

I read something from Tom Cunliffe, which I'm sure was in YM, and he recommended core strength exercises, standing on one leg was one of them I remember as that is good prep for a long stint on the helm.

I do a mixture of Pilates, stretches and strength exercises for 1 hour most days and since my physio advised me to stop running I walk at least 3 miles at a very brisk pace every day, most days it includes 2 very steep hills and once a week I do 10 miles+. In winter I go to the gym and do some weights and aerobic exercises, but this winter I'll be giving the gym a miss.

My fitness tends to drop off in summer as its difficult to maintain the regime when sailing or out in the motorhome.

 

[JohnGC]

Pilates is easily accessible in many places. I found it to be a great enabler, opening up other possibilities. After that, I think the best advice is to find something you like doing, and do more of it.

Balance, like most other attributes, improves with use. My local physio advocates rapid head movements.

 

[newtothis]

Pilates is easily accessible in many places. I found it to be a great enabler, opening up other possibilities. After that, I think the best advice is to find something you like doing, and do more of it.

Balance, like most other attributes, improves with use. My local physio advocates rapid head movements.

When it comes to exercise, I recommend rapid eye movement.

 

[johnalison]

)

Pilates is easily accessible in many places. I found it to be a great enabler, opening up other possibilities. After that, I think the best advice is to find something you like doing, and do more of it.

Balance, like most other attributes, improves with use. My local physio advocates rapid head movements.

I’ve been using my balance for eighty years and I don’t think it has improved. However, I take your point, and avoidance of challenges is something many people are guilty of. I try to take pleasure in clambering over rough ground and the daily problem of how to put one’s socks on while standing on one leg. A good test of balance is to stand on one leg and shut your eyes. You spring chickens won’t have much trouble with this but I find it hard to do it for more than a few seconds. Balance is not only acquired from the inner ears but also through proprioception, which is the feedback you get from muscles and joints. Something like a sprained ankle in the past will greatly reduce the information from that foot and can easily lead to a fall.

 

[TonyMS]

Until our skeletons rebelled in our seventies, we played tennis, badly, on an outdoor court in the village nearly every day. Super mixed exercise - bit of running, stretching, balancing, hitting the ball. Now we cycle a few miles every day, with a longer ride once a week.