Sailing Fitness - Part 4 

RYA exercise Physiologist, Adrian Campbell tells us what we can do to increase our fitness level for sailing

Strength - Circuit Training

The simplest form of strength training is circuit training as it requires minimal equipment; the sessions can be as long or short as you like and you dictate the intensity that you work at.

With circuit training you are using your own bodyweight as the weight/resistance and you increase the workload by adding more exercises, extending the time you work for and reducing the rest periods.

Ultimately with time and training you can move from exercise to exercise with no rest at all.

Typically, circuit training exercises are split into four areas: upper body, lower body, core and all-body.

If you are training aerobically it is probably best to stick to the first three areas, although we will visit specific core training later on in the series.

When doing any of these exercises you need to ensure good posture - keep a straight back throughout - and don t force your body beyond your range of motion at the joints.
You can split the exercises as follows:

UPPER BODY EXERCISES:

Press-ups
Starting Position: Body facing the floor with only your feet and palms in contact with the floor. Arms to be straight and the body in a straight line.
Movement: Keeping the back flat and your core muscle tight, bend your arms at the elbow and bring your body low to the ground. Straighten your arms again to return to the starting position.
Tips: Don t allow your body to bend in the middle (i.e. your hips being lower than the rest of your body). If a full press-up is too hard then start from your knees instead of your toes

Supine pull-ups (off a table edge or bar)
Starting Position: Lie flat on your back with a bar or edge of table at shoulder level.
Movement: Using a bar or the end of a table pull your whole body up towards the bar/table edge. Ensure that the body stays flat and in a straight line from head to toe as you lift your body up to the bar/edge and lower it back down again.
Tips: Bend your legs to make the exercise easier.

Bent over rows (use a dumbbell or a filled water bottle as a resistance) 
Starting Position: Start with feet shoulder width apart (small bend in the knees) and bent at the hips about 90 degrees so you are leaning over. Place one hand on a chair for stability. 
Movement: With the exercising arm out straight, bend at the elbow and move the shoulder back to pull the resistance up to the side of your body (similar technique as a kite hoist) and then return to the floor. Repeat for both arms.
Tips: It is imperative that you keep your back straight throughout this exercise.

Tricep dips
Starting Position: sit on a chair or step and put your hands on the chair/step palm down and ensure your arms are straight. Shuffle forwards so your bottom is no longer on the step and straighten your legs so they are straight.
Movement: Bend your elbows so you lower your body towards the floor and then straighten the arms again to return to the starting position.
Tips: The more you bend your knees the easier the exercise

Theraband pulls
Starting Position: Wrap some theraband (resistance band) around something sturdy low to the ground. Sit on the floor with a slight bend in the knees and sit bolt upright so that the back is straight and core is tight.
Movement: Pull on the theraband with one arm (in the same action as sheeting in), moving the elbow back so it finishes behind the body. The body will rotate slightly. Then return it to the starting point keeping the tension in the band. Repeat for both arms.
Tips: Double up the resistance band to make the exercise harder.

Lateral raises
Starting position: Normal standing position with dumbbells or filled water bottles in your hands.
Movement: Starting with your arms by their sides, raise your arms outwards until you can no longer lift them any higher. Slowly then bring them back to your side. Repeat.
Tips: Keep your core tight and don t arch your back.

LOWER BODY EXERCISES:

Body squats
Starting Position: Feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, slight bend in the knee, back straight
Movement: Squat down so that the knees are at about 90 degrees or just under. This movement is more about sitting down than just bending the knees. You are looking to sit back so that you stick your bottom out and that the knees do not go beyond the line of the toes. Also ensure that the knees don t roll inwards. Be conscious to push the knees outwards as you squat to prevent this. Back must stay flat throughout and keep your head up.
Tips: Once you are proficient in two-leg squats, go to single leg squats as this increases the resistance. However, technique must be good to hold single leg squats.

High knees
Starting Position: just normal standing
Movement: Drive hard off one leg so that you propel you body into the arm. As you drive off the floor bring the other leg up towards the chest. Use alternate arms to legs to help you propel yourself as high as possible. Drive repeatedly off both legs.

Squat thrusts
Starting position: In the press up position
Movement: Bending at hip and knee rapidly bring one leg up to your chest and then return. Repeat with the other legs so that both legs are moving at opposite phases. The action is similar to a running sprint action.

Burpees
Starting position: In the press up position
Movement: Perform a squat thrust (as described above) but this time you need to move both legs together in the squat thrust rather than alternatively. When both knees are up at your chest, you stand and jump as high as possible. On landing you go back into the press up position and do another squat thrust, followed by a maximal vertical jump

Walking lunges
Starting position: Normal standing position
Movement: Take a large step forward and bend the front leg 90 degrees at hip and knee. From that lunge position stand tall again driving off the bent leg. Repeat with the other leg so that you get into a routine of walking 20m by lunging.
Tips: Ensure that the knee stays over the toe and don t allow the knee to roll inwards.

CORE EXERCISES:

Front plank
Starting position: Similar to the press up position but resting on the forearms rather than hands.
Movement: No movements at all but tighten the core muscles so the body is in a straight line. Hold it there for as a set time without allowing the hips to drop.

Side planks
Starting position: Similar to front plank but this time on your side with only your feet and one forearm on the floor. Body to be straight.
Movement: No movements at all but tighten the core muscles so the body is in a straight line. Hold it there for a set time without allowing the hips to drop. Do this for both left and right sides.

V-sit
Starting position: Sat on your bottom with feet together and a bent in the knee. Sit tall so that your back is straight, shoulder pushed back, arms across your chest.
Movement: Lean backwards until you feel the pressure on your abdominals. Hold it in this position for a set time.
Tips: The further you lean backwards the harder it is. However, you have to keep the back straight, particularly the lower spine.

Back extensions/Supermans
Starting position: Lying on your front with arms outstretched above your head
Movement: Tighten your lower back so that feet and arms come off the floor. Hold it there for a set time then relax. Keep repeating.

It is entirely up to you how many exercises you do in one session, how long you work for and how short you rest for. Alternate your exercises so you run through a pattern of upper body, lower body, core exercises and try not to do consecutive exercises from the same exercise group (i.e. two upper body exercises one after the other).

A generic plan for a beginner new to strength training could look like:
Weeks 1-2: 8-10 exercises. 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off. 3 minutes between sets. 2 sets.
Weeks 3-4: 8-10 exercises. 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off. 3 minutes between sets. 3 sets.
Weeks 5-6: 10-14 exercise. 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. 3 minutes between sets. 2 sets.
Weeks 7-8: 10-14 exercise. 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. 3 minutes between sets. 3 sets.
Weeks 9-10: 10-14 exercise. 40 seconds on, 30 seconds off. 3 minutes between sets. 3 sets.
Weeks 11-12: 10-14 exercise. 45 seconds on, 20 seconds off. 3 minutes between sets. 3 sets.

If you have a bit of spare rope, you could try doing 20-30 seconds of skipping between exercise to increase aerobic fitness and improve co-ordination, agility and balance.

Circuit training is a simple form of strength training that is easy to do and possible anywhere. Either run the circuits yourself (you only need a watch and a space in the floor) or go to a circuits lesson at a gym. You need to do at least one session a week while two would be excellent. Each session should last a maximum of 60 minutes (excluding warm up and cool down).