UWDBC Paddling at Sunnyside, 2011

Creatine Supplementation for Dragon Boat & Canoe/Kayak Paddlers

Creatine is one of the most-studied nutritional supplements used by athletes. It is not considered a banned substance by WADA , the IDBF, or ICF as of the time of writing.

It is a substance that is produced naturally in the body and stored in skeletal muscle. It is also found in dietary sources such as meat and fish.

Energy Systems

To understand the function of creatine in training and sport performance, some basic background on the physiology of muscle contraction is helpful. A molecule called ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) is essentially the “fuel” used to supply muscles. There are three energy systems which supply muscle fibers with ATP:

Anaerobic Alactic,  ATP-PC (Phosphagen): This system supplies muscles with energy during the first 10 seconds or less of exercise. Some ATP is stored in the muscles. This is the first source of fuel, and may supply perhaps the first 2 seconds of exercise. Following the depletion of stored ATP, the phosagen system resynthesizes ATP from a substance called Adenosine diphosphate (ADP), using phosphocreatine (PCr). This is where creatine supplementation becomes important, as studies have shown that supplementation can increase muscle stores of PCr.

Anaerobic Lactic (Glycolytic): This system kicks in after the alactic system. Energy in this phase comes from the breakdown of glycogen (stored form of sugar/glucose in the body) without the presence of oxygen, and a by-product is the production of lactic acid (resulting in lactic acid buildup – a phenomenon we have all experienced). This system supplies energy for up to 45 – 90 seconds of exercise.

Aerobic (Oxidative): The aerobic system produces energy from breakdown of glycogen, fats, and proteins, but in the presence of oxygen. This system starts producing energy around 60 seconds into exercise, and continues indefinitely. In the context of dragon boat, canoe and kayak, the aerobic system becomes more important for events in the 1000m range and longer.

In a 500m dragon boat race, or shorter canoe/kayak events, the first two of these systems are most important. The ATP-PC system during the start, followed by the lactic system. 1000m, 2000m and longer events have a greater aerobic focus, and creatine may be less relevant to athletes specializing in these endurance events, except for use in their strength training programs.

Role of Creatine

For athletes competing in these sports, creatine may be beneficial in two distinct roles: for strength training, and in competition.

Strength Training: Studies have shown increases in maximal strength, power output, muscular endurance, and lean muscle mass during resistance training in athletes taking supplemental creatine versus control groups. The expected gains are difficult to quantify, and will vary with the individual, training regimen, and other factors. Numbers vary widely, but gains of 10 – 30 %  in maximal strength following 4 to 6 weeks of supplementation are commonly reported. One study of weightlifters reported significant increases after only 5 days of supplementation. It is worthwhile to note that some studies have failed to show significant improvements from supplementation, indicating that not all individuals may respond to the supplementation, or that other factors (such as their level of training) may influence the effectiveness of creatine supplementation.

It is generally agreed that increases in functional power output (power is force – i.e. strength – * velocity) may contribute to improvements in on-water performance. This is, of-course, the goal of a strength training program, along with the prevention of injuries. Since creatine supplementation has been proven effective in increasing gains in strength and power during strength training, it may lead to improvements in on-water performance through this mechanism.

Competition: Since the ATP-PC system provides the primary fuel for athletes during the start portion of a race, and an increase in PCr stores within muscles has the ability to extend the amount of ATP that can be synthesized by the phosphagen system, it is thought that creatine supplementation can provide benefits during competition, as it does during training. Studies have shown increases in sprint performance from creatine, and the energy system use in a 500m dragon boat race is similar to, for example, a 800m sprint.

Potential Adverse Effects

The consensus is that there is no evidence to support risks of adverse effects from creatine supplementation. Many studies on potential adverse effects have been completed over the past 20+ years, and there have not been any significant findings. Some evidence of increased water retention within muscles has been reported, however this is not considered a risk.

