Cruisers: How do you stay fit?

[NedX]

This came up in another discussion and I'm curious.

It seems that a few people here are closer to retirement age than high school.

I read a lot of "Can I handle a big boat." Don't know about you all, but in my experience, a 40+ guy is more likely to throw out a back or pull a quad or hamstring with a sudden, extreme exertion (hauling, yanking, pulling, hoisting)

So how do you stave off that sort of thing? Do many of you have workout regimes geared toward being able to do the things you need to do on a boat?

Or does it all just work out for you.

BONUS QUESTION: Want to share any tricks for keeping fit during a passage?

[ABOUT ME: I'm 58, and do a lot of exercises to keep me in shape for things I need to do, like pulling myself (or the heaviest person back on board) or hauling, hoisting, pulling, etc. etc, yet. Yet at anchor, I will also find myself keeping in shape by doing 12-oz curls and two-finger raises. So this is a no-judgment question. I'm just curious, and will likely learn something.]

[Sparx]

In practice the constant movement of the body while sailing is gentle exercise that tends to strengthen the core. In addition I like to keep to a workout regiment when sailing or on land that also strengthens the core. The intent is to prevent injury from lifting, pulling, twisting.

Throw in daily walking and swimming and we find we are in excellent overall condition after a cruise.

[LLCoolDave]

I have a very fit friend that lived in a van so space was even more limited than the average boat. He used a kettlebell to work out everyday. It's probably the closest thing to a weight set you can get. Of course it would have to be super secure to prevent it from becoming a cannonball.

[NedX]

Originally Posted by LLCoolDave

I have a very fit friend that lived in a van so space was even more limited than the average boat. He used a kettlebell to work out everyday. It's probably the closest thing to a weight set you can get. Of course it would have to be super secure to prevent it from becoming a cannonball.

Kettleball, good grip; both good ideas, noted.

[Jim Cate]

Deep elbow bends in the late afternoon seem to help...

Otherwise, I agree that active sailing does well at conditioning, and of course the exercise gained from these activities is directly supportive of them... grinding winches builds the muscles needed for that activity, etc. And just existing on a boat at sea is sorta like continuous isometrics... just maintaining balance as the boat moves about. Good stuff!

On the other hand, I remember an interview with one of my fellow single hand racers, preparing for the SH Transpac some years ago. When asked about any physical training he might be doing he said that every morning he would do a push-up, and that during the day he would think about doing a lot more. (He didn't win).

Fortunately the cruising sailor does not need great strength or agility. I say fortunately, for otherwise this old fart would be outta luck. Experience leads to some wisdom, and one learns how to minimize the needs for exertion, especially when passage making where fatigue management is so important in short handed boats. One learns to make do with what you have in the way of equipment, strength and endurance. I look at videos of Alex Thompson leaping about on a heaving deck, sans tether or PFD and I'm envious of his abilities and courage and know that I can not emulate them... but I sail on, none the less!
Perhaps a bit slower that AT!

Jim

[GILow]

Originally Posted by NedX

This came up in another discussion and I'm curious.



It seems that a few people here are closer to retirement age than high school.



I read a lot of "Can I handle a big boat." Don't know about you all, but in my experience, a 40+ guy is more likely to throw out a back or pull a quad or hamstring with a sudden, extreme exertion (hauling, yanking, pulling, hoisting)



So how do you stave off that sort of thing? Do many of you have workout regimes geared toward being able to do the things you need to do on a boat?



Or does it all just work out for you.



BONUS QUESTION: Want to share any tricks for keeping fit during a passage?



[ABOUT ME: I'm 58, and do a lot of exercises to keep me in shape for things I need to do, like pulling myself (or the heaviest person back on board) or hauling, hoisting, pulling, etc. etc, yet. Yet at anchor, I will also find myself keeping in shape by doing 12-oz curls and two-finger raises. So this is a no-judgment question. I'm just curious, and will likely learn something.]

