Celbridge Paddlers Canoe Club

CPCC Training Handbook

About this document

This ‘handbook’ was prepared in September 2025 to accompany the new structured training program. It was prepared by Fergal Walsh with contributions from Eavan O’Keefe, following program planning discussions with Sean Heneghan and Neil Flemming.

Any errors or inaccuracies are Fergal’s responsibility. Please report them to [email protected]. This is intended to be a living document, improving over time. Any contributions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Quick Overview

Fixed Weekly Schedule:

• Saturday @ 10/11am: 2k/1k/500/250 pieces
• Sunday @ 10am: Long slow paddle 
• Tuesday @ 7pm: Intervals (long in winter, shorter in summer)
• Wednesday @ 7pm: Gym / Circuits
• Thursday @ 7pm: Intervals (long in winter, shorter in summer)

Training Groups

(Subject to change after initial time trials and group allocations)

Reference Docs

All programs, and supporting docs can be found in this shared folder: Training

Introduction

Celbridge Paddlers has always been known as a welcoming club for newcomers to the sport. Most people join the club expecting to be recreational paddlers enjoying scenic leisurely paddles along the canal, the occasional river trip and general fun on the water.

However many of these paddlers soon get hooked on wanting to go further and faster in the tippiest boat they can manage. Before they know it they are paddling multiple times a week and organising their summer holidays around kayak races!

The club has a long history of paddlers who started down this route and turned into Liffey Descent winners, national champions and world class paddlers. Some represented the club and country at international events, some even became world champions and olympians. These people found a sport they loved and a group of like minded people to train with and to share stories and dreams with.

It’s not always been easy though to know how to take our passion for the sport to the next level. Some of us have been lucky enough to train with a coach but more often, we learned from those ahead of us. With all sports clubs there is a turn over of athletes and coaches as people’s interests and priorities in life change. Sometimes this leaves gaps for some cohorts within the club with no obvious path to follow.

The aim of this handbook and the associated program is to provide that path for current and future members by giving them the knowledge and structures so they can progress and achieve their own goals in paddling.

The focus of this handbook and training program is Marathon & Flatwater Racing (aka Sprint). It may seem surprising, but the training for these two is exactly the same. These are the focus because these have traditionally been the disciplines of interest in our club, this is where our knowledge is and these are the disciplines our facilities are most suited for.

This program will also form a solid base for other disciplines such as Wild Water Racing and Surfski but there are additional skill elements of those disciplines that need specific training and dedicated time.

Please note also that we do not intend to reframe the club as a racing focused club. Celbridge Paddlers will always be a welcoming club for people to enjoy canoeing & kayaking as they want. There will never be any pressure on any member to train or race if that’s not something they want to do.

Finally, none of the contents of this handbook or program are revolutionary in any way. We are simply documenting best practices that have worked at the club in the past.

Program Structure

The program is split in 2 seasons: Winter (September -> March) Summer(April - August)

The programme works in four-week blocks:

1. Easy Week
2. Medium Week
3. Hard Week
4. Rest & Test Week.

The training sessions are the same type each week, but the volume increases gradually as the weeks progress. Block A’s Medium Week becomes Block B’s Easy Week. In the fourth week, athletes actively rest by doing light sessions. 

Rest & Test Week

Two tests take place in the fourth week; a gym test and a timetrial. A triathlon takes place on the Sunday of this week.

A gym test measures the athlete’s performance across 1) bench press, 2) bench pull, and 3) pull ups. Follow the protocol in the folder and record your results to refer to each month.

A timetrial is run for 1) 2000m, 2) 500m, and 3) 200m. To note, towards the end of winter, as the programme moves towards a sprint focus, a 1000m timetrial will be taken in place of the 2000m.

A triathlon is run according to the distances everyone wants to do. Transitions take place in the grounds of the club. A timekeeper is recommended. A general guideline is as follows:

1. Short Distance: 5km cycle, 2km run, 5km paddle
2. Long Distance: 10km cycle, 5km run, 10km paddle

How to Train Effectively

• Follow the program
• Be consistent. Don’t miss sessions unnecessarily
• Finish the full session - the last bit is where the gains happen!
• Monitor your own progress, not those around you
• Hydrate well, eat well
• Rest on rest days
• Train at the correct intensity
• Focus on perceived intensity/heart rate rather than GPS speed
• Train at the correct intensity
• Follow the program

Training Zones

The training zones that we use are described below:

• A1: Slow aerobic, no real strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 60min+ (approx 55-75% of max HR)
• A2: Medium aerobic, some light strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 60min
• A3-: Moderate anaerobic, moderate strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 10-20min (approx 85% of max HR)
• A3+: High anaerobic, high strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 4-10min (approx 90% of max HR)
• I1: Sprint pace, paddles of approx. 1-4min
• I2: Sprint pace, paddles of approx 0-1min

How Training Works

The core idea of training is to push our body out of our comfort zone to encourage it to adapt to get stronger.

