Kayaking is a sport that uses muscle groups throughout the body. The main muscles used in kayaking are:

• Abs: The rotational movements you do in kayaking can be very demanding to your core muscles, and thus, these would give the muscles a good workout.

• Back: The back muscles consist of the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and serratus anterior. The latissimus dorsi (lats) are the primary muscles used for kayaking. These muscles are large and wide, and they help distribute power from the back to the lower body. The lats help move energy from the back into the arms. Every stroke you take with the paddle helps strengthen the lats and makes them even more efficient.

• Arms: The upper arm muscles consist of the biceps and triceps, and the biceps and triceps work together to provide the torque power necessary to help move the kayak forward. Both the biceps and the triceps are worked-out as one arm rows in and another counters.

• Forearms: The muscles in the forearms are used to grip the paddle and control the direction of the kayak.

• Legs: The legs are also used quite a bit, whether you are just learning to kayak or going on a kayak tour. Many people don’t think that kayaking uses leg and lower body muscles since it initially appears to be an upper body workout. However, the legs are used to help stabilize the kayak and provide additional power to the paddle stroke.

• Chest: The chest muscles are also used to help move the kayak forward.

• Neck: The neck muscles are used to help stabilize the head and neck during the paddling motion.

Kayaking works out 12 major muscle groups in the body, including abs, biceps, triceps, lats, deltoids (shoulder), quadriceps (thighs), and more. The best way to get strong from kayaking is to kayak as much as possible. The more time you spend in your boat taking strokes, doing sprints, and surfing waves, the faster you will progress in both strength and skill.