VICTORIA, British Columbia — Dan Tarnow, 40, is a semi-professional stand up paddleboard (SUP) athlete and the vice president of Surf Canada. He has always enjoyed high-adrenaline, competitive sports, including surfing, snowboarding and downhill mountain biking.

But in 2013, another driver ran a red light and struck the side of Dan’s vehicle. “I woke up in an ambulance,” Dan said. Among many severe injuries he sustained, the cartilage in his spine was damaged. “The doctors had me on all kinds of medications,” Dan said, “It just made me a drooling mess.” He was depressed and missed being active and out in nature. So, Dan got off of the medications and back on his surfboard, “But my back would start hurting so bad, because you have to arch your back to paddle properly.”

Dan was discouraged until his brother-in-law told him to try SUP. Since SUP engages the arms and shoulders rather than back muscles, Dan found it comfortable and enjoyable. “I found out later on that there was a race circuit,” Dan said, and “If there’s a reason to race something, I’m in.” He started winning local races and SUP surf competitions; but during longer events, “My body would really start to ache, because my shoulders and arm muscles would fatigue,” and compensate with his back muscles.

Yet Dan didn’t let this stop him from joining Team Canada SUP. While looking for a training method to build his muscles without straining them, Dan heard about Charge Fitness (CF). CF employs electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), using electrodes to activate muscle contractions and provide short-duration, low-impact, high-intensity workouts. Dan said that after trying a session, “I couldn’t believe how good I felt.”

CF then developed a regimen just for Dan. In two 25-minute sessions per week for four months, using a shortened paddle and a skim board (both from Dan’s sponsor, Cascadia Board Co.), mounted on a balance ball, Dan wore an EMS suit that sent electrical pulses to key muscle groups. “It would give me resistance in my forearms and upper body, as if I was paddling through water,” Dan said, but unlike training on water, he could pinpoint and develop certain muscle groups without fatiguing others.

In 2018, Dan went to the International Surfing Association (ISA) World SUP and Paddleboard Championship games in Wanning, China. Thanks to his training, “I hadn’t been in that good of shape ever in my life.” Considering his journey from recovery to joining Team Canada SUP with the help of EMS, Dan said, “I don’t know any other method really that could get somebody there.” After the games, Dan took a step back from competing to spend more time with his family.

Of the virtues of his sport, Dan said, “I love that anybody can do it.” He now paddleboards alongside his wife and their two young children. Dan also appreciates SUP’s versatility: “You can paddle as hard as you want to [or] just use it for exploring.” And he encourages anyone interested in SUP to, “just try it.”

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