Balance is lost as we age. How can rowers learn balance - in the boat, in life and physical balance? How to balance a quad scull.
03:00 Balance as you age.
Typically it changes around age 50. There is a loss of muscle mass - it affects co-ordination like walking and neuro-muscular aspects like hearing and vision as well.
04:45 Balance can be trained and maintained. Keep your muscles in good condition. Notice changes in your balance.
05:30 standing balance - it's more challenging.
08:30 Sitting balance. Use a swiss ball /physio ball.
Sit with hips and knees at 90 degrees. Arms to side in a T position. Lift one leg and extend it.
Does it challenge your balance?
Get comfortable doing this. Then raise both legs off the floor.
11:14 Try a V-sit, sit on the floor raise legs as well as torso. Balance on sit-bones. Can you balance?
13:00 How to balance a quad scull.
17.00 'Transitioning land to boat - getting into the boat. One leg squats help train strength.
Also concentric & eccentric motion. Lowering your weight to sitting is a good progressive exercise.
21:00 Why a 2x is easier to balance than a single scull.
The boat is wider - it sits in the water with more surface area of the hull under the water. A narrow beam is more sensitive.
23:00 Tension kills boat speed
We need endurance training at low rate but golly it's boring. Learn some strategies to pass the time profitably investing in improving your performance and training consistency.
02:00 Low intensity sessions - how to approach them.
Common training mistake is to do the lower intensity session too hard. "Conversational level" workout - can you sing while rowing?
It trains your heart - it is beating slower and pumps more blood per heartbeat. A conditioning effect is lower morning heart rate as a result. This builds capillary density.
05:00 Goal is training consistency. Build a data set of your scores. Keep the training effect the same, even if you have to cut the workout shorter.
You become more fatigue resistant. Improve your recovery time between races in the summer because you're fitter from winter training.
09:30 Make technique corrections during your long erg workouts.
12:00 Choose a technical focus - every 5 minutes do one technical improvement for one minute. Repeat every 5 minutes.
14:00 Listen to audio books, podcasts while you work out. If you stop rowing during the session, it takes 3 minutes for the capillaries to start closing down. You could do a core exercise and re-start without losing the training effect.
A psychological break.
17:00 Rebecca counts strokes - chasing the average split number for your programmed workout. How many strokes to reduce the average by 0.1?
Consistency - in power, rate, technique and mental approach is your goal.
Concentration is a big element of racing - you can build up your concentration skill here and it will be beneficial.
Exercise with weights linked to lower risk of early death, study says.
Why we need MORE gym work as we age.
02:00 Weight lifting makes us stay healthier, longer. Being Active as well as doing weight lifting had 14% to lower risk of premature death. Other types of exercise were also included.
04:00 Mortality risk appears to be lowest for those adults who reported doing weightlifting. They had a 9% lower “all-cause mortality risk” Masters rowers are already active so staying strong gives greater quality of life. 06:00 How quickly can you walk across the street? A measure of ageing.
07:00 Thinner This Year book by Jen Sacheck - Muscle Nutrition specialist. It's a lifestyle book with great advice.
09:00 Muscle as the grand negotiator of body signals.
Stimulus must be constantly there to keep your muscles alive.
Muscles:-
13:00 Strategies that work for you. Work out at least twice a week with weights. You need recovery between sessions.
Get into shape BETWEEN not during sessions.
Joe de Leo suggests different off-season and on-season weight training.
16:00 when we row it's load bearing but that isn't that doing weights.
How about power strokes in the rowing boat? No - that's strength endurance. Rowing is repetitive and compared to a one Rep Max lift, one stroke is a low load Goal of strength training is to activate more muscle fibres to fire at the same time. We lose our slow twitch muscles as we age.
18.00 Other ways to increase resistance in your training:
23:30 kettle bells 25lb or 12kg are worth buying for your home gym. Bags with weights Nested dumb bell weights.
26:00 Strength training does not need a lot of time. Ideal rowing home gym.
Transitioning seasons to Winter / Summer is a key point in the training year for masters rowers. Key things to do and watch out for.
01:00 What are season transitions in rowing? When you have completed any training period there is a transition that follows. Give yourself some recovery time and down time.
03:50 What is base level training? Lower intensity for aerobic work. Include cross training. When changing activities - be careful to do this gradually. It is new for your muscles.
07:00 Beware gardening - any intense yard work can injure you. Stacking firewood - it's the unusual positions you get into when raking, chopping wood.
12:10 Getting back on the erg.
Workout I - do a ten minute warmup. 15 minutes continuous rowing + stretch 10 minutes continuous.
Week 2 move to 20 minutes continuous rowing + 10 minutes after the stretch.
Week 3 move to 2Ă—20 minutes
Week 4 do 30 minutes continuous. Then build up gradually towards 45 or 60 minutes rowing.
