# Offshore Training



## Shufoy (May 28, 2008)

Yes and no, i do "train" to some extent. It involves walking nightly, when i'm not fishing, and swimming laps at the local pool. Swimming, for when the shark chews the bottom out of the yak, and walking on water, for when he's coming back for another look....

Some level of fitness is a definate must in my books.


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Hi Mat, mate I do and have been. After not much yak fishing due to injury the last two years I have been paddling and peddling far more than fishing in the last 6 months. I am now back to being able to paddle at fast cruising speed for periods of over an hour and pedal hard for over 1/2 an hour without pausing to take a break. I personally think if you cannot paddle at least 10kms without stopping you shouldn't be offshore chasing pelagics. I see my fitness and my sharkshield as my main safety equipment and to my mind is far more important to me personally than epirbs and VHF.

Scott


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Yakking IS my training. I make sure I do at least 10k's in 2 hours (or average 4-5k's/hr) as fitness was part of the reason I bought the yak. Even though I'm a mad keen fisherman I make sure I get a work out first and the fishing is secondary. Not everyone buys a yak for fitness but I have a tinny if I want to JUST fish. Having said that I reckon I've probably accounted for more fish/hr in the yak than in the tinny! Yak-fishing is definitely my preferred form of fishing now (haven't used the tinny since I got the yak) but I haven't yet gone out and just sat there soaking bait....but....if I could score a Spaniard floating a pilly I would!


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## DougOut (Dec 31, 2006)

Like Barrabundy, I do no specific Yak training, sure I do a morning walk, followed by a swim but these are both quite gentle forms of exercise, not training.
When offshore yakking (here on home waters)I now paddle for anything from 3-6 hours at a cruise/trolling speed of about 5 kilometres per hour. I will stop paddling now and then for a drink of water and to check that the lures have not picked up any weed etc. and to perhaps to change a lure, but pretty much maintain a steady stroke for the duration. My "home-water" style of fishing is basically tolling, dictated primarily do to the fact that we have very few offshore reefs in The Great Sandy Region. No bottom bouncing for me unfortunately.
More to the point. Prior to yak fishing I'd wake-up every morning with the usual (for me) niggling lower back pain.
Since paddling and obviously improving on my core strength, I can now do things with my back that would have been completely out-of the-question only 2 years ago. Thank you yak paddling.  
In summary what I'm saying in a long-winded fashion is, Training would be good for anyone considering yakking or returning to it after a spell (talk to your doctor of physio first though if convalescing ) however just plain getting out there and doing it, in ever increasing steps until your body tells you "enough mate" surely can't be all that bad either.


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

i don't actually do any "training for offshore" as such, but i do paddle around 10kms twice a week which helps keep the paddle fitness to a reasonable level.
4-5 nights each week i walk between 10-15kms during my shift at work :shock: 
regularly practice re entry technique. ( which includes the accidental ones ) :lol: 
im not exactly super fit but reckon i have enough stamina & confidence to get myself back home in any conditions or situations im likely to encounter..
and Matt i think throwing a popper around could be considered training. its exercise after all :twisted:


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## sarmal (Dec 22, 2008)

to keep myself fit I do Teakwondo training 4 days a week and I own a tree lopping co so I climb trees carry logs and drag branches so I would consider myself pritty fit


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Matt , with your arm , i would just be doing gentle paddling for a month or so , and no reason why not have a popping session whilst you have a paddle, in fact i think that should be compulsory, as your a fisherman first and then a paddler , i am the reverse , paddler first and then fisherman , as i have said to you , for me to contemplate going offshore again in the yak , i would be training on my ski for at least 8 weeks and getting to the stage that i could paddle 15 kms comfortably at a good clip , now thats smooth water paddling which is much easier than offshore paddling , we are both in a bit of a similar position Matt , you with your arm and me with my knee, so i think the answer is BABY STEPS

i had to edit this because it was written in typonese


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## joejoe (Sep 28, 2008)

My only training is not to drink to much the night before.joe :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

Can you get your hands on an aerofit machine? No need for any fancy motors or anything, mine is about 10 years old and has been used on and off but not seriously until recently. I try and do an hour 2 mornings on, one morning off, then 2 mornings on then weekend off. If I go out with the yak that counts as a session. I ignore the speed/calories deal I just go as fast as I like, no music just quiet in the garage. I started this in September combined with healthier eating to get fit for offshore fishing and have gone from 100kg to 76kg. The aerofit is very gentle and you can go as easy as you like for the first 5 minutes then go a bit faster with your hands placed wherever comfortable. Very low impact and will gradually loosen up the joints as well as tone all the muscles in arms, shoulders, back and abs as well as legs. Seriously it doesn't feel as if you're exercising. When I started it was 5 minutes warm up just slow strolling then 20 minutes faster as the body just seemed to want to go faster then 5 minutes just strolling along stretching out at the end. Eventually didn't want to stop so now I limit myself to an hour so I don't have to get up too early before work to do it. Also best to drink water before and during and have your breakfast afterwards. Mornings in general are best coz that's when the metabolism is right for exercising.

