A 30-min test applied to stand-up paddleboarding: A pilot study

The popularity of stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) has grown in recent decades, but little is known about SUP training and performance. The current pilot study aimed to analyse performance, biomechanical, and physiological variables during a 30-min all-out test. After a 10-min warm-up, one experienced male paddler(28years) performed a maximal 30-min SUP test wearing a Garmin Fénix 3 HR (Taipei, Taiwan) device. A total distance of 3.70 km was performed, with a mean speed of 2.19 ± 0.32 m.s-1, 52.63 ± 2.62 strokes per minute, and 2.39 ± 0.39 m per stroke. The mean heart rate (HR) was 160.78 ± 3.18 bpm, which corresponded to 85.34% (CI95%: 83.69, 85.69%) of maximal HR, and it was maintained throughout the 30-min test (coefficient of variation [CV]: 1.98%). The stroke rate was more stable throughout the test than the distance per stroke (CV: 4.98% vs. 16.20%). Significant relationships were found between speed and distance per stroke (r = -0.80, p < .001), but not between speed and stroke rate (r = 0.03, p = .75). The 30-min test was found to represent intensity of around 85% of maximal HR. The speed was negatively correlated with the distance per stroke during the test, thus suggesting that decreased distance per stroke will increase the paddling speed at constant intensities.This work is supported by national funding through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under project UID04045/2020