The Science of Canoeing By Richard Cox

Strength Training
There are three basic types of exercise for strength training: isometric, isotonic and isokinetic. Isometric exercise
involves the application of force without movement, isotonic exercise involves force with movement, isokinetic
exercise involves the exertion of force over a range
Isometric Exercises
Isometric exercises have in recent years been shown to have limited application in the training programmes of
athletes. Although this type of training received considerable attention in the 1950's and 60's, it is seldom
practised today unless it is included alongside other techniques in the training programme.
Isometric exercise does not increase strength throughout the range of movement of a joint, but is specific to the
joint angle at which the training takes place. A further weakness is that isometric training does not improve (and
may even hamper) the ability to exert force rapidly. On the positive side, isometric exercises can prove helpful
where an injury is causing problems through a certain range of a movement to be strengthened. Isometric
contractions could take place in the regions when no pain is experienced. Similarly, isometrics can be used to
overcome weaknesses in a particular range of a movement. For example, an athlete who is having difficulty
getting the barbell off the chest in the first phase of performing the bench press may perform the exercise
isometrically at the point where he or she is experiencing difficulty. Maximal contraction is essential for optimal
effect and the duration of contraction should be long enough to recruit as many fibres in a muscle group as
possible (usually around 6-10 seconds). The greatest gains in strength occur when isometrics are practised
several times a day.
Isometric training exercises of value to the canoeist are described and illustrated in Appendix VIII.
Isotonic Exercise
Isotonic exercise is the most common if not the most popular, strength training technique for athletes and
coaches. A major drawback of this method of training is that the heaviest weight that can be lifted through a
range of movement can be no heavier than the maximum weight that can be lifted at the weakest point.
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