17:30 Do several weeks erging before doing a test of any type.
19:00 Things to work on for yourself.
Muscle imbalances, stiff hamstrings. Use our Functional Movement Assessment free course to get 10 physical tests for your personal mobility.
Is having self-compassion "giving up"?
01:00 Tune in to your feelings and know the 'big picture' of training. Be your own best friend - look out for yourself.
Energy fluctuates - what's your energy level? Sometimes the programmed workout doesn't align with your energy levels.
02:30 Most rowers are not lazy. Compassion is not the same as laziness.
Steven Seiler says masters do 200 - 250 workouts a year. If you take time out it will recharge your batteries and quality of life.
04:30 When tired, your judgement is impaired.
A fatigue state is not calm. If you miss one or two sessions, carry on training. If you miss more than a week, review your physical state and you may need to repeat the missed sessions, or build back gradually.
07:00 Learn to work hard in long training. A well designed plan will build up to this point. It can be scary the first time. Repeat workouts to get better at this session. Get confident. Give an honest effort.
10:00 Learn to watch puddle size.
Get grip on the water by picking up speed rowing one at a time or in pairs and join in the rest of the crew. Learn to move quicker to keep the grip on the water. Erg sessions teach you consistency and efficiency. Learn to row harder and increase the meters rowed.
Mental toughness. Keep your workouts challenging but not impossible.
14:30 Question about testing and drag factor on the erg. This load (gearing) should match the gearing of your boat.
23:00 Book of the month Warriors by Danielle Brittain - the team doctor for the South African Rowing Team and mother to four rowers reviewed by Jess di Carlo.
Dealing with foot cramps, forearm cramps & whiplash in the rowing boat.
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing
Running a sculling camp. Collecting post-regatta feedback - 10 things you did really well and 10 things you'd like to improve.
09:45 Cramps in the boat. First look at nutritional causes - your electrolyte balance of calcium, magnesium, potassium levels. Check your hydration as well. Check your muscles - are you gripping too hard?
12:15 Muscle goes into contraction in a cramp and does not want to unlock or release. Calcium aides this muscle release. Neurological release by contracting the opposite muscle. Reciprocal inhibition if you contract one muscle the antagonist muscle must relax. Foot cramps - lift up your toes to contract the top of your foot muscles to relieve in the arch of your foot.
15:10 Calf muscle cramps
Extend your leg and pull the toes towards you. Also use elastic bands. A Charley Horse is a common US name for a muscle cramp.
17:30 Hamstring cramps
Contract your quadricep hard to release. Extend your knee and straighten your leg. Lie on the floor and lift your leg up straight off the floor.
20:00 Forearm cramps - often caused by tension in the hand.
Frequently happens when you switch from sweep to scull or swap sides in sweep. Avoid cramps by getting into the rowing stroke rhythm and release your hands within the stroke. Let the handle move with your fingers. Keep the circulation going.
If you do get a forearm cramp, raise your arm and pump your fist open and closed. Must be above the height of your heart.
Marlene-ism "Let the oarlock be an oarlock". 25:30 Abductor muscle cramp This is probably caused by the glute medius. Squeeze a water bottle between your knees to release.
27:30 Whiplash - if you get this in the boat when looking around quickly it's hard to release.
Warm up the muscle, stretch it and massage it with your fist or fingers. Cold muscles are more susceptible to cramps.
30:00 Thixotropic ligaments and tendons. Getting cramp towards the end of an outing happens. Take a little cooked potato with salt, or electrolytes or a banana to prevent this.
33:00 Question: How to work with a squad of different skill levels. Develop your sculling ability - have a pathway to progress. What am I signing up for? Set outings for integration with more experienced people. Switch seats in crew boats.
38:30 Pontoons from Revolution Rowing give stability for singles and doubles, as do Wraptor Balance pontoons.
Rowing is a sport that rewards discipline. Book of the Month | Faster Masters Rowing Radio - the podcast for masters rowers. Tips, advice and discussion from Marlene Royle and Jess DiCarlo.
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing. 03:05 Jess discussed her book choice
Rowing Through the Barbed Wire Fence – Rima Karaliene.
What it was like rowing in the Eastern Bloc from 1960s. 13:30 Privileges came with the elite sport team membership in Soviet Union.
27:20 We discussed the concept of discipline being connected to a goal to help you make decisions and create good habits.
Book Mental Discipline: The pursuit of peak performance by Mike Livingston
29:00 Rule followers are one type of discipline follower.
30:00 The 80/20 type people mean you are highly likely to be successful. To get the benefits of what you are trying to accomplish with your goals. Regular practice of discipline improves your skills.
33.00 Knowing yourself helps - do you need a team or a training partner?
Balancing a boat is easier with personal balance skills - core strength combines with boat handling skills.
