Kayaking is a sport that has been around for centuries, and it’s still going strong.
In addition to being fun, kayaking can provide an excellent workout. In fact, if you’re looking for a low-impact activity with unique benefits, kayaking could be the perfect choice!
Kayakers work their arms and shoulders as they paddle through the water. And because of the way your body moves in a kayak – from side to side – you’ll also get an awesome core workout.
Your back muscles will engage as well as your abdominals and transverse abdominis (the deep ab muscle). Plus, all those paddling movements keep your heart rate up too!
Do you know what kayaking does for your legs? It doesn’t work them much at all. You’ll feel the burn mainly in your arms, back and shoulders mostly.
In this article , we explain how kayaking is a great workout, what it actually does for your legs, and how to balance it out with cycling or running for a full body workout!
Why Do My Legs Hurt After Kayaking?
When you’re kayaking, your legs aren’t doing a ton of work. You can even think of them as being secondary to everything else going on with the exercise – the propulsion comes from your core muscles.
Leg soreness or numbness does occur after kayaking though.
Causes
The main cause of this is that your leg muscles and joints are staying in one position for a long time. This gets worse if you are tall and big and have to squeeze your legs into a small sit-in kayak.
Even sit-on kayaks can cause leg and back stiffness for taller and bigger kayakers that can’t get the backrest in the right position (or it’s just not big enough to properly support their backs).
Solutions
Common solutions to prevent leg soreness from paddling include stretching, adjusting the backrest, finding the right leg position, and using a bigger/wider kayak.
Stretching
To prevent leg soreness, you need to stretch before and after your kayaking workout. Focus on the hamstrings and tops of your thighs.
Stretches for the legs are just as important as stretches for the upper body or arms too! You can even do some of these on dry land with leg rollers after the kayak to really loosen up tight muscles.
Be sure to include some lower back stretches as well.
Yoga
Downward dog and child’s poses are good for the legs and back both before and after kayaking. These moves stretch out and relax the hamstrings, cavles, and lower back.
Adjust the Backrest
The other solution is to adjust the backrest while on land before you get in the water.
If you have a sit-on kayak, make sure the backrest is fully extended and fits your body better. If you have a sit-in kayak, you might need to move the foot pegs around so they fit your legs better.
Adjust Leg Position
In a sit-on kayak, sit as far back as you can, and bend your knees to 90 degrees. Test this out while on the shore.
When using a sit-in kayak, move your legs slightly outwards so they hug the top of the kayak and the outer walls. This will give you more room. Rock backwards-and-forwards a bit so your legs sink down into the kayak a little deeper, getting more comfortable.
Use A Bigger Sit-On Kayak
If you’re very tall and/or big, a sit-on kayak might be the only option.
Sometimes you can find sit-on kayaks that have a bit more width in their body, giving you more legroom.
What Muscles Do You Use When Kayaking?
You use your arms (biceps, triceps, and forearms), back (latissimus dorsi), abs (rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, internal obliques), and shoulders in kayaking.
The biggest muscles used are the shoulder muscles because you have to continually pull hard on the paddle blade to get the kayak moving.
You use your leg muscles too to stabilize yourself in the kayak, but these muscles are used the least. True stabilization comes from your hips as you pull and push your legs against the walls or base of the kayak to keep yourself upright in choppy conditions.
Is Kayaking a Full Body Workout?
Kayaking, when done right and for a long time or in challenging conditions, can be a great workout.
However, you might need to add some other exercises in to work out the legs and get them stronger if your leg muscles feel tired after kayaking.
Pushing and pulling movements like rowing and climbing help you build your arms, back, and core strength.
How To Make Kayaking A Full Body Workout?
Kayking is great for your core and upper body but needs additional leg exercises to make it a full body workout.
Try combining kayaking with biking or running to work out your upper and lower body at the same time.
Adding in weights works even better because it adds resistance training into the mix too. Even simple air squats before or after kayaking will help. Use the weight of the kayak to increase the resistance if air squats aren’t enough.