In simple terms, if we paddle further this week than last week our bodies will adapt to make it easier to paddle even further next week. If we paddle hard today to go fast, our bodies will adapt to make it easier for us to go even harder and faster next week. This adaptation occurs in our arm, shoulder, back, core and leg muscles, our lungs and heart and also our brain. 

At the start it is this simple. The more we paddle, the longer we will be able to paddle for next time. The faster we paddle, the faster we will be able to paddle next time.

This only brings us so far however. After some point we won’t improve so much. If we keep pushing harder and harder and try to paddle more times every week to get even further we will end up injured, sick and frustrated.

We need to train smarter at this point. We need to target different areas in different sessions and focus on training efficiency instead of going all out all the time. In summary, at this point we need to follow a program!

A training program is designed to help us gradually get fitter and faster as efficiently as possible while avoiding illness and injury. 

There is an awful lot going on in the body while we paddle and especially while we race. Scientists have spent decades studying the effects of exercise and training on the body so thankfully we have a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the effects of training on the body. We know about the different energy systems, the different muscle types, the interaction between muscles and brain, and lots more. We also know what muscles and energy systems are involved in Marathon & Sprint kayaking so we can build a solid science based program based on this knowledge.

A training program helps us organise our training so that we train all the necessary components of our bodies without neglecting or overdoing any area. It also helps us progressively put more load on our body to force/encourage it to adapt. This extra load comes with each session as we try to push further or faster or do more intervals than previous sessions. The load also comes from increases in the total weekly volume (the amount of training per week). Our bodies are constantly being pushed past our comfort level so it is very important to manage this carefully. The program gradually increases the load and includes regular easy/rest weeks. Again, we can’t just keep pushing harder every session.

In fact, it has been demonstrated numerous times that elite endurance athletes do 80% of their training at an easy pace, with only 20% at hard intensities. This is not a hard rule, but rather an observation of how they train. It’s useful evidence that training hard all the time may not be the best approach. 

Low Intensity Training

We should aim for most of our training to be at low intensities. Low intensity training works our aerobic system which is the foundation layer of fitness. For endurance sports like kayaking the aerobic system is the main energy source in use. Our aerobic fitness also determines our ability to recover between sessions so the fitter we get, the more we can train, so the fitter we can get. 

Low intensity training includes:

• Long slow paddles (40min+)
• Long intervals at slow pace (15min+)
• Fartlek (slow paddles with occasional short bursts)
• Slow runs/swims/cycles

The Sunday long paddle is the most important of the week. This session should be longer than any other session. It will force our body to efficiently use the aerobic system. This session is purposely placed after the hard Saturday session because it’s even more effective when the body is already tired. Don’t be tempted to switch these around!

High Intensity Training

High intensity training includes:

• 2ks, 1000s, 500s, 250s
• Hard long intervals (10/15/20min pieces)
• Short intervals (8-1, 1-6-1, 10x4min, etc)
• Circuit Training
• Racing
• 10K/5K Timetrials

Higher intensity training has a number of purposes which force specific adaptations in our bodies. The main ones include:

• Stressing our aerobic system to make it more efficient (more speed for same effort)
• Activating and stressing our anaerobic system to improve efficiency
• Training the brain and muscles to coordinate at higher speeds/stroke rates
• Teaching the mind to handle the discomfort of high heart rate and the pain caused by lactate. 

This last point is a key part of intermediate level training. We must learn that our bodies are capable of far more than we think. Our minds don’t like it when we push our bodies hard because we are not used to it. We get scared of how fast our heart is beating and think we must stop NOW! Our muscles scream in pain and beg us to give them an extra minute of rest! 

We must train our minds to overcome these feelings and get used to it. Once our minds calm down our bodies can surprise us with what they are capable of. We learn to feel the difference in intensities and appreciate how our bodies react without begging for it to stop.

High intensity training is stressful on the whole body. We must use it wisely. Each session in the program has an intensity level that we must follow. The same intervals done at different intensities are totally different sessions with very different expected outcomes.

If we start the session at an intensity that is too high we’ll be unable to complete the session. If you notice this happening it’s a very good indicator you are going at the wrong intensity.

