Blog Post

How to Shoot A Canon Ball Out Of A Canoe

Kevin Kohan, PES, Sport Nutrition Specialist, Certified Gym Jones Instructor • Jul 14, 2021

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How to Shoot A Cannon Out Of A Canoe 

At HIT Fitness Warehouse we pride ourselves on our foundational strength. And our foundation is our lower body. It’s at least every day we hear… “Man more legs today...” or “there’s no lower body in this work out today right?” —- I give the same response every damn time ... "IT’S LEG DAY EVERY DAY AT HIT FIT!" .... (brief pause...) "when does a day go by when your not using your legs?" "There isn’t... so we train accordingly." "We Train For Life!"


You might have heard this before. “You can’t shoot a cannon out of a canoe.”


What does that mean? Pretty simple. Place a cannon (or other projectile device) in a canoe (or other lightweight water vessel) in a body of water. Shoot it and see what happens. BOOM. Because the water provided a poor base of support to maximally launch the projectile, only minimal distance will be achieved. Hence, you can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe.

 

Now, place the cannon on land and let it rip. Greater distance will be obtained due to a more stable launching support. It's simple physics and the cannon-canoe example has implications for most athletics events. Possessing a weak base results in less than optimal performance results.



A Lesson From Isaac Newton

 

 

Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” 

With that in mind, we can further analyze the cannon-canoe situation. Shoot a cannon out of a canoe and it will be a dud because the force of the cannon shot (the action) will not be countered by the weak opposing force of the canoe and water (opposite reaction.) Launching a cannon shot from solid ground will create a better result due to the greater opposing force supplied by the stable ground.

 

Here's what you most likely know by now. A stronger base of support (launching pad) improves your potential to exhibit a better end result (opposite reaction). 


 🚨... So the message for you athletes and/or anyone wanting to improve your health, wellness and performance is to improve the strength of your lower body to optimize your launching ability regardless of your sport, job or task.

 

The legs. They get you from point A to B. They're a woman's (and man's) best friend. They're the genesis for all skill executions. Throw a ball or other implement, raise a resistance overhead, or perform any activity while on your feet and it starts on the ground with your lower-body musculature.  Jumping, sprinting, or changing directions on the playing field? Well, you don't do them while in a handstand position.

 

Let's look at reality. Go to a gym during the busy times of the day and see what equipment is the most popular. You'll see most trainees lying on the benches, in front of the mirror doing bicep curls, doing flies on the cable crossover device, maybe attempting some chin-ups. How many are squatting or deadlifting? Maybe a few. Do you notice anyone truly grinding out a hard set of leg presses? Probably not. Many leg workouts - if done at all - may consist of a few leg extensions, some half-assed half squats, or leg curls, and all with minimal training intensity. Working the legs properly takes effort, is difficult, and manifests itself in some serious huffing and puffing, which is why many safely opt for the upper body stuff.

 

 

But having a strong lower body is way too important to skip out on:

 

In most athletic competitions, an enhanced lower-body improves your ability to perform at your maximum potential.

All things equal, working the legs requires more energy and places a greater demand on the cardiovascular system.

Similarly, a gut-wrenching leg workout burns more calories, thus contributing significantly to the goal of fat loss.

Stronger legs equals less risk of serious knee injuries.

Well-developed glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves augment your appeal when donning a swimsuit.

A better-conditioned lower body allows you to be more productive if you work on your feet or need that extra burst in your daily tasks.

 

Training the lower body to achieve measurable results is not fun. It hurts. It can be exhausting. It can mentally break you down. But don't be one of those "upper body-only" people who own a pair of under-developed legs and a disproportionate torso (can you say Johnny Bravo?).

 

If you’re dreading doing the leg work, here’s some great news: lower body workouts do not have to be painstakingly lengthy. That's right, you can knock them out with a few exercises and few (but demanding) sets.

 

After digging deep into my workout archives, I selected a time-proven lower body workout below that has worked well for athletes, clients and myself. I know they are productive because I have subjected myself to them as well. They are simple to understand, but difficult to do. After all, that is what proper strength training should be: easy to comprehend, but challenging to do.

 

Workout 1: 100 Rep Squat x Body Weight

 

This is about as simple as it can get: load your body weight equivalent on a barbell and perform 100 repetitions. That is, if your scale weight is 205 pounds, load the bar with 205 pounds and go for 100. Most likely, you will not be able to get 100 repetitions in your first bout, so stop to rack the weight to garner a modest break. That's okay. Just don't rest too long - rest no longer than 2:00. Following that maximum of 2:00 between bouts, continue your journey to the 100-rep goal. It may require five to six bouts to get there, but find a way to achieve 100 total repetitions.  This is one of the best benchmark workouts that's aimed to develop your "Relative Strength", your strength relative to your bodyweight.

 

Too easy? Well, here's the kicker: the next time you attempt this workout do more repetitions before you have to take your first break, and lessen that 2:00 rest time between sets. Still too easy? Imagine you weigh 25 pounds more than you currently do. Now, try to get 100 repetitions with that resistance

 

Remember, legs are a man's (and woman's) best friends when getting from point A to point B. To optimally shoot a cannon out of a canoe, strengthen your lower body.


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