Good luck mate I like your style and wish you all the best.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Jim , whats an aerofit machine ?


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## Revo (Aug 3, 2008)

DaftWullie ... well done on the surgeon's report. Good luck with the gentle popper session ... 

Seems like there's plenty of get fit options - aerofit machines  , sitting on the bottom of a pool (interesting one Red 8) ), etc. One thing I've noticed about pedalling my Hobie is that the upper half of the body doesn't get much of a workout (maybe I just need to catch more fish ;-) ). It's good to get the paddle out and do some paddling to get the whole body working out - so I'm doing that more regularly now.


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

I sent this to a guy yesterday after he PM'd me.

Bluewater: Its hard to say without knowing how fit you are. If you're just starting out, I'd be sticking to the estuaries and paddling against, with and across the fast running tides as often as possible. Go out on windy days too. Getting to a stage where you can paddle for 15 solid minutes without stopping for more than 10 seconds at a time is pretty useful 1st stage. After that scale up to 30 minutes then 45 minutes up to an hour and more. When you stop to rest, stick with 10 second pauses (max). This is just enough time to drop the paddle and quickly drink some water. Don't work your arse off paddling just aim to keep moving forward at a constant speed and work on refining your paddle stroke.

When you've nailed the first 15 minutes, start adding a bit more curry for a minute or two between rests, especially when you're approaching the launch site at the end of the session.

When you build your constant stamina up to a good 30 minutes you could probably head offshore in dead calm conditions and fish the close in reefs <500m. Each time you go out dedicate some of your fishing session towards training and try to stick at a constant paddling speed of 6-7km/h in no current but burst up to 9km/h a couple of times. Pulling lures is good for this. If a reef is 1km from shore allow for about 45 minutes constant paddling time (This doesn't include fishing time and the paddling while fishing). When I go to a 1km reef (10-15 minutes each way) I generally end up paddling a total 6-8km in a session. At my 4km reef I usually do 15-25km in a session and try to allow for 2.5 hours constant paddling at 6-7km/h even though the trip there and back is usually only 90 minutes. One day it took me 45 minutes to get out (pretty normal) and 1h 20mins to get back in. This is what happens when currents and wind conspires and it can happen really quickly.

Yesterday was a good example, the current was running at about 4km/h only 1km offshore and I was cruising forward happily against it at 3-6km/h (probably averaged about 3.5km/h) because I had a small swell behind me pushing things along and pulling me back, hence the 3-6km/h variation. Even though it took longer to get back in it didn't matter because I was effectively moving forward and only scratching the surface of my overall energy reserves. If I stopped, I went backwards in less than 10 seconds so I only stopped to pack my gear and have a drink when I was a hundred metres behind the breakers where there was less current and in a safer place closer to shore.

I can generally sustain a harder 8.5km/h for limited periods (5 mins or so) on my heavy yak but I'd rather keep this 1.5km/h hard speed as reserve power and use it when I need it, especially in the surf zone where I grab a super short and sharp 11km/h sprint to get cleanly onto the face and then line up to paddle fast so I get ahead of the wash as it loses strength and takes me up. Continuous forward momentum and an energy backup are the biggest assets any paddler can have. If you maintain a constant 5-7km/h in no current its a really good start. If I'm back at the beach and I've still got plenty of gas, I try and whack in a couple of extra yak waves just for fun. Working the surf zone pays off in spades.

Some of you will seek delight in picking the numbers and say crap like why does it take 45 minutes to travel 4km when you "say" you can travel 7km in 1 hour? The answer to that is, I'm not a bloody robot idiot! I often stop to refresh my livies and other times I paddle heaps harder or softer than my regular speed because I feel like it. Some days I'm happy to take an hour to get out and other days I wish I took the sail.


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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

Barry,

I found this on ebay just now to point you in the right direction. I think companies like Danoz might also stock them. They have been around for years. I have no affiliation with the ebay ad or Danoz etc etc just letting people know what worked for me. Cheers.

http://wantitnow.ebay.com.au/aerofit-ex ... 0283386333


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## mal.com (Feb 10, 2007)

I swim 2km's three or four times a week, and a 25km bike ride 2-3 times a week, no running anymore due to a slightly stuffed knee.
Lately I've been getting plenty of training in the yak, every trip I cop a wind change & end up paddling home into it, Murphys Law, kayak division.

cheers

Mal de mer


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

My fatness regime at the moment invlves drinking beer and eating too much....

