SUP Race Prep — Phase 1: Base
Phase 1 — Base May 2 – May 23, 2025

Aerobic Base &
Zone Familiarity

Duration: 3 weeks On-water: 2 sessions/week Land: 2 sessions/week Weekend class: May 2 (Michael)
You probably already do regular Z2 paddling. The aim of Phase 1 is to build your endurance base by extending your Z2 sessions, build the hip and shoulder mobility to prevent injury, and introduce Z3 so it's a familiar gear when we start using it more in Phase 2. Solo sessions are conditioning only. Technique and race-specific skills are covered in the weekend classes.
Week1
Establish the routine · confirm your zones
May 2 – May 9
On-water · Weekend Class Saturday May 2
Zone Calibration — Intervals at Every Level
Z1Z2Z3Z4
A short land intro covers the program and zone system, then you'll paddle through each zone so they're felt references rather than abstract numbers. By the end you should be able to find and hold any zone without a monitor.
90 minutes including land intro
Structure
  1. Land intro: program overview, zone system, talk test (~15 min)
  2. 10 min Z1–Z2 warm-up
  3. 5 min Z2 sustained
  4. 3 × 3 min Z3 with 2 min Z1 recovery
  5. 2 × 2 min Z4 with 3 min Z1 recovery
  6. 1 × 1 min all-out Z5
  7. 15 min Z2 cool-down
  8. Debrief: which zone was hardest to hold?
On-water · Solo Mid-week (or Tue group)
Z2 Steady
Z2
Use the May 2 calibration to confirm you're in Z2 — full sentences, breathing noticeable but easy. Tuesday group paddle substitutes if attending.
60 minutes
Structure
  1. 10 min Z1 warm-up
  2. 45 min steady Z2
  3. 5 min Z1 cool-down
Land · Mobility + Activation 2× this week
Hip & Shoulder Foundation
Movement quality over load. Keep everything controlled — these sessions build the foundation for harder work in Phases 2 and 3.
30 minutes · 2 sets
Exercises
  • Hip flexor stretch — kneeling lunge, 45 sec/side
  • Glute bridge — 12 reps, 2-sec hold at top
  • 90/90 hip rotations — 8/side
  • Thoracic rotation — 8/side
  • Dead bug — 8/side
  • Bird dog — 8/side, 3-sec hold each rep
  • Band pull-apart — 15 reps
  • Wall slide — 10 reps
  • Prone Y-raise — 10 reps, slow and controlled (no weight or 1–2 lb)
  • Band straight arm raise — 12 reps
Zone discipline: Z2 should feel almost too easy for the first 20 minutes. Most paddlers drift up — if in doubt, go easier.
Week2
Extend aerobic duration
May 10 – May 16
On-water · Solo Weekend
Z2 Long
Z2
Push the long session to 75 minutes. Hydrate well beforehand. Pure Z2 throughout.
75 minutes
Structure
  1. 10 min Z1 warm-up
  2. 60 min steady Z2
  3. 5 min Z1 cool-down
On-water · Solo Mid-week (or Tue group)
Z2 Steady
Z2
Same as week 1. Hold Z2 consistently — no surges, no chasing another paddler into a higher zone. Tuesday group paddle substitutes if attending.
60 minutes
Structure
  1. 10 min Z1 warm-up
  2. 45 min steady Z2
  3. 5 min Z1 cool-down
Land · Mobility + Activation 2× this week
Hip & Shoulder Foundation — add hip CARs
Same routine as week 1. Add hip CARs — slow full-range hip circles that build active control through the range of motion you use on the board.
30–35 minutes · 2 sets
Exercises
  • Hip flexor stretch — 45 sec/side
  • Glute bridge — 12 reps, single-leg if comfortable
  • 90/90 hip rotations — 8/side
  • Hip CARs — 5 slow circles/side (new)
  • Thoracic rotation — 8/side
  • Dead bug — 8/side
  • Bird dog — 8/side, 3-sec hold
  • Band pull-apart — 15 reps
  • Wall slide — 10 reps
  • Prone Y-raise — 10 reps
  • Band straight arm raise — 12 reps
Check-in: If the 75-minute session felt genuinely easy, good — that's the point. If it felt hard, there's aerobic work to do and this is the right phase to do it.
Week3
First Z3 exposure
May 17 – May 23
On-water · Solo Weekend
Z2 Long
Z2
Longest session of Phase 1. Pure Z2 throughout. Duration is a target, not a minimum.
80 minutes
Structure
  1. 10 min Z1 warm-up
  2. 65 min steady Z2
  3. 5 min Z1 cool-down
On-water · Solo Mid-week (or Tue group)
Z2 with Z3 Intervals
Z2Z3
First structured Z3 work. Z3 should feel noticeably harder than Z2 but controlled — short phrases, deeper breathing. The goal is zone familiarity, not fitness stress. Tuesday group paddle substitutes if attending.
55–60 minutes
Structure
  1. 10 min Z1–Z2 warm-up
  2. 2 × 5 min Z3 with 5 min Z2 recovery between
  3. Remainder at Z2
  4. 5 min Z1 cool-down
Land · Mobility + Activation 2× this week
Hip & Shoulder Foundation — add band row
Add the band row — the first pulling exercise in the program. Targets the posterior shoulder and upper back, the primary injury-prevention focus for paddlers. Light load, deliberate movement.
35 minutes · 2 sets
Exercises
  • Hip flexor stretch — 45 sec/side
  • Glute bridge — 12 reps, single-leg
  • 90/90 hip rotations — 8/side
  • Hip CARs — 5 circles/side
  • Thoracic rotation — 8/side
  • Dead bug — 8/side
  • Bird dog — 8/side, 3-sec hold
  • Band row — 12 reps, squeeze shoulder blades, slow eccentric (new)
  • Band pull-apart — 15 reps
  • Wall slide — 10 reps
  • Prone Y-raise — 10 reps
  • Band straight arm raise — 12 reps
On the Z3 intervals: If 5 minutes feels very easy, check you've actually left Z2. If it feels very hard, you've gone too far — Z3 is comfortably hard, not suffering.