The most reliable method of knowing if we are training at the right intensity is to use a heart rate monitor to compare our heart rate to specific zones. These zones should ideally be determined from lab testing but the table below can be used to approximate these based on your age. Athletes in Groups C and above are strongly encouraged to use a heart rate monitor (see note below). Athletes in Groups A & B can guess their intensity by feel. This is much less precise but is sufficient for the types of training these athletes are doing.

Note: When using a heart rate monitor for paddling the watch must be mounted on the boat in front of you so you can see the numbers. The wrist based heart rate monitor built into smart/sport watches is also very inaccurate while paddling. For both of these reasons it is necessary to have a heart rate monitor watch with a chest strap. A constant backlight is also useful for training in the dark.

The training zones that we use are described below:

• A1: Slow aerobic, no real strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 60min+
• A2: Medium aerobic, some light strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 60min
• A3-: Moderate anaerobic, moderate strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 10-20min
• A3+: High anaerobic, high strain on lungs, paddles of approx. 4-10min
• I1: Sprint pace, paddles of approx. 1-4min
• I2: Sprint pace, paddles of approx 0-1min

We must stress this again, most of our training will be prescribed at A1/A2. These sessions should feel easy enough. We must not fall into the trap of feeling like we need to go hard to make gains.

On the other hand if the session says A3+, it should be hard and it should be hard for the whole session. We must find the pace we can maintain for the duration of each piece and be able to do it repeatedly. It should hurt, but we’ll feel good afterwards!

Cross Training

Doing additional sports is great for whole body fitness and keeping things interesting. Running, swimming and cycling and gym are particularly good for cross training for kayaking. Cross training can be used for additional low intensity sessions or as a replacement for some low intensity sessions when we can’t fit in a kayaking session. It is less beneficial to replace high intensity sessions with cross training sessions as these target more muscle specific adaptations. 

We also must be mindful of how much cross training we are doing - where is our primary focus? If we spend more time swimming or running than kayaking per week maybe we should reconsider which is our primary sport? Maybe we just want to be all round fit and try a bunch of different things in various sports. That’s fine too as long as we realise and accept that we are purposely not specialising and will likely not achieve our full potential in any of the sports.

Yearly Program

The program is being developed for a full year in advance. It is broadly split between Winter and Summer. The Winter program is all about long mileage and base fitness. The Summer program focuses on developing speed and racing practice, while maintaining base fitness.

The monthly program for each group (see below) will be posted in the club and online. Included with the program will be a description of each session so everyone (paddlers, parents, facilitators) is aware not only of what to do but why they are doing it.

The program includes progressions in the higher training groups from week to week and month to month to ensure continuous improvement.

Winter Training

The aims of organized winter training are three fold. 

1. develop a strong cardio fitness base, 
2. build strength, and 
3. keep members interested in the sport during the off-season and bad weather.

For groups C and above the first aim is the most important. For A & B it is all about staying involved and staying active.

Weekday evenings are challenging during the dark cold winter. Younger and less experienced paddlers will be restricted to erg/gym/running sessions in the evenings from October. The older paddlers in Group C and above will be expected to paddle on the water as much as possible during nights. Some junior paddlers will be allowed to paddle at night, but some may be restricted to K2 for safety reasons. 

We have to be strict about safety and ensure that all paddlers wear appropriate clothing during winter and have lights at night. Parents should check this for their own children. The senior paddlers and facilitators will be responsible for enforcing this for juniors. Please do not get offended or upset if you or your child is asked to stay off the water.

All paddlers should get one erg session a week–either an interval session or additional low intensity session, to allow them to focus on technique.

Summer Training/Racing

Summer training will follow much of the same structure and pattern as winter training but will include a focus on racing and race practice. Athletes will be encouraged to pick a few races they intend to really race for. They will be encouraged to do other races and 10k series as race practice/training. The training program will incorporate these races so athletes know how to correctly fit them in. It is important that athletes continue to respect the intensity rules during the summer season. Most of the training still needs to be at a slow pace so we need to be careful to avoid turning every session into an all out race. =

Weekly Schedule

To promote group training and community spirit we have regular training days & times throughout the week. Each of these days has a specific session type throughout the season/year. The session type is the same for all groups. 

We should stick to the prescribed session times as much as possible so that we all may benefit from training in larger groups. Please avoid setting up splinter groups for alternative training times!

Blue = Core/High Priority Sessions

Optional

* Optional, in Summer/September Only

Paddlers in the B group might do additional sessions from the C program if they have extra time some weeks.

Training Groups

There are a few different training groups which are determined based on a combination of paddler speed, physical fitness and commitment level. 

