C-Forum

swimingmexican wrote:What are these Golden Monkeys you speak of.

Kaz - Which of the Hammer products? We can order that from http://millbrookboats.com/ right?

Big Al - You know the Monkey likes bananas

You can also try a trick I learned from marathon racing. In the flats, you don't use the fingers on your t-grip hand, so wiggle 'em. Instead of correction or cross-strokes, switch hands so you can wiggle the fingers on your other hand.

Mike,
It's called Endurolytes. It's all natural. Available in powder or capsules.
Powerbar also makes a similar product, as probably other companies as well.

Jkaz

re Golden Monkies


IMHO, this should be the paddlers shuttle drink of choice -- 9.5% alcohol and a wicked good taste. Mix this with a fine Cuban and life is SWEET.






Big Al

Big Al posted

re Golden Monkies


IMHO, this should be the paddlers shuttle drink of choice -- 9.5% alcohol and a wicked good taste. Mix this with a fine Cuban and life is SWEET.

...and riding shotgun is scary!!!!!

Al - You need that logo with the one eye on your helmet!

OK then some fine brewer needs to put up a high alcohol beer with high potassium electrolytes level and we could have there the perfect take out - shuttle (and possibly eddy break) beverage!

Potentially flavored with some green mexican spices too!

That golden monkey picture is SO good.

Doesn't it make you want to have a taste RIGHT NOW?




Big Al

Big Al,
This is a common problem in motocross racing refered to as arm pump. I can ride 30 minutes practicing and it doesn't happen but 5 minutes after the gate drops in an actual race my forearms, wrists, and fingers sometimes will get very tight loosing the feeling of the grips and not even knowing how tightly I'm gripping. It's nerves causing this in my case. Stretching your forearms and wrists before and during the activity helps. The most common stretch is to use the palm of one hand against the bottom of the fingers on the other and push the fingers back until you feel a good stretch in the forearm and hold for a few seconds then alternate sides.
If it's nerves in your case it should be easy to determine just by paddling some easier water that you're really comfortable on and see if it still happens. Also make sure your jacket isn't to tight around your wrists.
Now I have armpump from typing.

markzak wrote:In kayak instruction, kayakers are taught to have one hand locked on the paddle, usually their right hand, and have one hand less tightly gripped, which allows you to feather the paddle in one hand while maintaining a solid grip at all time.

Not "are." "used to be." You can't get good power if your right hand is locked all the time, because you won't be pushing the shaft at the right wrist angle. I teach kayakers to wave the fingers of their top hand in flatwater to keep working the forearm muscles and prevent them from cramping up. Then you lock down whichever hand is pulling when you need to get serious.

So in a C-boat, relax your grip hand whenever you can, and swap sides if you can. I'm pretty worthless on the left, but I paddle over there in the flats to change up the muscles.

I have had claw hands so bad that I couldn't get undressed at the end of the run. Electrolytes made the difference for me. Now I do a liter of water and about .75 liter of Gatorade or such while on the river, and i haven't had a bad attack in a long time.

Steve

Lengthy--- there is actually a vibration reflex so that if your bike is a real shaker, and the shaking is in the 100 Hz range, and that vibration reaches your forearm muscles, then stretch receptors in those muscles may cause them to tighten.

Fortunately, the extensors get shaken as well as the flexors, but the flexors tend to be dominant. As you say, pre-stretching is helpful, as well as trying not to grip harder than necessary.

Back to paddling--- Once while running Little River Canyon, we stopped near the skylift for lunch. I'd had a hard morning, first portaging the boat down and then dealing with unfamiliar rapids.

After lunch, both my forearms seized up. Remember the old saw about not swimming for an hour after lunch? Probably has more to do with electrolytes. Anyway, I thought I was going to have to drag the boat out at skylift, but after patient stretching and massaging, I was able to pussy-paddle along, gripping softly as possible. The crampiness subsided, and I had my usual good run of Bottleneck.

It was a scary situation, though. What if I had cramped up on a much more difficult river?

Big Al... hand cramps/finger cramps... I get em when I'm white knuckling it all run, am dehydrated from drinking all night the night before, and paddling on 2 hrs of sleep.

The key is don't squeeze your paddle too hard when it starts happening, ease up on the grip, drink some water, and try and tough it up.

If you stay hydrated(water not beer) the 'claw' doesn't happen as much.

One other trick. Stick your arm straight out forwards, palm up. Use the other hand to pull your fingers down and back toward your elbow. Stop pulling when it hurts.

Steve