Oscar Chalupsky’s training program

Few paddlers hold a record comparable to that of Oscar Chalupsky. For example, he has won the Molokai World Surf Ski Championship eleven times! Here is an example training week for the ”Big O” Chalupsky.

Oscar Chalupsky
Birthdate: March 1, 1963
Height: 6’4″ (195 cm)
Weight: 260 lbs. (118 kg) off training weight and 220 lbs. (100 kg) in training weight

Gym Work
I tend to warm up with a 30-minute run or cycle then do my workout at the gym. I start with three to four sets of 30 push-ups. Next I do some ab work, alternating 60 reps of sit-ups with any other ab workout. Once this is complete I do some back exercises. I alternate between pull-ups and one-arm rows. I like to do three or four sets of 10. The one-arm rows are done on the pulling machine. I concentrate on using my back and not my arms so I can pull nearly my body weight with one arm. I get close to 100 kg in one arm. After this, I do 3 x 10 triceps push downs and alternate with shoulder presses. And that is all I do. I do this every second day.

Typical Paddling Week
The afternoon/evening is when I paddle. My one golden rule is that if the wind is blowing then I will do a downwind paddle. If I can’t organize a downwind I will find flat water to paddle sprints. I never paddle into the wind if I can help it (I can’t stand it). I tend to do 1 to 1.5 hours every day. In a seven-day week my paddling routine might look like this:

Monday
A solid one-hour paddle at near max cruising pace. This sets the tone for the week. I use a Garmin 305 and try and keep a constant speed for the whole hour and then try to keep my heart rate from going through the roof. The more efficient the stroke the lower I can keep my heart rate. As a percentage of my max heart rate I should be at 80% at the beginning and if I keep the same speed it will be 100% at the end.

Tuesday
This day I concentrate on speed, which is needed for paddling in the sea and catching runs. I do a one-hour paddle after a 10-minute warm-up. I keep race pace but every 20 minutes I do a set of intervals. The set will be 20 strokes on one side followed by 5 strokes rest, then 10 strokes one side, then 5 strokes. This set is done for 20 minutes then back to race pace for 20 minutes. This helps with explosive speed for catching waves.

Wednesday
Depending how I am feeling on the day, I make it a rest day, where I tend to just paddle at 70%, concentrating on style. I will do the odd surge just to test my style but this must be recovery for the next day. I always find flat water for style and technique sessions.

Thursday
This day is for general speed and endurance, and this session can be done on the flat or in the sea with chop. Basically, it is a ladder. Starting at 10 strokes, increasing by 10, till I hit 100 or 150 on each side, then going down all the way back to 10 strokes. The rest is usually 50 strokes. The effort is at max and the easy strokes are for total recovery. This can take about 1 to 1.5 hours to do.

Friday
After the sprint session the previous day, I make this easier intensity. I try for a short downwind or a one-hour race paddle like we did on day one. If am too tired I just do a style session.

Saturday 
I tend to have one day off in the week when I am fit, but if I am not fit and I am in the building phase, I will do a simple but tough session of 10 x 60 stroke (or one minute) with total recovery in between. That is till my heart rate is down to under 100 BPM.

Sunday
I want to make training fun, so I take one of the above sessions and chop and change to make the session interesting. If the wind blows that is a priority.

(Article from Epic Kayaks)