Commitment level may be a limiting factor in training, more than physical fitness or current potential. Committing to high levels of training is a personal decision. No one will push any members to train any more than they want to. However the commitment levels prescribed below give an indication of the amount of time required to train to the level necessary to compete at various levels.

Training groups will be mixed gender and age. This is partly because we don’t have sufficient numbers within categories to make it practical to have separate groups. All group members will be of broadly similar speed and fitness but the athletes must be aware that paddlers at certain ages improve speed at different rates. It is important that everyone evaluates their own improvements relative to time & distance rather than in comparison to their training peers.

The volume of training specified in these programmes is aspirational and recognises that not every member of a certain group will be able to attend all sessions; nonetheless the programme offers a guide for gradual progression at every level. We also recognise that the aim of some club members is not to train, but rather to paddle recreationally, and this is recognised in the programmes. We hope to ensure that every club member will be able to match their aims and goals with one of the described groups.

Combinations of these groups will train together but some sessions will be longer for the higher groups.

A Group: 

• Who: 
  • Summer camp graduates
  • New joiners after a few intro sessions
  • Recreational paddlers (paddlers not wishing to do structured training)
• Aims: 
  • Develop boat skills in GP & Stable K1
  • Develop base paddling fitness and strength
  • Develop a love for paddling
• Expected Commitment: 2 days a week (Saturday & Sunday)

B Group: 

• Who: 
  • Stable K1 paddlers able to do a continuous 5k <40min?
• Aims: 
  • Improve boat skills in Stable K1
  • Improve base paddling fitness and strength
  • Develop a love for training
  • Start or continue racing (Junior Series/Marathon Series GP/Div 7-6)
• Expected Commitment: 2-3 days a week (Saturday & Sunday + 1 day)

C Group: 

• Who: 
  • K1 paddlers able to do a continuous 10k <66min
  • 5k < 30min?
  • Marathon Div 5/4 Standard
• Aims: 
  • Improve boat skills in K1
  • Improve base paddling fitness and strength
  • Train consistently for the year
  • Racing (Junior Series/Marathon Series GP/Div 5-4/ National Championships)
• Expected Commitment: 3+ days a week

D Group: 

• Who: 
  • 10k < 59min?
  • 5k < 27 min?
  • Marathon Div 4/3 Standard
• Aims: 
  • Build base fitness year on year
  • Increase lactate threshold
  • Train consistently for the year
  • Racing (Junior Series/Marathon Series Div 4-3/ National Championships)
• Expected Commitment: 4+ days a week

E Group: 

• Who: 
  • 10k < 50 min?
  • 5k < 24 min?
  • Marathon Div 1/2 Standard
• Aims: 
  • Build base fitness year on year
  • Build strength year on year
  • Increase lactate threshold
  • Increase power & speed
  • Racing (Marathon Series Div 1-2/ National Championships/ International)
• Expected Commitment: 6+ days a week, 1-2 sessions per day

Coordination & Supervision

In the earlier groups (A, B) with more less experienced members and younger members there is a need for someone to take on the leader/facilitator role to ensure the session runs smoothly for everyone. The session leader can be an adult paddler who is participating or a parent or other adult who is available on the bank. The session leader can change from session to session but coordination will be required to ensure there is always someone around for each session.

They are responsible for:

• Making sure the correct session is done (check the program)
• Explaining the session
  • The times/distances/rests
  • The purpose and intensity aim (this is very important)
• Gathering everyone on the water to start the session
• Coordinating the start of watches if necessary
• Giving encouragement
• Watching out for the well being of the paddlers, esp. younger members

They do not need to have any qualifications, coaching experience or paddling skills themselves.

For the most part the later groups should be self organising. A big part of being an athlete is taking personal responsibility for training and racing preparation. As a club we should encourage members to develop these skills. It is each athlete's own responsibility to ensure they get on the water on time to start the session. They should check the program in advance to know the details of the session.

Assistance from someone on the bank with a stop watch may be necessary/appreciated for some sessions.

Racing

TODO

Workshops

We intend to run monthly or 2-monthly workshops (probably during the rest&test week) on various topics. Some of these will be on the water, some will be gym based and some may be talk/presentation/Q&A style. These will be run by the more experienced senior club members.

Topics may include: 

• How to Train: An introduction to the training program
• Technique: ergs in gym and video
• Nutrition for training & racing
• Sport Psychology
• Portages
• Racing Tactics
• Core strength exercises
• Pool Sessions (Level 2 skills, Winter)
• Suggestions?

At some times river trips will replace these workshops.

Q & A

TODO

Sessions

See the Session Explainers page