25/05/2026
How much should you be bending your bottom arm during the power phase of the SUP stroke? It’s very easy to get this wrong, and instantly transfer the workload from the big, capable muscles that you should be using, to much smaller muscles far less suited for the constant workload required for stand up paddleboarding.
Note, if you're sprinting, or cranking for maximum power like when you're trying to catch a wave while SUP surfing, then the efficiency goal goes out of the window, and every possible bit of power that can be extracted from the body for this extremely short term gain can and should be used. So you will see top paddlers bending their bottom arms, for this reason. Nevertheless, for sustained paddling, particularly in a more recreational context, for non-elite paddlers, bending that bottom arm should be avoided as much as possible, to avoid bringing those small upper arm muscles into play.
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