Preparing to Sea Kayak in Antarctica

Sure...I'm an athlete
I booked my trip to Antarctica about 6 weeks ago and signed up for the sea kayaking excursion add-on.  The agent helping me book the trip was clear that it was a serious physical undertaking and that he would not suggest it unless I was a serious athlete.  I of course replied that I was and would have no problem handling this physical feat. Ha! Well, I was a pretty serious athlete and in peak shape... 10 years ago.  I had also never been in a single person kayak before; in fact my only experience in a kayak was in 2007 when we kayaked to the bio luminescent bay in Puerto Rico.  I immediately looked into taking lessons here in New York, but was thwarted by the iced-over Hudson River.  The kayak school will take you out in extremely cold conditions but will not take you out when there is so much ice.



View of the Hudson and North Cove Marina covered in ice, February 2014

Training
In my all-or-nothing style, I began an intense regime at the gym after a pretty long hiatus from doing anything more than cardio.  I'll be honest- I had not really lifted weights in at least 6 years.  I researched sea kayaking and designed a plan that would get me back into shape quickly and would help build the muscles used when kayaking.  My plan has been centered around building my core and building my arms and shoulders.  I'm proud to say that I have worked out for about 30 of the past 35 days.  This time includes a 6 day vacation to Puerto Rico where it was pretty tempting to sleep in late or lounge on the beach all day.  Here's a brief summary of my workouts:

• Intense cardio - not the kind where you're aimlessly floating around on the elliptical for 45 minutes! I'm talking about 20-30 minutes of stairmaster on level 5 + or 20-30 minutes on the cross country ski elliptical at level 15-20.  This is the kind of cardio where you're out of breath and sweating profusely- and if I wasn't out of breath I would crank up the intensity until I was.
• Ab & Core Work - mostly using 8-10 pound medicine balls in a twisting motion to engage my stomach and my back muscles.  For the first week it hurt to laugh or cough!
• Resistance/Pilates - I own a Total Gym (yes, the Chuck Norris machine) and I use it almost every day in addition to my other workouts in order to get a broad range of motion for my arms, shoulders and back.  I also use the cable crossover machine at the gym- this is what really works the tiny muscles in your back, shoulders and chest.  If you reverse the standard cross and pull backwards, you can simulate the paddling motion in kayaking.
• Weights - I go through the standard universal gym cycle and recently added squats on the smith machine.  I'm going to replace machines with free weights this week and next at the suggestion of a friend.  Free weights will hopefully simulate more natural movements and engage more muscles.
• Rowing - I use the rowing machine at least 2x a week and focus on proper form.  While the motion is not the same as kayaking, it is a great way to engage core, arms and back in a different way.
• Other - I try and focus on my posture when sitting at my desk all day as it forces you to use the little muscles around your core.  I  also take the stairs all the time now.  After workouts I climb the 17 flights to my apartment floor!

My First Sea Kayaking Experience
We spent half of our Puerto Rico vacation at El Conquistador, a resort that owns a private island where guests can enjoy a range of water activities including kayaking.  The kayak operators allow you to kayak near the shore or for those more adventurous, between the private island and a neighboring deserted island.  Isla Palominos and Isla Palominitos, where I used to snorkel with my family as a child, are approximately 1km apart making the total trip just over 2km.  The currents between the islands are so strong that it took me almost double the time to get to the smaller island as it did on my return trip.  On the first day I surprised myself by how well I kayaked; my weight training was working.  On the second day I did two trips between the island including one trip in a double kayak with my friend- I did not let her paddle for most of the first leg to increase the intensity of my workout.  The pace I kept combined with the currents yielded one of the most fun but intense workouts I've ever experienced. 



View of Isla Palominos (right) and Isla Palominitos (left) and surrounding coral reefs

I faced strong currents and splashing waves during my kayaking trips in Puerto Rico; based on what I've read and watched I doubt I will face such conditions in Antarctica.  I will face the added weight of kayaking in protective gear and will face additional harsh elements of cold, ice and possibly snow, but I am hoping that my warm water sea kayaking experiences are an indication that I'll do just fine in Antarctica!

My friend Ramona took this beautiful photo of our kayaks from Isla Palominitos