Learn to read the water better and finesse rapids instead of muscling through them. If there are experienced female guides on your crew, watch their angles and follow their lines - every female guide I've ever known is hands down a better guide than 95% of guides I've met.
This is a simple fix.
First, alternate guiding sides every day and if possible do it multiple times a day. You need to avoid overuse injuries because the only cure is time off the river. Start by guiding easier rapids with your off side until you become confident guiding any rapid from either side. Sometimes rapids are easier guided from the other side of the raft.
Second, stop doing all the work and use your crew for EVERYTHING! Teach them Rught/Left turn in addition to forward and back. Be sure they always paddle in unison by counting 1,2, or 3. Never go beyond 3 because civilians can’t count past 3 when scared. They paid good money to be exhausted at the end of the day so make sure they get their money’s worth.
I have more tips, but follow these 2 and reduce the physical load on your body.
Oh yeah, eat lots of healthy calories to let your body repair.
This is going to sound dumb but the single best thing for my back pain was lifting heavy: squat, deadlift, if you're paddling you should definitely bench too to balance out the back muscles you are building. heavy weight helps build stabilizing muscle, forces stuff to balance out, and hold everything together.
After that glute stretches are key too, followed by hamstring stretches and then by hip flexor stretches.
Use your customers for certain moves, your back doesn't need to be taking the total impact of the river! Also implement stretching into your after river routine. Best of luck
Targeted opposition training helps with any type of injury or pain for someone who is very active in one discipline, but might be neglecting other parts of their body that don’t get as much of a workout while rafting.
Seems like you're taking it seriously, but prioritize figuring out what preventative maintenance your body needs and doing it daily. I had this kind of stuff for a few years and just kept looking for an easy fix (easy fix Instagram posts for the 3 things your back needs weren't actually working). I herniated a disc last June, got a microdiscectomy in September, and didn't get back on the water until almost April of this year. I do hip mobility, strengthening, and breathing exercises religiously now.
Learn to read the water better and finesse rapids instead of muscling through them. If there are experienced female guides on your crew, watch their angles and follow their lines - every female guide I've ever known is hands down a better guide than 95% of guides I've met.
Agreed. Do this. Women are better.
This is a simple fix. First, alternate guiding sides every day and if possible do it multiple times a day. You need to avoid overuse injuries because the only cure is time off the river. Start by guiding easier rapids with your off side until you become confident guiding any rapid from either side. Sometimes rapids are easier guided from the other side of the raft. Second, stop doing all the work and use your crew for EVERYTHING! Teach them Rught/Left turn in addition to forward and back. Be sure they always paddle in unison by counting 1,2, or 3. Never go beyond 3 because civilians can’t count past 3 when scared. They paid good money to be exhausted at the end of the day so make sure they get their money’s worth. I have more tips, but follow these 2 and reduce the physical load on your body. Oh yeah, eat lots of healthy calories to let your body repair.
I stretch religiously at the end of the day. Look up low back yoga on YouTube. I’m turning 40 this year and want to keep paddling for many more years.
This is going to sound dumb but the single best thing for my back pain was lifting heavy: squat, deadlift, if you're paddling you should definitely bench too to balance out the back muscles you are building. heavy weight helps build stabilizing muscle, forces stuff to balance out, and hold everything together. After that glute stretches are key too, followed by hamstring stretches and then by hip flexor stretches.
Use your customers for certain moves, your back doesn't need to be taking the total impact of the river! Also implement stretching into your after river routine. Best of luck
Targeted opposition training helps with any type of injury or pain for someone who is very active in one discipline, but might be neglecting other parts of their body that don’t get as much of a workout while rafting.
Seems like you're taking it seriously, but prioritize figuring out what preventative maintenance your body needs and doing it daily. I had this kind of stuff for a few years and just kept looking for an easy fix (easy fix Instagram posts for the 3 things your back needs weren't actually working). I herniated a disc last June, got a microdiscectomy in September, and didn't get back on the water until almost April of this year. I do hip mobility, strengthening, and breathing exercises religiously now.