Tokyo Olympic Games: Australian canoeing superstar Jess Fox shares the workout she swears by

Canoeing superstar Jess Fox has shared the exact workout that has helped to make her the best paddler in the world – and it focuses on stability, core strength and mobility.

The French-born Australian world champion, 27, is chasing two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games this week, for the women’s slalom K1 on Tuesday and the women’s slalom C1 on Wednesday.

Jess – who is coached by her mother – has previously won both silver and bronze, at the London and Rio Games in 2012 and 2016, and seven world championships.

Canoeing superstar Jess Fox (pictured) has shared the exact workout that has helped to make her the best paddler in the world – and it focuses on stability, core strength and mobility

The French-born Australian world champion, 27, is chasing two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games this week, for the women’s slalom K1 and the women’s slalom C1 (pictured in the heats in Tokyo on July 25 2021)

As well as training with her ‘secret weapon’ mum, Jess (pictured) works with the trainer, Nam Baldwin, who is a high performance coach at Elevation gym

As well as training with her ‘secret weapon’ mum, she works with the trainer, Nam Baldwin, who is a high performance coach at Elevation gym. 

Nam has trained the likes of Mick Fanning, Pat Rafter and Steph Gilmore in the past. 

A typical workout for the 27-year-old includes activities that requite ‘balance, power and speed’.

Nam told Body&Soul that the idea is to ‘stay calm under that experience’ and challenge ‘the mental side while under duress’. 

‘I’m the sort of person that when I get emotional I just need to get back into it and keep going,’ Jess told the publication.

‘If I stuff up a move on the course in training, I will do it until I get it – I need to get it.’ 

Over the past year, Jess has had to train differently during the pandemic, captioning one home workout from April 2020 as the ‘new normal’ (pictured)

Otherwise, the 27-year-old does a lot of gym work, that works on strengthening her core and shoulder muscles (pictured working out)

Jess Fox’s typical workout

MOVE ONE: Kayaking on a swiss ball – Rest your feet on the swiss ball and use a broom to make strokes each side, keeping your body stable while your arms move.

MOVE TWO: Kneeling on a swiss ball – While kneeling on the swiss ball, hold a broom with a wide grip and rotate your shoulders around, to stretch your chest.

MOVE THREE: Resistance band shoulders – While kneeling on the swiss ball, get a resistance band and do some tricep extensions, shoulder back and forths and full-range extensions.

MOVE FOUR: Med ball slams – While kneeling on the swiss ball, slam the med ball onto the floor 8-10 times.

MOVE FIVE: Intense sit ups – Do 10 ‘intense sit ups’ with a med or swiss ball to add resistance.

Source: Body&Soul 

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A typical gym workout for Jess includes kayaking on a swiss ball, where your feet are on the ball and you use a broom to make strokes each side, making sure to keep your body stable while your arms move.

Jess will then follow this move with kneeling on the swiss ball and using the broom to open up her shoulders.

She holds the broom with a wide grip and rotates her shoulders around, so it stretches her entire chest. 

Next, she’ll focus on her shoulders by kneeling on the swiss ball and doing tricep extensions, shoulder back and forth and full range extensions with a heavy resistance band.

Jess’s exercise regime will finish with medicine ball slams while kneeling on the swiss ball.

These target ‘explosive power and core stability’.

She will also do ‘intense sit ups’ with a medicine ball to add in some extra weight. 

The 27-year-old has been training hard for the Tokyo Olympic Games over the past 12 months.

And while her training may have looked a little different thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jess remains determined. 

She is coached by her mother Myriam, a multiple world championship winning paddler herself who won bronze at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. 

Jess (pictured) is coached by her mother Myriam, a multiple world championship winning paddler herself who won bronze at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996

‘My mum is my secret weapon,’ Jess (pictured) said ahead of competing on Tuesday. ‘She’s taught me so much. It’s a very cool partnership we have.’

‘My mum is my secret weapon,’ Jess said ahead of competing on Tuesday.

‘She’s taught me so much. It’s a very cool partnership we have.

‘Of course, it’s hard to balance out when you get home, you leave the coach hat at the door, but sometimes it still ends up at the dinner table, but I love it.’ 

Her dad, Richard, was also a top British paddler and a multiple world champion in the sport.