January - 69305 Kg  

With low temperatures and ice covering the harbour - you might think sailors just relax in the winter. Think again.

The limited practice time on the water only gives us an opportunity to focus on other important elements such as physical training. Last month the total weight I lifted in the gym was 69305 Kg.  

This month my sailing activity has been low, which has given me the perfect opportunity to focus on my physical training. During a normal sailing season I loose around 5 Kg of body weight due to the long hours on the water and less time in the gym. Muscle power and physical strength is key elements in winning in windy conditions - you might not see the conditions very often but I remember the final in Danish Open 2009 with 18-25 kn.

To re-gain muscle mass I do weight training 3-4 times a week. My program is composed to ensure injury free progress in the heavy weight workout sessions. The main exercises are Squat, deadlift, bench press and weighted pull-ups. The program I have found to be most effective is doing 3-6 sets and 6 repetitions with 80% of your max weight of the exercise and each week increase the weight by 3%!

By following a fixed scheme I push myself hard but also restrict myself from lifting 10% more and risking an injury. Another important part of my training program is core and shoulder exercises. I have previously had problems with both back and shoulders but after doing a variety of back and abs exercises together with the obligatory warm-up sessions for the shoulder with elastic bands, I haven’t had any problems. Not surprisingly - the right training does help. 

Just for fun (and because I apparently don’t have any thing else to do), I added up the total weight I lifted in January. I got a little surprised when the total weight was 69 tons! Cant wait to ad up the total weight lifted in 2010.