seems to be working


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWRV0MAIAABxfgAAQUIWgAoQiUAo/7/+gIACEIqfoT1NTxQ2Uaep4SempvSgNT1TYpHp6UZPRAAYE0JAM19h+8NxElcYwK6HlHfpdfxjki00SnV0CPN+4oZGU7CmgFVQQGdruVIdBfZoUyI/qkO1mHFXp7DnE13gJg2xD/bIookCGtn+vuaLg4Ybg8EnXjdrvFAW+auBJxYJnyqL3qqE5VgKSyi9NgeNGi/a2iQ/i7kinChICroYAQA==


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## mal.com (Feb 10, 2007)

Davey G said:


> My fatness regime at the moment invlves drinking beer and eating too much....
> 
> seems to be working


Coming from a triathlon background this training regime has a lot to recommend it, as all afletes no, "hydration and carbo loading" are integral parts of a successful training program.

cheers

mal de mer


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Mr Wullie
I'm not very experienced in open waters and as Dan suggested, I keep close in when I go open waters and only go when the weathers good and the swell is down.

I would really recomend if you want to be a serious competent paddler, you should join a kayaking club and learn how to do it right. Me, like most blokes on this forum havent had any professional training (although I did do a half day coarse 18mths ago with an instructor .......learnt a lot but really should do a refresher) and really should, to at least learn how to paddle correctly.

I generally do about 20kms a week and last week whilst on holidays I did over 70kms (in a week). I can paddle all day, but I'm not exceptionally fast and just go at my own pace.

BTW congrats on becoming a Mod.


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## noeskimo (Oct 20, 2008)

Davey G said:


> My fatness regime at the moment invlves drinking beer and eating too much....
> 
> seems to be working


there is little doubt, youth is wasted on the young. i am an example.....

in my early 20's i stuck religiously to the 'fit for life' programme. fruit half the day, plenty of salads, vegs and propper food combining...ie; no complex carbs with protien...

run 10ks per day, boxing training mon, wed, fri, football training tues, thurs, box on sat nights and play footy sunday arvos.....

how stupid can one get?

much happier now....beer, cider, steak and chips, eggs, etc....and plenty of fat round the midrift for the famine and destruction that global warming will very soon bring...! :lol:

.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Matt , you could do what i did and train your butt off for triathlons and cycling road racing it does make you fitter to paddle but it does also ruin your body as i have found to my detriment over the last 8 years , the best way to get fit for paddling is paddling , making sure you get good body rotation from the hips up and high hands and arms almost straight so you make sure you are paddling using the power of your torso and the large muscles invloved , and you my friend will have to make sure you do not become an ARM paddler and use your torso. Apart from that , a diet of maccas and 6 or 10 beers a day should do the job completely. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Ah yes.... the mighty Bazoo is on the money there. I still struggle with my stroke, but love it when it comes together. Verrrry important.

...and baby steps.....softly softly build up the bod and the confidence will follow.

Look forward to your reports Matt.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Varp , it normally takes me about 4 kms to get my rhythme and settle down into a rhytmic pace , but as you say when you get it its absolutely magic almost like a symphony really , no wonder WE paddle Varpie , it sooooo good , it would be much better of course for me if you gave me your beautiful Dorado which i lust after :lol: :lol:


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

yeah gotta love the paddle Baz and I'm comforted to hear that even after all the thousands of k's you must've racked up, that you still need time to find the stroke....I was beginning to feel a mite retarded that I still have to keep thinking about it and sometimes even never really feel like I'm doing it right.

I see these guys and gals sometimes on their skinny ski's with the most beautiful languid stroke and it makes me feel like a total nuff nuff.

That said most times I do eventually find it and as you say - it is magic !!!


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Poetry in motion Varpie and your right sometimes i struggle and struggle and cant find the rhythme ,then suddenly you FEEL it , you've got it and its worth all the effort , now if we can discuss your deed of gift of that beautiful Kazkazi Dorado to Bazzoo and his fleet of kayaks :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm laughing cos you aint never ever gonna get it!!!!

....it's a love affair....just my Kaskazi and me....


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## paulo (Nov 1, 2007)

Yep I get up at 4am three mornings a week and row a scull 15km for about 1.5hrs on the Brissie river. At least half of each session is at max heart rate and 10 mins of that over the anaerobic threshold (basically when you have to keep swallowing to stop your clakker from coming out of your mouth). 
I also do two 45 min sessions of core strength exercises. When I was racing 2 years back we would row five mornings a week and most of it at pace. Add another 2 x 1 hour weights sessions, the core strength sessions and that was the training week.

Ive found the key to both rowing and peddling for extended periods is a strong core. Not to mention no back pain and the flexibility I had twenty years ago.

The bit I fall down on is paddling technique. No matter how fit you are or what you do technique is the key to maintaining power and thrust without tiring over long periods. This is painfully obvious in a rowing scull or on an ergo (rowing machine) where you can measure the effectiveness of good technique Vs bad. I have lost the mirage drive twice offshore now and had to paddle home without incident but I would like to know how to paddle properly.


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