Timestamps
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing.
04:14 The training program for August 2022 from Faster Masters
Training module - 1k program peak
5k program for Oct & November peak
HOCR specific program
Fitness is standalone 5 workouts for fat burning, endurance or strength endurance
Land training includes Balance Exercises in the gym
Benefits of having a rowing accountability partner
09:00 Body balance exercises
Supportive of our movements for ageing athletes
Balance is trainable over time.
11:00 The J-curve drill -Rebecca's favourite balance exercise in the boat
14:30 A basic pause drill at part of the cycle. Count One 1000, Two 1000 then go
Choose a point in the recovery to do it.. Marlene prefers arms and body away. It completes the acceleration phase.
Variations you can introduce
Do it at low speeds and low ratings but with good pressure
20:00 - Podcast offer for new supporters - make a podcast donation and want to get the video of the J-curve drill message us.
24:00 Body balance exercises standing
28:00 Single leg jump
29:30 A listener question from Bernie - balance getting into the boat - from a dock
Should we prioritise our rest more? How much is right for my training? Marlene and Rebecca run through some pointers for you to review.
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing - who is the fund raising group in your club?
04:00 Corporate rowing if you’re interested in a discussion - get in touch.
05:00 Marlene’s rigging dock talk
07:00 book of the Month with Jess di Carlo is Olaf Tufte’s Skjerpins. This literally means “sharpening” or more prosaically “Get a grip - you can always get better”. It's in Norwegian and Jess used Kindle translate function to read it.
10:30 Olaf is strong on visualisation and spent 10 minutes working on the first stroke before the Beijing Olympic final.
15:00 Hiking with his family - he found himself in trouble and said 'get the breathing right and the head will follow'.
21:00 Start rowing slowly and rebuild the stroke from the basics after a set back.
Peaks require a rest and reset before another peak event. Recover - between your sessions each week - between each is a recovery period. Sleep is terrific for recovery as is nutrition and hydration. Glycogen in your muscles fuels muscle action - heavy legs
26:30 Doing 2 sessions a day versus 2 days between sessions. Hard and easy days take planning.
28:30 Rest and sleep means 7-9 hours per day asleep. When you sleep your hormones are active. Maintain weight, mental sharpness and dehydration. Interrupted sleep is a common issue for masters. Naps are a useful tool to use.
30:30 Other types of rest include sports massage, sauna, contrast showers (hot and cold) all help flush your system, Plan the rest days in a week's schedule Plan the rest weeks in an annual schedule. Cross training can be a rest and a change too,
33:00 Heart Rate Variability measures the fluctuation of what is happening between your heart beats. Compares the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Different ways to track are available. Get age group comparison data and personal day to day changes in your analytics. High values mean you are more recovered.
35:00 Active Recovery is rest or sleeping an extra hour. Simple ways to test your recovery. Check your waking heart beat in the morning for 1 minute. If it’s 10 beats higher than normal don’t do hard work that day or take a rest day.
37:00 Rebecca used to track using the Daily Diary from Harry Mahon If it’s 5 beats higher than normal you could have a virus coming on. Err on the side of caution.
40:45 De-conditioning takes a long time. You have to stop training for a long time to get to lose your fitness. Two sessions a week are enough for fitness maintenance. Keep it low intensity. Two sessions a week are enough for maintenance at low intensity.
When I was racing 1X 10+ years ago, My best 1k boat times were 55-60 seconds slower than my best 1k erg times. This past weekend at Gold Rush regatta, my 1X 1k time was 102 seconds slower than my best recent 1k erg time. Limiting factor in the boat seemed to be endurance. Does this make sense
Faster Master Male single sculler
You don't tell me how old you are now, so that affects my response to your question. You sound like you are a regular trainer and have been rowing a single for many years - I assume you are fit, skillful and a competitive masters athlete.
No, I do not think endurance is likely to be the only significant factor.
Do you train much less now (volume and intensity) compared to 10 years ago?
Did you alter your program over the past winter?
I think the second most likely factor affecting your results is your age. However, I'm not sure if this will affect erg score and boat times identically. ​​S​o we slow down with age and I'm guessing you can check your training diary about the weekly distance and training volume you were doing in the boat ten years ago compared to today.
Having said that, you might want to look at the Masters Age handicap times for your age today compared to your age 10 years ago - the increments grow fast especially when you're over 50 years old.
Here is the Row2k masters mens handicaps for head racing charts - scroll down to the part where they discuss over 50 year linear regression - it's a real thing.
​​Having said that, if you want to get a more robust estimate for YOUR on water time compared to your Concept2 erg time, I suggest rowing a time trial on the RP3 machine. It adjusts for boat class and weight (but not age) and your time on the machine is equivalent to your on-water time given perfect conditions and good rowing technique bladework.
So that may set your mind at rest.​
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