I don’t know about real cruisers, but I’ve spent about 80% of the last fortnight at anchor, away from the marina. In that time I’ve lost 5 kg and one belt size and I’ve stopped getting out of breath with what I would call “basic exertion”. Admittedly I’d come off a long sedentary period of academic study, but honestly I wonder how much of an exercise regime I will need once I get cruising for real.

As always I am mindful of the advice of a physio friend years ago, and I take care to avoid lifting or straining when my muscles are “cold”. So extra care in the morning and evening. So far, touch wood, no major back or joint complaints after a year of living aboard full time and no problems managing a heavy old 42 footer with no power winches but a powered anchor windlass.

Edit: not yet 50 but perilously close to it.

[Fore and Aft]

Gilow when you want to get real serious about fitness you should be able to put your Swanson on autopilot and swim beside her........LOL
Cheers

[Benz]

When cruising, I row my dinghy every day when at anchor, since I have no motor. I usually weigh anchor by hand (it's faster than the manual windlass). When sailing, there's a lot of ropes to pull on, and hand-steering (which I mostly do) is a lot of micro-exercise as you sway to the boat's motion. When it's anything like warm enough I swim a lot--I find that a once-over scrub of the bottom is a great workout. And for the rest I seem to spend a lot of time carrying groceries and filling fuel and water jugs.
Once that's all done, if in a pleasant place, I like to take walks in the cool of the day.
I simply don't have time to exercise for it's own sake.

[Chotu]

Manual windlass. Ha ha ha.

[thomm225]

It's like anything else, some cruisers stay in good shape others not so much.

Some boats have power for everything (plus crew) and even a dinghy with a motor plus a windless.

Others have no power at all and everything is done by hand.

I cruise locally (singlehanded) so that means plenty of places to hike, row my kayak ashore, pulling the anchor by hand, going to the mast to raise sail and so on.

Also sometimes I have problems in my legs from running but have found that if I go sailing on my small boat especially if it's rough and a lot of time is spent just maintaining balance my legs are better when I get back due to all the stretching.

You most times will have to combine normal workouts though with those you get just running the boat.

This was just a 5 hour sail but did provide a good workout. A front came in dropping the temperature by 20 degrees and bringing in some good wind. Before the sail I had put my 16"6" kayak into the water, rowed it ashore, hiked 2 miles, rowed it back to the boat, loaded it back on the boat, raised sail, pulled the anchor, and sailed off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3I2zc0_7wY

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Benz

When cruising, I row my dinghy every day when at anchor, since I have no motor. I usually weigh anchor by hand (it's faster than the manual windlass). When sailing, there's a lot of ropes to pull on, and hand-steering (which I mostly do) is a lot of micro-exercise as you sway to the boat's motion. When it's anything like warm enough I swim a lot--I find that a once-over scrub of the bottom is a great workout. And for the rest I seem to spend a lot of time carrying groceries and filling fuel and water jugs.
Once that's all done, if in a pleasant place, I like to take walks in the cool of the day.
I simply don't have time to exercise for it's own sake.

Hammer meets nail..
Its when I'm not sailing I get Unfit..

[sailorboy1]

Personally i find sailing only becomes exercise during bad conditions.

So walking and hand weights.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by LLCoolDave

I have a very fit friend that lived in a van.

was it down by the river by any chance

[rbk]

Rowing, swimming, walking/hiking. If looking for a resistance workout pound for pound a set of resistance bands is your best bet. You can do any exercise you can with weights and the resistance is a constant increasing weight throughout most exercises (banks are generally weight rated within the first 25% of resistance and can be as much as four times that fully extended) vs a diminishing weight with free weights (at many points throughout a free weight exercise the weight is under momentum or resting on skeletal structure and doing little to nothing). This also allows greater flexibility with band placement as they do not rely on gravity for resistance. That combined with body weight exercises (chin-ups, push-ups, sit-ups etc) you can then isolate various muscle groups with resistance bands to ensure a balanced workout.

[MicHughV]

I find that lifting 12 oz weights is good exercise....