Conclusion

There is significant scientific evidence to support the use of creatine in the training and competition regimens for competitive dragon boat, canoe, and kayak paddlers. It is considered safe to consume, and not banned by athletic agencies. Athletes should take care in selecting a creatine product to ensure that it contains no additives which are WADA (or otherwise) banned, and has not been manufactured in a facility processing such substances, to ensure no adverse analytical findings.

Some relevant studies for further reading:
Effects of creatine supplementation on body composition, strength, and sprint performance

Creatine Supplementation and Exercise Performance

Sports Nutrition in Paddling Sports

Many more

Check it out at: http://watch.bnn.ca/the-pitch/july-2011/the-pitch-july-20-2011/#clip503758

In the months leading up to the 2009 World Dragonboat Championships, I’ve picked up my training – a lot. With less than two months to go, and lots of work left to do, I’ve been trying to fit in as much as possible, outside of working full-time and commuting an hour each way.

I’m trying to cross-train as much as possible to improve cardio, and strength in other muscles that aren’t directly involved in the dragonboat stroke. Part of this is in the form of a little K1 paddling at WRCC,  Also trying to avoid injury as much as possible by strengthening support muscles and opposite groups. I try to follow the above schedule each week, but sometimes it’s difficult to get a.m. runs/swimming in, or Saturday morning paddling. Unfortunately life doesn’t put itself on hold while I train – I still have to stay on top of work and school, which can eat into preparation time.

Another challenge in this compacted schedule is to avoid over-training. Thus far, I’ve (luckily) only suffered one injury from training – a minor knee injury from running sprints. I always try to get a warm-up in of a light jog, followed by stretching.

Paddles up!

I couldn’t be more excited. The dragonboat team I coach at the University of Waterloo, the University of Waterloo Dragon Boat Club (UWDBC) competed in the Toronto International Dragonboat Festival on July 21/22, and finally put UW on the d-boat map. Most of our paddlers had never even picked up a paddle before, just 6 months prior.  The hard work in the gym and pool, combined with good technique paid off for them: With only 6 hours of practice in the boat, the team took a Silver Medal in the Universities ‘B’ final, putting up a time that beat several teams in the ‘A’ final: 2:11. Not too shabby for 6 hours of practice in the boat. The time puts them in a class with serious teams that have been paddling 2 – 3 days a week for years. Top 90 in North America, according to GWN. New club record by 3 seconds.

Better yet than the time, was how pumped the whole team was. On the spot, the boat decided we’d enter the Kiwanis Festival in Waterloo, and compete alongside the other two boats from our club. We also decided to keep paddling throughout the summer, and set a goal to improve even more for next year. They’ve caught the dragonboat fever.

The Festival:

Despite rain and bad weather on the Saturday, the festival ran very smoothly, as usual. The Toronto Chinese Business Association (TCBA) did a great job of keeping everything running roughly on-time and everybody informed. Only two real complaints I heard:

- Sand-bar in Lane #1 makes it unfairly shallow (slow) (this has been a complaint for years)

- Only short paddles (45″ – 47″) provided by the festival (GWN was the provider)

Fun weekend – it’s a shame the TCBA has made it so commercialized (expensive).

This is a long overdue first post in a series to come about my summer of 2009. In early May, I jumped at a awesome opportunity (albeit a long-shot) presented to me. My sister had spent a year prior training with the Team Canada Junior Dragonboat team, that is to compete at the World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic in August of this year. Prior to that, she competed with Team Canada at the last World Championships in Australia (2007). I learned that both the Junior (U17) and Under-23 (U23) national teams were training out of nearby Frenchman’s Bay in Pickering, ON – and that the final rosters had yet to be decided.

I’ve been involved in the sport since high school. I went to (the infamous) Sir Oliver Mowat S.S, which is known across Canada for its’ Dragonboat program (It seems that greater than half of the Team Canada Junior team came from this single high school). The school, and its current 6 boats of paddlers routinely places 1-2-3 or better at major festivals, setting record times. At the 2009 Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival (TIDBF), the school places 1-2-3-5-6 in the high school ‘A’ final, an absolutely astounding feat. Why are they so unstoppable? Likely largely due to the world class coaching they receive from Scott Madil, a teacher at the school, in combination with their intensive training starting in January and continuing all the way into summer vacation. More on Mowat at a later date.

After high school, I moved to Waterloo, ON to attend the University of Waterloo (UW) – a university certainly not known for its Dragonboat talent. For that matter – the university didn’t have an official team or club when I got there. Thanks to some dedicated paddlers (namely George Wang and Phillip Wang), things changed during my first year. George, a classmate of mine, came from another Toronto school with a large Dragonboat program (Earl Haig), and was also disappointed that he couldn’t continue paddling at UW. He founded the University of Waterloo Dragon Boat Club. Soon after, I got involved as the coach of the team we put together. In year one, we put together two boats (about 45 athletes) and paddled at one local festival. After that – things took off. This year we have over 70 athletes involved (three boats), and are paddling in three different festivals this summer. We’ve taken a group of (mostly) inexperienced paddlers with only a few months of practice, and are competing with established universities and clubs (times arond 2:11 at TIDBF).

Anyways, back to Team Canada: After learning that the final rosters had yet to be decided, I started going out to practices with the host club (Pickering Dragon Boat Club – PDBC). The Team Canada Junior and U23 teams are paddling out of PDBC. Following their May training camp/fitness testing, I was offered a spot on the team. We’re going to be representing Canada on the world stage in Prague, Czech Republic, come August. I’m going to try to give a few inside glimpses through these posts into the training and preparation as we prepare this Summer to face the world…

My office, you can just see my desk in the back right corner

So this is where I’m working this co-op term. It’s the upper portion of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)’s “High-Bay” labratory within the John H. Chapman Space Centre, located near St. Hubert, QC. My desk is just barely visiable in the back right corner of the photo. Definitly one of the “cooler” offices I’ve had the opportunity to work in. On the left (and nearly over my head when I’m sitting at my desk) is a mock-up of the CanadArm 2, which was part of Canada’s contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). If you look to the back-left area, you can see that the CanadArm 2 is attached to an aluminum structure. This is known as the Mobile Base System (MBS), or more properly as the Mobile Remote Servicer (MRS) Base System. This unit is designed to travel along a track system that runs along the side of the Internation Space Station.

In the center of the photo is another mockup of the CanadArm 2. This one is of the “shipping” container and the arm in transportation-configuration. This is how the arm was transported up to the ISS, on-board the Space Shuttle Endeavor during STS-100. The photo below depicts the lower portion of the “High-Bay” lab, which can be see if you further to the right of the above panorama.

A view of the CSA's "High-Bay" lab, looking down from the upper mezzanine.

There are all kinds of varying experiments and research projects being conducted at any time. You can see in the back left corner a larger robotic arm (black base). This is one simulated arm from Dextre (a Canadian robot that forms another part of the MRS onboard the International Space Station). It is modifed to use hydraulics, as the actual robot cannot lift its own weight on earth (…gravity). They are doing some research dealing with either training or software/algorithm upgrades with it, I’m not sure on the details. Just for interest, here is a picture of the actual Dextre Robot, at the Kennedy Space Centre, before it was flown up to the ISS:

Dextre at the Kennedy Space Centre after delivery from the CSA

For those of you that don’t know, I’ve just completed my first year in the University of Waterloo’s Mechatronics Engineering program. The university has a unique Co-op program that is mandatory for all engineering programs. Students are required to complete at least 5 of 6 possible 4-month co-op, work-experience terms during their undergraduate degree. I’m currently working on the Robotics Engineering team, under the Spacecraft Engineering group at the CSA, working on some very cool lunar rover development work/research.